Hike to the Grand Canyon

Yosemite Trekker @ thecityedition.com ----- Post #15 - May 27, 2010 -- Page 2

The Colorado River. Like a bandsaw, this liquid dynamo managed to cut a path over 5,000 feet deep across the Colorado Plateau. Unfortunately, a dam built recently at Glen Canyon has taken away some of the bandsaw's teeth.

Hike to the Grand Canyon

cont. from Page 1

To the west of the village, the Red Route takes you out to Hermit's Rest eight miles away, where you'll find rest rooms, a gift shop and snack bar, as well as the trailhead for a popular foot trek. It's a nice little excursion. However you don't see the river, so most people hop off earlier, at Hopi Point. At their talks, rangers always ask tourists what color the river is after making such forays, because the water changes back and forth between green and red. Spanish explorers named the river the Colorado for a good reason. When silt is being conveyed by the current (due to storms, flash floods, melting snow, etc.), the color is definitely brick red. On a quiet, sunny day, however, it flows a steady green.

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Hermit's Rest. You'll definitely find yourself off-the-beaten path but still in good company at the farthest reach along the shuttle route westward. The bell will bring you good luck if you walk under it. The edifice in the first photo was designed by Mary Jane Colter. There's a gift shop inside, along with a huge fireplace, the chimney is visible on the left side. And even though you see a lot of cups in hand, nearly all the coffee produced at the South Rim comes out of a vending machine. (To get the real thing, go to the Bright Angel Lounge in Grand Canyon Village, which also has a real espresso machine.)

Back on the bus shuttle, if you want to travel east, the green Route starts at the Canyon View Visitor's Center and stops at several other points along the South Rim for more breathtaking views. At the Visitor's Center, you can hear an introductory talk on geology every morning at 10:30 (during the peak season). It's a nice way to start the day.

And you don't need to to take the Green or Red Route busses to see the river. Instead, take the maine Blue Route (a.k.a. Village Route) from wherever you're at in the village and get off at Yavapai Observation Center. This is a pretty deluxe, indoor perch bolted into the side of the rim where you can look out at your leisure without the Sun beating down on your head and the wind blowing through you like daggers from the hell.

Yavapai Observation Center.

Rugged outdoorswoman that I am, I really liked taking refuge in the Observation Center. In fact, it was my favorite place in the park beside the Bright Angel Lounge. One day I sat at a bench just inside the doorway eating a sandwich (probably against the rules) while charging my camera battery in an electric outlet (probably also against the rules). The mid-morning sunlight was streaming in and I experienced a rare zen moment. But most people come there to look out the window. There are a couple pairs of binoculars affixed to the viewing ledge, but if you have your own, do bring them along, because it gets quite crowded in here as the day progressives.

One day when I visited, there was an old guy in his far eighties staring out at the sweeping landscape. He had a twinkle in his eye and said he'd hiked every possible trail down in the canyon over the past 30 or 40 years. He looked good, too, for his age. Better than me. He had clear, smooth skin, an erect posture and remain totally lucid throughout the conversation. Made me want to strap up my boots and hit the trailhead. Still, I couln't share his exhiliration for what looked to me as the scene of a mega-disaster area. I'll take Mirror Lake over this any day.

At Yavapai, you can also spy on rafting expeditions hurling downstream. This activity is wildly popular along the Colorado River, especially considering the rapids are rated 1 to 10. By comparison, most other rivers don't get up past level 6. To run the full canyon, you'd need 2-3 weeks, the cost of which may set you back the price of a new car. But don't dismay, since there's lots of outfitters and options available, if you do your research in advance.

Phantom Ranch is also visible from Yavapai. This age-old resort is nestled among cottonwood trees at the bottom of the canyon. The trees were planted by the Civil Conservation Corps in 1933, several decades after the original cabins were built. People taking the longer mule trains or hiking down to the river generally spend a night here. The cabins are booked a year in advance, so keep that in mind if the notion appeals to you. Otherwise, bring a tent if you intend to camp, because the field mice will have a field day building nests in your hair if you sleep in the open. (Overnight camping permits are required, so stop at the Backcountry Information Center before your trip.)

The CCC also built a deep pool at Phantom Ranch, filling it with water diverted from the river. Unfortunately, the National Park Service pulled the plug in the Seventies in response to a terrible plague of skinny-dipping hippies. Not very foresighted of them, was it?

Bright Angel Trail. The most well-trodden thoroughfare at South Rim is also one of the most grueling coming back up.

Incidentally, N.P.S. warns against hiking down to the river and back up in a single day. Lots of people do it anyway. For one thing, the intense heat at the bottom of the canyon reaches 120 degrees in summer. Even in temperate weather, the climb back up to the rim, no matter how many days of rest you take down below, is not for the faint of heart. I saw many a dazed and shaken traveler winding up the trek in sheer agony whenever I meandered down the well-trodden Bright Angel Trail. There are rest stops after 1.5 miles and 3 miles, but trust me, nobody's going to carry you back up to the top of the rim if you get tired. Stick to the short hike like me and concentrate on the views, rather than on the distance covered.

The Mule Barn in Grand Canyon Village.

Which brings me to the subject of mule trains. Suffice to say, the mule barn at Grand Canyon Village does a thriving business. Expeditions start as early as 6 a.m. and include a half hour of instruction from guys who lay on the dude ranch vernacular like high-cholesterol mayonnaise. Water, food, a rain coat and cowboy hat are included in the package (you have to return the coat and hat), but every time I looked at those mules I felt ashamed and guilty. They may eat well at night in their barn, but they seem like an oppressed race to me, like prisoners beaten into submission, with no play time to speak of. If you spend enough time watching them, you just want to cry. At least, I did. As a matter of fact, it reminded me of the horse and mule barn in Yosemite, although the animals looked in much poorer health there than at the Grand Canyon.

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