07:50 - Breakfast
I am just above the Devil's Corkscrew on the Bright Angel Trail about one mile away from Indian Garden. I was up at 5 and out of camp at 5:55 and I am making pretty good time. I have been in the shade for most of the morning and have just now broken into some sun. I found a nice shady spot where I can eat my bagel (with peanut butter and blueberry preserves) and look at the little waterfall along Garden Creek. I will be back in the shade for a while as soon as I round the bend, probably most of the way to Indian Garden.
13:00 - Maswik cafeteria
I just finished chowing down on a huge taco salad and some onion rings... and a beer. It's good to have real food again.
I reached the Bright Angel Trailhead at 12:07, pretty much right when I hoped I would. I didn't stop much on the way up at all: maybe 5 minutes at Indian Garden; another 10 at the Three-mile resthouse; and another 5 at the One-and-a-half-mile resthouse. I got to Indian Garden right around 9 which was perfect for the halfway point. I was at the Three-mile resthouse a little after 10 and at the One-and-a-half-mile resthouse right around 11.
Some sections of the Bright Angel Trail are an absolute mess and need considerable work. The South Kaibab Trail is currently closed to mules because of some work they are doing there so all of the mule trips and Phantom Ranch pack trains are currently using the Bright Angel. There is one spot on the trail where a small pond of mule urine has collected. Lovely.
The stew meal at Phantom last night was fabulous and that's what kept me going through the morning. I had two bowls of salad, three bowls of stew, three pieces of cornbread, and a slice of chocolate cake. After eating backpacking food for almost a week I really chowed down.
Time to book it back to Flagstaff and get this satellite phone returned.
17:36 - Home Sweet Flagstaff
I am back at the house in Flagstaff, arrived here around 4pm this afternoon. After I dropped of the sat phone I stopped by the supermarket to pick up a few food items before heading back here. The shower felt incredible and it is going to feel wonderful to sleep in a real bed tonight.
I am still in the process of uploading and sorting through photos and probably won't get anything up tonight as my energy level is quickly waning. I will just be hanging around at the house tomorrow and doing laundry and putting gear away so I should be able to get some uploaded.
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Top of the Devils Corkscrew - Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona
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Bottom of the Devils Corkscrew - Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona
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Waterfall and flowers along Garden Creek - Grand Canyon, Arizona
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Claret Cup cactus along the Bright Angel Trail - Grand Canyon, Arizona
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Above Heartbreak Hill - Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona
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Bright Angel Trailhead - Grand Canyon, Arizona
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