my happy ending: the canyon

January 6, 10 am... I am about ready to head down South Kaibab trail headed for a two night stay at Phantom Ranch. I'd made the reservations months ago, and this date was the only opening for two women, two nights, in a bunk house... the days we had to take... but in retrospect, this was the perfect time to go...

the views are spectacular... but it is the Grand Canyon after all...

Lots of snow on the trail at the beginning. We did not wear crampons but both of us had our poles... and on the South Kaibab there wasn't much ice, so the poles did nicely...

okay, more views... the colors, the shadows.... and the thought that this is where we are heading.

We begin the second big down hill... see the steps? My knees begin to talk to me but the steps do not turn out to be as problematic as I'd thought... at least not yet...

these mini-microcosms fascinate me... the moss, the ivy, the little cactus all clinging to a rock... three feet away there is too much sun, not enough water for these to survive.

the last stairs... toward the end I suggested Stacey just throw me down the hill... every step was painful and the grunts and groans while genuine also made us laugh...

The bridge!!! Flat land at last!

Little did we know it was still over a half mile to Phantom Ranch, a clean bunk, a shower and dinner. I took a bottom bunk, Stac, God bless her, took a top... the cabin had mice(go figure) and I am freaked by mice, so slept not-so-soundly that first night... none attacked me, and by the second night I wouldn't have cared.

Two of out bunk house buddies suggested we hike to Robbin Falls, 7 miles up the North Kaibab the next day and we decided, after being assured that the trail was very gradual, that we would do it.

The trail was a pleasure! No steps, the beautiful Bright Angel Creek, fly fisherman here and there along the way to wave to....

This raven and his buddy did not want to cooperate with me... there is a dead deer here and the two of them were feasting, beaks red... but I had to get away and use a zoom and so you cannot see much. For me there is something wonderful here, not gory, the deer was dead, the ravens clearly could not have killed it, but they could eat it. The deers death became useful. It's life full circle. The deer died and the ravens were hungry. Almost poetic.

I was surprised when we came out of the canyon and entered a marshy area full of willow and reed.

and then the marsh turned into this broad valley full of vegetation... here it looked more like a hike through the Superstitions, than the Grand Canyon...