Around midnight when we woke up, decided to start our last day hike with the guys around 2. Once we had our paltry breakfast of oatmeal and some rice/beans we hit the road around 1:45, a few minutes before the guys. The day was going to be the toughest since we had to cover 6.9 miles with an elevation gain of 4421', from 4000' to 8421' at North Rim trailhead. We walked steadily with enough breaks to Roaring Springs which was at a 2 mile distance, where the guys caught up with us. The climb was going to be brutal since it was constantly uphill and the path was narrow. The colors of the North Rim were lost in our early morning walk, and we got to see the first shades when we hit the bridge around 6AM. We could see the top much clearly. So we continued our walks with more breaks. Got to the Supai Tunnel around 7AM, and enjoyed the magnificient view that nature had thrown at us. Few folks who were coming downhill gave us encouraging comments that the distance was not too far. We kept going though our energy levels were draining. However the end seemed to be nowhere in sight. The first sign of a credible distance was when we came by a ranger who gave us a water spray, and told us it was just 0.7 miles away to the trailhead. Came across two mule trains. Simple tricks of 100 yrs before a break, stretches etc were put into place. Walking with held hands felt like taking saat phere of the Canyons. An apt illustration to this grand tour! Came across a couple who said the trailhead was just 2 mins away...and with a few steps we were right there! Gave each other a hi-fi and threw water on our heads and faces.
Saw the guys who had changed and were all fresh. After a few pics, we hit the road to the Lodge for a sumptous breakfast. Sitting there and looking at the canyon we felt happy to have done this hike. Tired, but not beaten we enjoyed the drive to Vegas.
The dinner at Vegas at Tambe(Temple) was to be forgotten. Met up with Madhu/Bhanu and then hit the bed early enough for our 6AM flight back to San Jose. Vinod gave us a ride home, while narrating his stories of R2R2R run. It was yet another day, but I am thrilled at having finished this wonderful hike!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Day-3
We decided to get a headstart before the guys, and hence were up by 5. Once dressed, with oatmeals in our belly from breakfast, and water filled up we head out around 6:45 to Cottonwood, a distance of 7.6 miles with an elevation gain of 1600'. The walk was very pleasant and we took frequent breaks. There was one odd snake who crossed our path. The guys were
not in sight, and it would be around 6 miles into the walk before we would spot them. The streams that crossed our path were always welcome since we enjoyed soaking ourselves with some water on our head. Saw a detour to Ribbon Falls. Were in two minds until a European gentleman suggested we drop the backpacks and go down there to see the beautiful colors, esp since Cottonwood was only 2km away. So we waved to the guys who were approaching us, and walked on to the falls. From a distance the falls looked normal and hence we just soaked ourselves with more water, and decided to continue on our trek. We did not seem to have learnt well from our mistake of the previous day, since the heat started killing us with our detour.
However we made it to Cottonwood around noon. Cooked up our Backpackers lunch of pasta, lasagna and rice. Took a nap in the afternoon, before we soaked our legs in the cold stream flowing close to the campsite. The guys went to the falls and told us that the view at the base of the fall was much better than from a distance. Oh well, next time! Cooked up some early dinner along with our hot chocolate. Got our bags packed, water filled and changed clothes so that we could head out around midnight. Went to bed around 9.
Day-2
Woke up around 6:30AM to the sound of people. Found that our other group of Anshu and friends were almost ready to leave. The newbies got introduced to pit-toilets. We found our eggs spoilt, though some of us did devour a couple. So with leftover sandwiches and some bars for breakfast, we packed our bags, filled our water bags and hit the road around 8:30AM. The trail
from Indian Garden to Bright Angel campground was around 4.7 miles with a drop of further 1400'. On the way we saw the Colorado River. The sight was wonderful, and we took a long break - waving at rafters/kayakers and chilling out by the river.
We still had over a mile to go, but the heat was catching up. With around 100degrees in the air, we were being subjected to slight dehydration. Just a few metres away from the bridge, Sandhya was hit by dehydration. We took a water break. Shared half a bottle of gatorade with an old rafting couple who had run out of water. We then walked over the bridge still unaware of how far we needed to go. Came across a Park official who did not answer my query regarding distance to the campground. But lo behold, to our surprise we saw the campground right around the corner. Got to our site, and started cooking our Backpackers lunch of Chana Masala and Kathmandu curry. Note to oneself - the former is not one worth taking in future. Pankaj and Sandhya were thrilled at the sight of clean toilets. After some time we joined Swamy who was enjoying the stream beside our camp. While chilling out there, we came across a deer and her kid who came to the stream for their water supply. When we got back to our camp, we were given a earful by the ranger for having left the campground in a mess - food on the table, bags lying around and clothes hung on trees. Quickly we got down to business of cleaning the stuff. Also came across some ants who had d
ecided to devour our cashew clusters. Once things were set in place, we found a deer right besides our campground. More drama was to come when we heard about the ranger doing some cross-checks about a group of 18 getting three individual permits! We walked to the bridge to see sunset once the drama was laid to rest. Came back to cook some pasta for dinner.
During dinner we were harassed by a persistent ringtail who climbed up the pole on our backpacks, chased us from different sides. We had hitched our broken tents right in between the other two, and were good for one more night.
Mistake - Do not let the sun beat you in a place like Grand Canyon. So less breaks!
from Indian Garden to Bright Angel campground was around 4.7 miles with a drop of further 1400'. On the way we saw the Colorado River. The sight was wonderful, and we took a long break - waving at rafters/kayakers and chilling out by the river.
We still had over a mile to go, but the heat was catching up. With around 100degrees in the air, we were being subjected to slight dehydration. Just a few metres away from the bridge, Sandhya was hit by dehydration. We took a water break. Shared half a bottle of gatorade with an old rafting couple who had run out of water. We then walked over the bridge still unaware of how far we needed to go. Came across a Park official who did not answer my query regarding distance to the campground. But lo behold, to our surprise we saw the campground right around the corner. Got to our site, and started cooking our Backpackers lunch of Chana Masala and Kathmandu curry. Note to oneself - the former is not one worth taking in future. Pankaj and Sandhya were thrilled at the sight of clean toilets. After some time we joined Swamy who was enjoying the stream beside our camp. While chilling out there, we came across a deer and her kid who came to the stream for their water supply. When we got back to our camp, we were given a earful by the ranger for having left the campground in a mess - food on the table, bags lying around and clothes hung on trees. Quickly we got down to business of cleaning the stuff. Also came across some ants who had d
ecided to devour our cashew clusters. Once things were set in place, we found a deer right besides our campground. More drama was to come when we heard about the ranger doing some cross-checks about a group of 18 getting three individual permits! We walked to the bridge to see sunset once the drama was laid to rest. Came back to cook some pasta for dinner.During dinner we were harassed by a persistent ringtail who climbed up the pole on our backpacks, chased us from different sides. We had hitched our broken tents right in between the other two, and were good for one more night.
Mistake - Do not let the sun beat you in a place like Grand Canyon. So less breaks!
Day - 1
On Sep 1st we boarded the flight to Las Vegas from San Jose. Gaurav gave us a drop to the airport. Our first fear factor kicked in right before the flight landed in Vegas, with Sandhya getting into a bad shape. However she insisted that she wanted to continue, even though we had agreed to skip the hike in such an event. We changed the two sedans for a minivan, and were off to the North Rim. We picked up coffee and some advil from a store. Swamy offered to ride and most of thankfully slept off while Sudhakar(Mouski) gave him company. We got to the North Rim Lodge at 5AM, and waited for Anshu and the UIUC folks. Around
6AM all of us changed into our hiking gear, and were ready for the TransCanyon shuttle which would take us from North to South Rim. The driver suggested we leave the car at the trailhead, which in retro seems the best choice since it would save us a 3 mile hike from the trailhead to the lodge at the end of the hike. We got to the South Rim around noon after a couple of stops for breakfast and gas. Had a nice sit-down lunch and were ready to hit the trail around 2PM, after filling up our water supply.
The first leg of the hike from the South Rim trailhead to Indian Gardens campground was around 4.6 miles and we dropped from an elevation of 6890' to 3800', a drop of around 3000'. The walk was easy and offered a few good views, especially the doorways that were there. After a few Patel snaps here and there, and a lot of rest-stops we got the Indian Garden around 6PM. In between Sandhya was mad at me for having packed the recent unbranded camera. Once at the campsite we decided to set up our tents. Here we ran into our next surprise, my broken tent. Since my tent had worked well for me the previous instance, I did not bother to check its state, and here it was with broken poles in front of me. This was reason for Sandhya to get angry at me, since it was a long day and now there was no decent place to sleep. After some recovery talk, I got back to fixing the tent in some form for us to sleep - a sight to behold! The guys were back from their walk to Plateau point, and we then cooked some Maggi. Got to test my new Pocket Rocket stove and the Gualite bowls. Once done with dinner, we crashed into our tents.
Mistake - Check your stuff before you pack.
6AM all of us changed into our hiking gear, and were ready for the TransCanyon shuttle which would take us from North to South Rim. The driver suggested we leave the car at the trailhead, which in retro seems the best choice since it would save us a 3 mile hike from the trailhead to the lodge at the end of the hike. We got to the South Rim around noon after a couple of stops for breakfast and gas. Had a nice sit-down lunch and were ready to hit the trail around 2PM, after filling up our water supply.The first leg of the hike from the South Rim trailhead to Indian Gardens campground was around 4.6 miles and we dropped from an elevation of 6890' to 3800', a drop of around 3000'. The walk was easy and offered a few good views, especially the doorways that were there. After a few Patel snaps here and there, and a lot of rest-stops we got the Indian Garden around 6PM. In between Sandhya was mad at me for having packed the recent unbranded camera. Once at the campsite we decided to set up our tents. Here we ran into our next surprise, my broken tent. Since my tent had worked well for me the previous instance, I did not bother to check its state, and here it was with broken poles in front of me. This was reason for Sandhya to get angry at me, since it was a long day and now there was no decent place to sleep. After some recovery talk, I got back to fixing the tent in some form for us to sleep - a sight to behold! The guys were back from their walk to Plateau point, and we then cooked some Maggi. Got to test my new Pocket Rocket stove and the Gualite bowls. Once done with dinner, we crashed into our tents.
Mistake - Check your stuff before you pack.
Planning
The Grand Canyon trip was in our mind since last year. We tried to apply for the permits, but did not do any serious planning about it. So then this year when the opportunity presented itself through Anshu's email, Sandhya responded back with a Yes.
Just a week to go for the trip, and all that we have done so far is - buy the flight tickets to Las Vegas, book hotel and book shuttle to take us from the North to South rim. So we made a round of the local Sports stores on Sunday and then came back home and ordered most stuff of the internet. Got to know that 3 folks had dropped out. So amongst us there was only a group of 6. We met up with our group of 6 people a couple of days before to see who is bringing what. After sorting through the food packs, snacks and other stuff we were in a better position. Sent out a word to Kaushik of UIUC to buy 4 fuel cans for us.
Just a week to go for the trip, and all that we have done so far is - buy the flight tickets to Las Vegas, book hotel and book shuttle to take us from the North to South rim. So we made a round of the local Sports stores on Sunday and then came back home and ordered most stuff of the internet. Got to know that 3 folks had dropped out. So amongst us there was only a group of 6. We met up with our group of 6 people a couple of days before to see who is bringing what. After sorting through the food packs, snacks and other stuff we were in a better position. Sent out a word to Kaushik of UIUC to buy 4 fuel cans for us.
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