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GRAND CANYON RIM TO RIM HIKE, SEPT 13-21, 2003, By Bill Huggins |
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
DAY TWO ON THE TRAIL
Breakfast consists of oatmeal which is easy and quick to prepare. Then load our backpacks for the easy hike to Bright Angel campground and Phantom Ranch. Cottonwood is the half way point from the North Rim to Phantom Ranch. It was daylight when we started out and the hike to Phantom was to be an easy one. A distance of seven miles and altitude drop of only about 1600 feet. We had already hiked down from 8241 feet at the rim to 4000 feet at Cottonwood, a drop in altitude of over 4000 feet. We were up early and started hiking before daylight in order to get to Bright Angel campground soon enough to claim a good campsite. A mile and a half down the trail we came to Ribbon Falls, a spectacular sight and one that is an easy hike. Phil and Al elected to see the falls up close and personal while I was appointed guardian of the packs.
Phil Roberts stands at the bottom of Ribbon Falls.
A15 Phil behind Ribbon Falls.jpg Phil has climbed up behind the falls where Al shot this picture of him.
No argument from me as I had been there twice before in the past. They were gone no more than 45 minutes. Then onward to Bright Angel Campground. We arrived early in the afternoon and went directly to pick out a good campsite. Our selection proved to be one of the best. Close to the Phantom Ranch dining hall and reasonably close to the facilities.
Al Roberts, left, and Phil Roberts wait patiently for the dining hall to open so that they can reward themselves with the premier beer.
After laying out our stuff to claim our territory and placing our food in the vermin proof boxes, we repaired to the dining hall for a celebration premier beer. This beer is especially brewed for the Phantom Ranch visitors and is available nowhere else in the world. This is true also of the tee shirts, which we purchased right after the beer had been consumed. We bought post cards also since they were marked as being packed out by mule. As it was some time before our reservations for the dinner, we wrote and addressed our post cards and returned to the campsite for free time. Phil and I elected to take a bath, complete with soap, in the Bright Angel Creek. This bath was necessary after two days on the trail as well as being extremely refreshing. We changed into clean clothes for the Phantom Ranch dining experience. We then showed up at the dining room in time for the meal that was everything and more as advertised. Salad with dressing, New York strip steak, baked potato, corn, fresh baked corn bread, plenty of iced tea, and chocolate cake for desert. A meal fit for a king, or in this case three hungry hikers.
Al and Phil Roberts clown around while waiting for dinner in the dining hall.
After dinner we returned to the camp ground to lay out our sleeping gear for the night. It was here that we had our first encounter with dangerous canyon wild life.
Al Roberts prepares his bed for a good night's rest, in spite of attacks by ring-tail bears.
THE MOUNTAIN LION
Phil had just opened the animal proof food container to make adjustments with the food storage, and while his back was turned a huge mountain lion bounded into the food box and grabbed what later proved to be a plastic garbage container. I turned to see what was happening and having my hiking staff by my side, I swung but missed. The cougar lashed out at me and just did scratch my forearm. Phil had his hiking stick with a sharp point, and stabbed the animal several times until it retreated thereby saving our food and hides. We took flashlights to see onto the bushes but all we saw was a ringtail cat with a plastic bag in its mouth. It took a while to get over the excitement and by then it was time to turn in. We planned to get an early start the next morning to Indian Gardens.
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