Waiting For George

March 18th. I went out for a run this morning without Jane because her knee has been bothering her. When I returned home I went into the back yard to go in through the basement and there were these two guys, one sitting on the porch steps and the other dude just standing in the backyard. Other than the fact that there were two strangers I've never seen before hanging out in my backyard, I didn't feel threatened but we sorta just eyed each other for a fraction of a second before I said hello and enquired what they were doing.

"We're supposed to do something here today," the dude who was standing said.

Okay, so they were probably here to work on the house or the yard... or something. Of course, maybe the something they had to do was break-in and loot the house.

So the dude who was standing said. "Is this your house?"

I said, yeah.

Then the dude said, "What's your name?"

I said, what? (because the dude spoke with a strong Hispanic accent)

"What's your name," he asked again.

XXXXX, I said (thinking to myself, why am I telling this dude my name)

I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about where this conversation was going and feared the next question would be something like "can you squeal like a pig?" so I moved so that my back was to the basement steps and I could either defend myself or run inside quickly if the situation turned ugly.

Then the dude said (pointing to his friend sitting on the steps), "We're waiting for George. He said he'd be here by 7:30."

AAhhh, I thought to myself, waiting for George (the foreman for our renovation). I looked at my watch which read approximately 7:20 and told them that they had another 10 minutes until 7:30.

So then the dude asked me, "Did George do the porch."

I explained to them that George had built the porch and also the bedroom addition as they both nodded approvingly. Of course, they could have equally been sizing-up how best to come back tonight and break-in, I wasn't quite sure, so I told them that I'm sure George would be here any minute and quickly went into the basement and locked the door. It would have been nice for George to alert us to expect some day laborers this morning. As I left to go to work, I did see George's car and Jason's pick-up, so I suppose the backyard is getting graded and seeded today.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1.5

Once we cross the black bridge and enter Phantom Ranch we'll have traveled approximately 1/3 of the out journey, 7 miles, with another 14 miles to go. Here's a detailed description of the North Kaibab Trail that stretches from the Phantom Ranch all the way up the aspen-shaded flanks of the North Rim. Starting from Phantom Ranch (see map at left), the 14-mile trail follows Bright Angel Creek as it burbles through open desert through a narrow gorge of nealy 2 billion year old rock, passses the Cottonwood Camp, and skirts the wall of the precipitous Roaring Springs Canyon (see map below). Starting from Phantom Ranch, we'll climb more than a mile (5,770 feet) of elevation on the way up.

The first few miles north of Phantom Ranch are relatively flat and deceptively easy. Shortly after leaving Phantom Ranch, you pass the side trail to Clear Creek (a terrific hike for another day). About six miles north of Phantom Ranch there's another well-signed side trail to Ribbon Falls. The quarter-mile trek to the falls is a great trip if you have an extra hour or so. Cottonwood Camp, developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is about a mile north of Ribbon Falls. Its shady, vibrant green cottonwood trees are a welcome sight during a hot summer hike. Cottonwood Camp is about halfway between Phantom Ranch and the rim and along the way we'll have gained about 1,600 feet of elevation, but have nearly 4,200 more to go.

A little more than two miles north of Cottonwood Camp we'll pass Roaring Springs, a gorgeous cascade of water spilling out of a high canyon wall. Water from the springs, aided by a couple of pump houses, supplies both the North and South rims. There's a small picnic area about a quarter-mile down a side trail near Roaring Springs, but we'll still be five miles from the trailhead. The most scenic section lies ahead.

As we trudge up from the springs, the rugged, ever deepening gorge of Roaring Springs Canyon will lie at our feet. The Redwall Bridge, about two miles beyond Roaring Springs, sits atop the Redwall formation, a 500-foot-high layer of 330-million-year-old limestone. Its name to the contrary, the Redwall formation is actually gray; its outer surface has been stained by iron oxide in the layers above it. Several steep switchbacks take you from the bridge up to the Supai Tunnel, just beyond which you'll find water and restrooms. The Coconino Overlook, about a mile beyond, is a fine area in which to prepare for the final assault. While we're resting there we'll be able to look across the Canyon for the low silhouette of Humphreys Peak, some 60 miles to the south-southeast. The trail from the overlook to the rim, about three-quarters of a mile, is a pleasant, not-so-steep walk through ponderosa pine, white fir and quaking aspen. Allow at least eight hours for the strenuous 14-mile hike from Phantom Ranch to the North Rim. Add an hour or two for the side trip to Ribbon Falls. Of course here we're still two miles until the North Rim Lodge.

Trail heading out of the Cottonwood Campground.

Roaring Springs.

The Redwall Bridge

Suppai Tunnel.

The view from Suppai Tunnel.

The North Kaibab Trailhead.

The North Rim Lodge.

Grand Canyon Adventure Day 1

Getting There
From Phoenix, it is ~250 miles or about 4-5 hours driving time to the South Rim. Take I-17 North to Flagstaff, Arizona (where we will stay one night on the return trip) and then either of three routes to the Grand Canyon Village. (1) Take I-40 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (2) Take Highway 180 west to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 north directly to the South Rim. (3) Take Highway 89 north to Highway 64. Take Highway 64 west to the East Entrance on the South Rim - known as Desert View.

The official Park Service newspaper called The Guide posts the shuttle bus timetables. The South Kaibab Trailhead is only accesible by bus. We'll park the rental car at one of five lots and take a free shuttle bus. It will probably be a good idea to park in lot E near the Backcountry Information Center and walking the short distance over to the front entrance of the Maswik Lodge. A special Hikers' Express bus leaves here at 5:05, 6:05 and 7:05 am May through September. Also Lot E is just 5 minutes walk from the Bright Angel trailhead - our return destination. Alternatively, lot D is closer to the Bright Angel Lodge and we could take the same bus from there 5 mins earlier. (The Guide has a map of all the facilities.)

The South Kaibab Trailhead

By the time the trail reaches the Colorado River about 4750ft (1450m) below, it will be a lot warmer. There is no water on this trail but there are two toilet facilities on the way down. It's a total of 7 miles to Phantom Ranch, across the bridge, a bit beyond the other side of the River. Here are photos of the terrain and highlighted landmarks along the South Kaibab Trail as noted on the topo map at left. A more detailed description with ample photos can be found here.

Stepping off into the Grand Canyon.

View of the South Rim to the left.

Looking down on O'Neill Butte.

Crossing the Tonto Trail about 4.4 miles.

Looking back up at the Tonto Plateau.

The TipOff and view of the Colorado River.

The Black Bridge crossing the Coloarado River.

It's approximately 7 miles to the Phantom Ranch and another 14 miles to the North Kaibab trailhead on the North Rim.

Grand Canyon Adventure

In early May, Jane and I will be traveling back to the Desert Southwest (where we vacationed last year) to experience up-close and personal the Grand Canyon. We plan to run/hike rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) over two days. We'll fly into Phoenix and stay overnight on the South Rim, then early the next morning run to the North Rim. The following day we retrace our steps. The trail distances are approximately 21 miles on the first day and 23 the next. After our overnight on the South Rim we'll take the earliest hiker shuttle to the South Kaibab trail head. The bus stop is a 15 min walk to the trailhead where we enter the canyon and the adventure begins. Click on topographical map at left for an expanded view of the trails marked in red. The plan is to run down the South Kaibab Trail to the Phantom Ranch, then continue north along the Bright Angel Creek on the North Kaibab Trail toward Roaring Springs (not shown on the topo map above but is diagramed below although not to scale), and then make the final assault to the North Rim. Once at the top, we'll stay overnight at the North Rim Lodge. The following day we'll retrace our steps as far as the Phantom Ranch and then return to the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trail. While the Bright Angel Trail adds a mile and a half, it also provides several water sources and nice rests stops—critical in this country, and the South Kaibab has none.

Since this probably isn't the smartest activity to undertake, in fact the park rangers evidently frown on it, we plan to go with several running buddies who have been making this run a yearly activity and one of the guys going with us is an emergency room physician--so that's good. Also, I will obsessively plan so we know what to expect and try to anticipate all potential emergencies and needs. There are ample warnings not to attempt what we plan to do (see picture below) but most people say that the ordinary visitor who is reasonably well prepared has no reason to heed the warning signs. Of course, there is always the possibility one could run into trouble.

Home Addition Update

March 6th. The home renovation is largely complete. We've moved into our new bedroom which is much more spacious than I had expected. The original master bedroom in our home, which was built in 1933, was cramped---10 x 12 with a large hot water radiator making it feel even smaller. Even though our new bedroom isn't large by today's standards, stepping into it feels a little odd in that there's much more space than I'm accustomed to. We'll probably have to buy larger bedside tables or bureaus at some point. The original floor plan also didn't include much closet space, something we've added to over the 3 renovations/additions we've gone through with the pièce de résistance being Jane's new walk-in closet. Jane's new closet (that I've outfitted with closetmaid shelves and rods) is 99% complete and has a ton of storage capacity--although still not enough for all of Jane's clothes and accessories (seriously). A couple of days back we were both standing in the closet and Jane says, "this is probably enough space for my Fall/Winter wardrobe.........and she was being serious! But this is Jane's one indulgence and I can't blame her after hearing heart-wrenching stories about her childhood as the youngest of three siblings having only hand-me-downs from her older sister and brother to wear. Jane's Glass Castle was this walk-in closet and now it's done. We haven't yet been able to enjoy the screened porch since it is still chilly but am looking forward to the warmer weather when we'll be able to spend more time outside. It took a long time to arrange with the builder to get this last renovation completed but we're happy we did and that it's now mostly over. Now, we've turned our attention to the old bedroom which we'll turn into a study. First, we need to strip off the old wallpaper and do a few small repairs to the walls and ceilings, install new electrical outlets, and then repaint. I don't think this will take too long, but I said that about the bathroom and that took 7 years. Which reminds me I still have to pull the old broken faucet in the bathroom sink and install a new one and while I''m at it add a back splash to the sink, paint the radiator in the kitchen, paint the front porch railings, re-paint the doors, put in a backyard vegetable garden, build an arbor entryway and stone path in the backyard, finish the rest of the basement, and then work on the garage.....Oy Vey!