We slept early after the long gruelling hike. Woke up in the morning and after having Chai in our room we were all ready to go to the Vista point on our way back to Phoenix.
All nine of us had matching T-shirts to wear. It was great to spend almost an hour taking photos at the vista point.
We were delayed by an extra 30 minutes with the "photoshoot" and raced towards Phoenix.
There was a 30 mintue stop for lunch in Flagstaff at a nice Indian place. It was really good food, great ambience, quick service! If we ever visit Flagstaff, will definitely go back to this place!
We made it 20 minutes before boarding time to the gate!
It took me two days to be able to walk normally again and be able to sit down and stand up. Was mostly standing and walking all of Monday and Tuesday. Did yoga last two days and finally able to do squats again.
All said and done, it was a memorable trip. Will I go back to the south rim again. Definitely not.
This was one of the most challenging hikes we have done to date. Enjoyed the trip and most of the hiking except for the last three miles!
The cover photo for this post.. (usually it is a "bench photo".. there were no benches on this hike and this was as close as it got)
Here is a video highlight of the entire trip! This time posting the video upfront. . .
The morning of the hike, we were all ready at 5:15 AM waiting for a ride from the Yavapai lodge to the trailhead. There is a car service that gives large groups rides directly to the trailhead for around 3 to 4 dollars a person. We were 9 of us and it was a full van! It was a 5 minute ride to the trailhead but would have been another 2 plus mile walk!
Once at the trail head we took photos and started at 6AM. The ground was covered in snow and ice. None of this was in the plan!
This hike is not for the faint hearted. It is a pretty difficult trail. It is an 18 mile minimum hike starting from the South Kaibab trailhead that goes all the way down to the colorado river.. ~ 8 miles of straight downhill hiking over 5000 feet. The weather goes from cold to warm to hot when we are down at the bottom.
The portrait format photos are fewer..
The landscape format photos (most of them) are in this slide show! Just amazing views all day..
The first two miles were slow going because it was still dark and the icy ground. We reached Ooh-aah point to catch the sunrise! It was spectacular watching the first rays of the sun hit the canyon!
First photos of us as we went through the hike with some time stamps... just 4 years older than Sangeetha, but when that 4 years is on either side of 50, it seems to make a huge difference when it comes to walking uphill.
6:30 AM : Photos at Ooh_aah point waiting for the sun to come out..
San allowed me to do yoga poses on rocks. Was wondering "is there a catch?" and turns out there was none. She is now a yogi and appreciates me posing with the BYSJ shirt at national parks!
She did start screaming when I turned to take this selfie on the ledge..there was screaming from multiple ladies!
8:15 AM at Skeleton point
After the first two miles we tried to pick up the pace, but it was hard with all the puddles in the trail. That was an added distraction for me. Have a whole series of photos from puddles which will be posted separately.
We managed to reach Skeleton point after two hours and 15 minutes and Tonto West (Tip off point) at 9 AM. We had made up some distance in the last hour. Then it was time to go through a steeper descent to the river.
9:00 AM Tip off point
9:30 AM
We can see the colorado river and the green bridge
10:30 AM
We finally reached the green bridge across the river. At this point the group was split up into two. So two of us went ahead in search of the next restroom which was a mile away! By the time th rest of the group joined it was 10:30. We walked together to Phantom ranch after a break.
Under side of the green bridge
Then there is a few miles of walking along the river to Phantom ranch. From there it is a crossover the Colorado river again and back to the Bright Angel trailhead at the top. (most folks start at bright angel and end up in South Kaibab).
Hindsight being 20/20 and given we had our own packed food, we should have just got back on the river trail and saved ourselves 2 hours in time and 2 plus miles extra walking. Phantom ranch was overrated.
Phantom ranch was a let down. There was a canteen there and a few benches to sit and eat lunch. We were told that there is free lemonade for everyone who visits this place. IT IS A MYTH! THERE IS NO FREE LEMONADE!
There is lemonade for sale at 6$ a cup with 1$ for refills. Some folks in our group were all set on having that lemonade and did! Their verdict? Nothing special !
After eating our packed lunches and having lightened our backpacks a bit, we started our hike back. The return was going to be 9 miles with a stop every 1.5 miles.
The silver bridge to get back across the river
The return is longer as it has at least 30+ switchbacks in the last 3 miles of the trail and is just grueling!
12:00 Noon
We see a warning at 2 PM around Tonto East
We walked together as a group for the first 3 miles. We were climbing steadily but slowly. The altitude gain was gradual. Then we split up 4 and 5 and went through the next mile and a half. Once we reached this Indian garden or Havasupai garden (which is a cross point for two trails), three of us decided to move forward as we were already losing steam.
that is a little too late...
3:00 PM
We had hot chai and Parle G biscuits and started walking the last 4.5 miles. It was a steep climb and after the first mile it was already sapping.
The stops have a restroom and we can refill water bottles.
4:00 PM
Was taking it literally one step at a time. My legs were burning by then. There was no option but to keep going. The three of us tried to encourage each other with jokes every now and then.
4:30 PM
The towel came out to keep wiping rain from face.
5:00 PM in bad rain with a Poncho
When there was two miles left, it started drizzling. By then we had climbed up a good deal. We had come up 3500 feet and had 1500 more to go. Then drizzle became rain. The towel around my shoulders had to come off and replaced with a poncho. Was drenched inspite of the poncho. It was also getting colder as we were hiking up.
5:30 PM Made it back up! Changed clothes and got the jacket back up.. by then the rain had slowed to a drizzle
The idea of hiking up to end a trail is not that great. Usually we hike up mountains and come down to the parking lot. This was brutal to put it mildly.
When we made it back to the top, we were soaked and were not going to wait for the rest of the group. Glad we didn't. They were also hit by the rain and darkness and had to walk with headlamps and ponchos and made it an hour after we did. A 20 minute delay at Indian garden made them an hour late because of the unpredictable weather! We took the cab service and made it back to our rooms a little after 6 PM. Took us a good 30 minutes to sort things out and after a hot shower and some chai, we realized that we had actually made it!
The legs were shaking and sitting down or standing up was a slow process. I had already taken a couple of Ibuprofens every 3 hours all day thanks to my laces jumping the notches in my hiking shoe and hurting my ankle earlier in the day. That still didn't help at the end of the day.
Once all of us were ready we spent some time at the canteen at the Yavapai lodge. Then it was time to call it a night.
The next morning we were going to start at 8 AM from the lodge and celebrate!
That and the return back to Phoenix in the next post...
The last weekend, we hiked the south rim of the grand canyon! This was in the plan for months. Four ladies from the hiking group had been doing the planning with lots of meetings, zoom calls, excel spreadsheets, training hikes, etc.. while the four men watched in silence for the most part.
There was a reunion of my undergrad classmates that was moved to this weekend. They were all meeting in Istanbul for three days. My heart was in two places the day before traveling as there were posts from classmates sharing their experience in Turkey. A commitment is a commitment.. this weekend was already taken.. so I had to sit Instanbul out..
A month ago, another brave soul decided to join in as well. He knew most of the folks in this group and was naive enough to put up with the craziness that is our hiking group.
Did I mention T-shirts were already purchased to celebrate post hike. The ladies had that kind of confidence that everyone will finish. I was not so sure at the start.
We all took Friday off from work and flew to Phoenix early in the morning. I was still sleeping in the car to the airport, at the airport and through the flight. This was because of making tea and sandwiches at 3:45 AM after going to bed at close to midnight.
We spent 90 minutes to get our rental van and car. It was decided that the guys will be in the van and the ladies will drive the car. We stopped for lunch at a vegan mexican food place. It was good food and great service!
Then came the drive to Yavapai lodge via Sedona and Flagstaff. We stopped in Sedona at a few vista points to take photos..
took these shots from a puddle of hopefully rain water (given it was next to a porta potty.. one never knows!)
the soil was all red and the reflection had the red tint to it.. so made a black and white version..
Then we stopped at Flagstaff to get water and other food items for the hike.
For some reason, the ladies used Apple maps and were sent on route 64. The men used Google maps and were sent on route 180. We got a call from the ladies to stop at some exit number for gas that did not make any sense. Then we figured out what had happened. Then things took a turn for the worse. It started snowing heavily. There was no talk of snow in the forecast!
these are color photos..
taken through the van's rear window..
We decided to go to the lodge anyways no matter what. The ladies were making a steady pace. We got stuck in thick snow and almost skidded off the freeway at one point. Got to hear myself scream in fear on this trip. Was in the last seat in the back and all the backpacks came flying at me when the van went out of control. Luckily our driver, who was being given 20 conflicting directions on what to and what not to do managed to just take his hands and feet off everything and the van skid to a halt.
That is when our brave joiner who had experience driving in Pittsburgh snow took the wheel and drove at 10 miph for a good 30 minutes and eventually we got to a lower altitude and made good time to catch up with the ladies at the park entrance. We were an hour late but were happy to be alive!
When we parked at the lodge was just happy to see Sangeetha. She hates driving in rain. Somehow she managed to drive in that weather.
Given the snow the whole hike was a toss up. We sat together to drink tea and have dinner together in the room. The plan was to get ready in the morning at 5AM and take a shuttle to the trailhead and take it from there, as long as it was not going to be snowing in the morning.
The next morning, there was no new snow and the hike was on..
This is the preamble post.. the hiking post follows..
It has been only 22 years since we started planning a trip to Channel Islands National park. San and me made a trip to Catalina island (before kids) and wanted to visit this national park and see the foxes.
Finally we made it over the weekend. It also served another purpose.. to get some stuff from the little one's dorm room so we can vacate her a little easier in two weeks from her dorm.
We started driving at 4:40 on Friday evening and were stuck in horrible non moving traffic for almost an hour. Made it to our hotel at 11:15! This is a ride that is supposed to take under 5 hours. Woke up and pretty much made it to the Ferry.
The Ferry ride was smooth, there was no sun to be seen, which turned out to be a blessing once we were on the island.
We saw a lot of dophins swim along the ferry on the way. We also saw a lot of Pelicans and sea lions.
We walked close to a mile with all the camping gear to the campsite on Santa Cruz island. Then started a hike to Smugglers cove. It was 8 miles round trip and reasonable elevation.
The kids in the group decided to go Kayaking for 3 hours and did not join us on the hike! Apparently a must do activity, especially if you are camping overnight.
The island is full of dandelions and what looks like a large dandelion (we have that here also on the hikes near Santa Cruz.. the purple flower that bursts out into this).. it was a nightmare for me given recent allergies. Handkerchiefs were not enough. Walked with a small towel around my neck to breathe through.
one softball sized weed thingy.. okay.. if you see the photo below you will get the idea.. the entire island is full of what we call weeds. That is about it. It is a weedscape.. and it is not great for folks with allergies. Claritin was being laughed at by these plants.. you could tell ! You can see regular dandelion in the foreground for a size comparison.
The views though are spectacular!
Given San's condition, was not sure how she will fare, but she walked slowly and steadily and made it all the way. Having driven the entire trip with only a 10 minute break the previous night and doing the carrying business, I was equally tired. So we crashed at 7:30PM. The rest of the group went on to chat, play cards etc. It was lights out for me. Woke up at 6 AM thanks to the birds and the water dripping on me from the inside of the tent (this tent did not have a lot of ventilation.. so while it kept us super warm, our own breath condensed on the inside of the tent walls!).
the animals are tagged on the island ! Every raven had a number on it. #11 and 13 visited our camp!
Two galleries of photos from the trip..
Packed up everything after breakfast and we took the stuff to the loading dock. They have lock boxes where we can leave stuff and hike near the dock. So off we went on another 5 mile hike to the top of the bluff to see more views. San and some friends decided to skip this one and stayed on the beach instead. This was a steep climb at the onset of the hike.
Apparently the previous weeks folks spotted whales from the top. We were not that lucky. Had a great time with the group, doing yoga poses and walked back down to a cave. Sat there for a few minutes listening to the waves and it was time to say bye to the place and get back on the ferry.
Did try to do a toe stand on that small piece.. given there is no room to put my fingers on the ground to bend down, it was a risky proposition. Removed my shoes and used all the balancing skills to get this there.. given recent family experiences, San would have left me on the island if I had done anything stupider (that a word?)
lifted off but only slightly, given the winds and the rough floor.. my photographer was really patient and waited for what was an eternity clicking away to get this one pic!
surprisingly the rocks inside the cave were not wet! Not easy to sit on, but dry!
With a stop at UCSB to grab stuff, we drove back again with a 10 minute break. We had lunch plans with the kid but she was too busy studying and we wanted to get back in time to celebrate a friends 50th and we made it in time. Thankfully no major traffic jams on the return!
It was a memorable trip. We had a lot planned for this summer but San's muscle tear put a ? on everything. Glad that we made it.
and yes, the foxes in Channel islands are so cute!
A video highlight of the entire trip.. (we celebrated two brithdays during this trip as well!).
If you don't want to spend the night camping here, you can still hike to Smugglers cove and back if you get the first ferry in the morning and take the last ferry out!
In the late nineties, my cousin in the US gave a subscription to the National Geographic Magazine. The very first few issues that we got blew our minds. One was about the Serengeti National park. It is still being talked about in the house. The pictures, the occasional map that was packed inside the magazine, the posters, the big official looking certificate that stated that I was now an explorer.. not to mention the fact that the mail was actually addressed to me.. priceless!
That membership lasted two years and it was a window to the world for me and my brother!
One of the things I learned in that magazine was that there was such a thing as a glasswing butterfly with transparent wings. It was to be found near a natural wonder of the world called Iguazu falls.
Many years later I ended up in the US and got my own subscription to the bucket list generator magazine! There is a long list of places I told myself that would be visited in this lifetime. After getting married the wife was told about this long list of items. She was not aware of most these places. The kids would shake their head and go "no wonder you two are married.. there is nothing in common between you two! Appa raves about all these places and you have never heard of them!". Needless to say, when it came time to visit any of these places, the kids would give excuses to bail and it was my darling wife that would actually force them to come and also plan the entire thing.
She got tired of me mentioning Iguazu. She did her research, found that this was in the middle of the amazon jungle, part of this visit involved a boat tour that was dangerous, vegetarian food there was going to be a challenge and there were insect bites to deal with (which was a strict no no for the little one). In spite of all this, she did an amazing job booking everything. There were a few last minute twists but we handled them well as a collective, given our last day in Greece during Labor day!
This is going to be a series of blog posts on this trip to Iguazu.. as an added bonus, given we don't visit this part of the world that often, we decided to go to Rio to see "Christ the Redeemer" as well as the world famous beaches there. Then there was Buenos Aires, our first stop before flying into Iguazu at the Brazil Argentina border.
Given my status as a frequent flyer is questionable, we had to go a week early. The kids were not thrilled with a 9 day international trip the day after they got back home from college. We had both taken the week off before Christmas to beat the crowds and it was a good move, except having to spend Christmas in the southern hemisphere where it is summer and it is not exactly festive like in the northern hemisphere. A summer Christmas is intersting! You start feeling bad for the mall Santa in 95 degree heat!
We made it back from South America in one piece and in good health. A new years party took some of us out. My throat is still recovering and I could not even speak for a few days last week. Thinks are just slowly getting back to normal.
Word of caution to bay area peeps. Start wearing masks and sanitizing hands again! Did take the covid and flu shots in October. Know this is not COVID or flu but some other respiratory virus that takes aim at the throat. Trying to sing songs I like did not help either (given I sing them 50 times back to back till a version clicks).
Right now all I can do is type.. hence the blogging to distract myself!
The travelogs follow..
Fun fact: We did not see the glasswing butterfly during this trip.. but we did see the falls in all its glory. Jr. and myself made it to the "Devil's throat" within the falls, which was the real core of that bucket list item!
Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 8:43PM ;)
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