If someone needed a little bit of luck, it was my friend. We were fifth on the wait list to stay down at Phantom Ranch. I was thinking we just might get lucky because there would probably be more men on the list. That theory was quickly debunked when there were more women than men waiting for a spot.
It just so happened that there was a sufficient amount of cancellations and we had our choice between sharing a dorm or having a cabin to ourselves and we selected the cabin and steak dinner, which was the only food option for dinner. I felt like we had just won the lottery, especially since our next stop would have been the Back Country office to see if we could backpack into the canyon. I was thrilled that I wouldn't be carrying a big pack with a tent and sleeping bag.
So we went back to our hotel and packed for our overnight in the canyon and had a nice breakfast at the hotel before heading into the big hole in the ground. It took two shuttles to get the South Kaibab trail, so we didn't start hiking until just before 11am, which was fine because it was rather cool at the top.
We stopped at Cedar Point for a snack and there was a squirrel that was a little too friendly begging for food and really liked my day pack. It probably had something to do with the fact that I didn't give much thought to where I put my bananas that I took from the breakfast bar and my water bottles banged against them making mush in the mesh netting. I ate the bananas before they could get any worse.
The hike down was gorgeous and the weather was perfect. The museum curator in me wanted more signs to read, especially when we were in another layer of rock as I tried to place layers with the mnemonic I learned on my rafting trip. After the first three top layers I was a lost cause.
So being women, we talked. Of course part of the conversation revolved around my friend's ex- husband and relationships. Really the summary from that topic is best reflected with an Italian proverb:
"In man, mortal sins are venial;
in woman, venial sins are mortal."
Walking past the canyon walls that were radiating heat felt like a wonderful welcome back embrace as we got closer to the river. I loved seeing the river and it brought back a lot of memories from this summer.
Once across the bridge we went to Boat Beach and took a break and put our feet in the water. The water was as cold as I remembered and I was glad that a warm shower was waiting for me instead of a quick soaping up and jump in the river. We saw a couple mule deer just above us. After a while we left the beach and headed to check in and dinner. Our cabin was very nice and had its own toilet and sink with running water.
The steak dinner was very good and what it lacked in flavor was made up for with huge portions. I had the steak dinner before- aka the vegetarian dinner which was the steak dinner without the steak the first time I hiked to Phantom Ranch with my family as a teenager. My dad saved $3 because I didn't eat the steak. My dad loves that story.
After dinner we decided to take showers. Unfortunately I don't always have my whole brain working on vacation and the shower was where my brain decided not to function in any problem solving dimension. Maybe it was too gorged on chocolate cake, but I had the world's coldest shower all because I didn't realize that the hot and cold were reversed instead of the hot water being gone. Some women who had already had their showers and were primping were kind enough to tell me the faucet was reversed after they listened to my painful screams for what to me felt like an eternity. I was grateful for the advice and recovered from my hypothermia in the hot water.
We went the ranger talk as a way to kill time before the Canteen reopened. The talk was about the Kolb Brothers. At the Canteen, I had more wine, bought a t-shirt to sleep in and mailed postcards from the bottom with the famous stamp that says "Mailed by Mule from the bottom of Grand Canyon".
At the ranger talk we had been given a weather report for the next day, sure enough we awoke and it was windy. The report had said 45 mph winds through out the day. Sometimes the wind was at our back and sometimes it was blowing sand into our faces. It made the hike longer for everyone.
My friend's hike was made even longer with pain in her left leg. Shortly after crossing the silver bridge she was having problems. Neither of us being medically trained at all the remedy consisted of more Advil, duct tape and underwear- hers of course since in was her leg. The underwear was wrapped around her leg below the knee and then wrapped in duct tape to make a brace on the fly. Miracle of miracles it helped and the pain subsided.
We chatted with people on the way out and saw more wildlife. This time we saw mule deer leaving camp and big horn sheep on the trail. There were also assorted lizards.
The last part of the hike is always the most entertaining with all the tourists taking a leisurely stroll not really paying attention to squat and certainly not getting out of the way. My favorites are the couples holding hands taking up the whole trail and not even considering separating their touching display of affection to make it easier for others to get around them. This time I encountered three such couples. My other favorite tourist was a Frenchman with the camera. Apparently I stopped for a break in the spot he wanted to photograph. He waited me out and then asked me to take his photo as soon as I got up. I them got to walk behind him and watch him run a head, take a photo and then run ahead again until he disappeared beyond my view.
One nice thing about the trails from the last time I hiked them was that there were composting bathrooms conveniently placed and I was grateful and happy to mark my territory at every stop both into and out of the canyon. Actually I would have skipped the one at mile 3 hiking out of the canyon on the BA had I been told there would be another composting toilet at the 1.5 mile spot. It was a long walk to pee.
My friend loved her first hike into Grand Canyon and I was happy to be with her. We put the finishing touches on a return trip next year when we returned to civilization. This time we are hiking North Rim to South Rim. Hopefully we won't need the duct tape.
