We got up at 2:30 in the morning, took showers and were out of the house in Flagstaff just a little after 3:00. We arrived at the market plaza in Grand Canyon Village at just about 5:30 and only had about 2 minutes to spare before the shuttle bus left. Talk about cutting it close! Well, we ended up not cutting it close enough as we both forgot our sunglasses in Maggi's truck and we HAD to go back. Hiking in the Canyon for three days without some kind of eye protection was just not an option. Great minds un-think alike---Dorks R Us.

If that wasn't bad enough we discovered the shuttle bus we were on wasn't going to take us where we wanted to go anyway. The shuttle bus routes had apparently been changed since the last time I did this particular hike about 5 years ago. After going back to the market plaza to retrieve our sunglasses, the shuttle bus driver dropped us at another stop where we could catch the hiker's shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead. We finally ended up getting to the trailhead a little before 5:30 about an hour later than we wanted to be there and as a result missed seeing the sunrise from Cedar Ridge. Ah well? the best laid plans of mice and men?

It was still good to get an early start and we ended having a nice breakfast of bagels with peanut butter and jelly at Cedar Ridge. We also stopped at the Tonto Trail junction and hid out in the shade behind the rest house down there and had some trail mix for lunch. We made good time all the way down and only had a few other short stops along the way. We arrived at the Colorado River just before noon and were at Bright Angel Campground almost exactly at noon. The only problem Maggi had with the trail was that final stretch that descends to the Colorado River in the Inner Gorge... but most people (except moi) usually have problems with that section.

After setting up camp we ended up going up to Phantom Ranch for some ice cold lemonade and then to the afternoon ranger program which, as luck would have it, was about the various lizards that inhabit the Grand Canyon---Maggi was fascinated by all of the lizards. After the ranger program we went back to camp, made and ate dinner, and then basically just collapsed in the tent.

Fatigue had been somewhat of a problem all afternoon and both of us had problems with minor headaches. It could have been any number of things from not enough food, to too much water, to not enough sleep the night before. Mine was really just a minor annoyance but Maggi's was worse. It felt very good to finally lie down, go to bed and sleep.