May 16: SW Road Trip Day 7

After some discussion, we agree that we must hike some of the Bright Angel Trail. After initially thinking that going to the first tunnel (0.2 mile) would be enough, we decide we would go farther, at least to the second tunnel (0.8 mile). It’s a good decision because the feeling inside the gorge is very different from the feeling on the rim. You get a separate sense of the Canyon when actually in it and you can see a thousand feet of wall above you as well as lots of wall below you.

Heading into the Canyon

A curious sign appears just after the first tunnel. It shows a hiker bent over, vomiting on the trail; it warns you that this trail can be very dangerous to your health! OK, we won’t go too far, we promise! It’s a cool day and we are both glad we wore long pants and have jackets on. The trail is wide, but is uneven enough that we are also glad we each wore our most sturdy shoes, light hiking boots.

As we descend, we really enjoy the views. We are not sure how far we should go, but decide that the 1.5 mile rest stop is a good target. After a refreshing break, we head back up. We were able to walk down this far without too many breaks. It didn’t feel that taxing, we just stopped when others wanted to pass us or a large group was coming in the opposite direction. Going up is an entirely different thing. It requires more effort. We stop and drink water often. Here is a sampling of views:

Looking West from the Upper Bright Angel Trail

 Canyon Wall Above the Bright Angel Trail

From the Bright Angel Trail

We made it back up in good time. About as many hikers passed us as we passed (though some of the latter were carrying large back-packs having spent a couple of nights near the river). We both decide that breakfast is in order and as luck would have it, we get to the Bright Angel Restaurant at 10:45 AM. The kitchen is open for another 15 minutes! This was one of the tastier breakfasts I have ever eaten! Must be the state of my hunger.

Breakfast done, we decide to chill in our room for a bit and see how we feel about the rest of the day. I’m actually feeling much better than yesterday. I want to see the Yavupai Geology Center on the East Rim, so after an hour of rest, we walk back to the Trailhead and board a bus (Blue Route) to the Welcome Center. We get to see a lot of the National Park grounds on this ride that we would not have otherwise seen. A half hour later, we are walking toward Mather Point.

The Rim Trail East of the Village

We continue on another half mile or so to the Geology Center. As we arrive, another Ranger is giving a presentation about the geology of the Canyon in a small amphitheater on the edge of the canyon. We quietly join the audience. Another thoroughly entertaining talk, expanding on the themes of yesterday. This speaker was much more vivacious than the Fossil Talk Ranger and so obviously delighted to be doing what she was doing. “So cool!” uttered often. After another half hour, the talk concluded and we entered the Center. It has glass windows on the Canyon, so one can get a really good view and feel completely safe.

We didn’t spend a lot of time inside, we opted to head back to the hotel, a mile and a half west. At this point is the beginning of the Trail of Time (https://grandcanyondestinations.com/trail-of-time-grand-canyon-south ). Each meter represents a million years. Samples of the rock in the different layers of the canyon are placed at the appropriate points along the Trail correlating with when those layers formed. Very clever idea to convey the time scale.

It was a most exhilarating day of hiking. More hiking than I have done in a while. We got back to the hotel and decided to reward ourselves with another visit to the “Fountain”. Amy had Almond Praline and I had Vanilla. It was just as delicious as yesterday!

For the remainder of the afternoon we rested from the day’s exertions. At 6:00, we headed to the Cocktail Lounge for Margaritas (and chips), then had another wonderful dinner in the El Tovar Dining Room. We shared a Caprese Salad and Amy had a Veal Chop and I had a Ribeye Steak. We already had dessert in the afternoon, so we called it a night.