We got shots of lots of animals while we were on this trip. Here are a few shots.

These mule deer hung our in our campground and visited everyone's campsites. Check out how close they are to the tent! Then something spooked them and they went bounding through the campground and ran right through our area.

The canyon is host to a reintorduced California Condor population and they are trhiving. They have successfully bred and fledged. We got a front row seat right in Indian Gardens campground.

On our second day when we set out for the bottomm we paused to get more shots of the condors. An older couple came along and wanted to know what we spotted. When we told them tere were condors up there, the man said, well here, use my long-range lens. He was carrying a Canon camera with a HUGE lens and snapped it right off and let Joe put it on our camera. That was so nice of him and we thanked him profusely. Joe got these shots.

Later that day when we were further down in the canyon we found this little chirpy guy. He is a Canyon Wren.

Close Up.

Here he is on a rock. He sure has a long skinny beak.

When we were close to the top and the end of our trip we were treated with some really cool birds. Check out this woodpecker. She is a Downey Woodpecker.

Then we saw this Steller's Jay right in the same area.

This little guy has a cool pointy crest. He is a Juniper Titmouse. I don't know why they have to call him a titmouse considering he eats berries, not mice, and he's a bird.

Animals are cool.

Boy, as I reread the headline it makes this sound so ominous. On the contrary; our trek out of the canyon was successful (obviously), and mostly fun.

On the 3rd day we ascended to the rim. The last day in the canyon was upon us and we planned to get up at 6AM and be out of camp by 7Am, but we forgot about daylight saving time. We used Joe's cell as an alarm clock and it was on Pacific Time, not Mountain, and it automatically converted overnight to the new time. As a result we got up later than we wanted, but oh well.

We packed up and decided to load our packs differently than we had originially. Joe loaded me up with the sleeping bags and most of our clothes. I had protein bars and some food packets in my top lid, and Joe took eveything else. He got the rest of the clothes, both sleeping pads, our fuel cans, lantern, stove, and everything esle. Plus we both had full Camelbak water 100 oz. pouches (about 8lbs each) and our full Sigg bottles with gatorade in them (made from powder mix). I know we were just as heavily laden as when we decended, but it felt so much heavier. We agreed that we would take frequent rests.

As we hikedwe found that hiking up was difficult (duh.), but the stepping motion was so much more natural than the weird controlled/jarring steps we had to use on the way down. Even though we were climbing a lot of stairs it wasn't as bad because each step was very productive and you didn't have to tense up to control your motions. Nevertheless, it was tiring and we stopped every 10-15 ft. for a few minutes rest. Check out this photo of Joe. He was suffering the most because his load was so much more than mine. I think we took maybe 5 photos on the way up. We were just too tired and were focused on getting out. Once got closer to the top and the end was in sight we took more and enjoyed the wildlife.

These are the few shots I took while resting. I was still enjoying the scenery, but the heavy pack and the aching muscles were really my immediate concern.

On our way out we saw some interesting folks. There were some monks. They had to be Catolic, dressed in full black robes, with 2 huge rosaries as a belt. These guys were hiking with nothing. No water, no packs, no food. When we asw them we were around the 3 mile mark and they were going pretty fast. I don't know where they were headed, but they didn't seem prepared for anything. Then we saw Mennonites on mules. I guess that seems about right. Taking a mule train is probably more accepted in their culture than modern hiking would be. I can't picture them buying high-tech hiking boots, fancy packs, or specialized engineered cmaping equipment.

Finally we were getting to the top. We were sooo close and I realllly had to pee. Every person who was on their way down insisted on stoppping us and quizing us on temperature, condition, distance, time taken, etc. So the last .5 mile took a lot longer than it should have.

At last. We made it and were done. I had originally planned on getting in the car and just driving straight home, but we were realllly stinky. We decided to go to Mather Campground and use the shower facilities. That was one of he best 5 minute showers I have ever had.

Now that we were clean we felt we could reenter society and decided to hit the gift shop to buy "I Hiked the Grand Canyon" t-shirts to commemorate the accomplishment. They just opened a new visitor center, but you can't drive to it. You have to park and walk or take the shuttle bus.

We parked in lot B at Market Plaza and set off on the path to Canyon View Information Plaza. The information guide said the walk was only 300 yards. Yeah right. Signs on the trail said it was .8 miles! So we just got finished hiking 20 miles over the last 3 days, and now were walking 1 more mile to buy a t-shirt? Maybe the lactic acid build up in our muscles had finally reached our brains. That last .8 mile was long and I was walking like I had just gotten off a horse. We finally got to the visitor center, but guess what. No t-shirts. The lady said the general store in Market Plaza has a wide selection. That is back where we parked!!!

The hell with walking back. I don't care how long the shuttle ride takes, I am sitting down. So we amble over to the shuttle bus pick up area and find some others waiting for a ride.

There was a whole family of elk just hanging out by the buses. They were munching on grasses and kinda looking at us, but not at all afraid or interested in what we humans were doing.

The bus ride turned out to be only 5 minutes and we were back at the car. We were still on a quest for our commemorative t-shirts so we hit the general store and bought our trophies. We got in the car and looked at each other and said, welp. I guess our work here is done.

We hit the road and waved goodbye to the GC. It was a great adventure and I'm glad we did it. Joe ushered in a new era of adulthood and we accomplished a significant feat. I am kinda proud of us.

What is the opposite of the summit, anyway? And it's a canyon, so the feat of accomplishment is reaching the bottom, not the top. So how do you express that? We reached the...the basement?...the pit?...the lowland?

Anyway, we set out for the bottom. We intended to go all the way to Phantom Ranch, but once we got to the river we saw a sign that said it was still 2 more miles. Screw that! The bottom is the bottom and I was happy with hanging out on the beach.

We set out on the Bright Angel Trail again, following the Bright Angel Creek which has lots of trees and birdies.

I was in sore shape. I mean, literally sore. So we walked slowly and took a ton of breaks. We didn't take any scenery photos when we trekked through the corkscrew section, but when we finally reached the bottom we were happy to see the water and we got a some good shots.

In this one I am crossing my legs a bit 'cause I really have to pee. I had to find a bush.

We hung out at the beach which was a little weird because I never think of there being a beach at the river. It was sandy and everything. Which, I guess makes sense, considering a lot of the canyon is sandstone. So Joe set the timer on the camera, placed it on some Vishnu Schist and jumped over next to me just in time...but oh! wait! Aw, missed it. Didn't get the hat turned forward in time. He looks very disappointed.

OK, take 2.

We hung out for a while, but then faced the dreaded hike back. I was in bad shape and I think I was starting to feel the heat. The drudgery of hiking back up to Indian Gardens (only 3.4 miles) seemed to take forever, and I felt every step. If there ever was a time for a flying carpet, or teleportation, or a jet pack to exist, this was it. At one point fit couple wearing workout clothes, carrying nothing, including water, passed us at a brisk pace. They asked how much father to the top and we said it was about 5 miles. They said thanks, they were going to try to make it in 2 hours. Um. Yeah. I was hoping to make it the last .5 miles to Indian Gardens in 2 hours. I couldn't wait to get "home."

That was a rough day. I was really glad to rest and not have to bend at the ankle anymore. At this point I was really wishing we had made arrangements to come back up on a mule.

After a good dose of rest and some lunch we decided to make the trek out to Plateau Point. It is only 1.5 miles from the campground and the trail is pretty flat all the way.

What a great payoff! The big white pointy rock formation is called Buddah.

These are a couple shots out to the west.

We saw this young deer having a meal (see his small rack?). Upon closer look you can tell he is scrawny. I don't know if he is sick or starving or what, but this guy doesn't look so good. We didn't give him any food becuase that would be soooooo wrong. If the wildlife, even the little mice, get a taste of human food they can become dependent, losing their natural ability to fend for themselves, can become possibly aggressive, and then they have to be put down. Scrawny will have to live or die on his own.

We kept going all the way out to the point. And when I say all the way I mean to the edge. As in, sitting on a rock with our legs dangling over the side. Check out these views down to the river. This is facing north.

This is north east-ish looking farther up the river.

This is following the river to the west. I love the light rays and the shadowy river below.

Looking back at the canyon you can see how far we've been. Talk about a feeling of acomplishment.

Looking south east you can see the trail from Indian Gardens as it follows the Bright Angel creek. Off to the left edge of the image you can see the start of the corckscrew section of Bright Angle Trail as is zigzags down a steep section of the canyon to reach the floor.

Palteau Point was my favorite part of the whole trip. The views were great, the trail was easy, and it was very peaceful.

It's D-Day. As in "do or die." As in "dis is it." As in "d'oh!" As in "don't back up, may cause severe tire damage." Okay, not the last one.

But anyway, the time came upon us and we were ready to hike. We got to the canyon bright and early and while driving in we were greeted by the welcoming committee.

These mule deer are so docile. They aren't frightened by people or cars and become just another piece of the scenery. In these photos they are hanging out in the median.

We parked, made it up to the rim and paused to survey our daunting task. Is it just me or does Joe look trepidacious? Maybe he is just cold.

Just like regular tourists, we marvelled at the view and snapped some photos.

Welp. This is it. We found the trailhead and started walking. There was a very helpful map posted and it showed all the details about Bright Angel trail. Overall it is 9.6 miles from rim to Phantom Ranch. We were headed to Indian Gardens which is about half way, at only 4.6 miles.

We set out at a decent pace and stopped frequently to take photos along the way.

This is a shot of the trail before us.

In this one you can see the campground Indian Gardens (arrow 1) where there is a cluster of green from all the cottonwood trees and a stream. The long trail to the left goes out to Plateau Point (arrow 2) which is the coolest overlook in the canyon. You get right out on the edge and can look down to the river below, you can see the trails all around, and you can look back up at the canyon walls. More on that later.

Not far into the trail we found a cool little lookout point and the trail curves around to be directly opposite from it. So I set out for the opposite side and Joe took my picture. This can really make you look tiny and insignificant.

Can you see me?

How bout now?

We continued on and got this great shot.

Another hiker stoppped and offered to take our photo. You can tell this is still very early on because we are smiling and still have on our sweaters. We aren't even to the 1.5 mile marker yet.

After this we were all business and concentrated on getting down to Indian Gardens. Joe got a few more scenery shots, which will make nice prints.

Overall the trail is challenging. It is steep and they have laid logs to form steps to ease erosion. So it is like going down stairs of all varying sizes for 4.5 miles (and then beyond). Some of the steps are as high as half my leg so I would have to step to edge, tuen to the side and step down sideways. That trail pounded on me. My toes were hitting up against the fronts of my boots, jamming my toenails, and my hips took a beating from all the halting steps and stairmaster workout I was getting.

On top of that, you have the mule trains. This really beats up the trails because the mules pulverize the sandstone trail into just plain sand. Also, they leave a lot of poop and pools of urine on the trail that you have to avoid. Flies congregate fast.

It took us about 3 hours total. We were happy to get to Indian Gardens and welcomed the freedom of taking off our packs. It was a weird sensation. I felt like I was falling forward without my pack on. It was time to set up camp, unpack, and rest. I was determined to set up the tent on the smoothest piece of ground we could manage. Joe made fun of me fore sweeping the dirt. I admit, it is a little weird, but it helped to get all the little pebbles out of the way.

This concluded the initial descent and we settled down for a good meal and a rest. After a nice nap we set out for Plateau Point. Stay tuned for more on that later.

So we got our permit for camping in the canyon way back early in October. We were so excited, glanced at the permit and apparently only focused on the campsites we got, not the dates. We went along happily assuming that our reservations were for Nov. 2 and 3, hiking out on the 4th.

On Nov. 1st we drove over to Flagstaff, visited my grandparents, and then headed to Tusayan, the little town 1 mile from the GC park. We settled in for the night and I pulled out our paperwork. Oh shit. It says 2 night stay at Indian Gardens campground, Nov. 3 and 4, hiking out the 5th.

We high-tailed it to the backcountry office the next morning to see if we could change it, but they were full. Well crap. So what were we going to do?

Neither Joe or I had ever been to Meteor Crater. Well, what the hell, might as well go now.

It was moderately interesting. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a 4. The museum is OK. The very first sign (sorry didn't get a photo) that talks about the geology had a typo, so that was funny, but only a little.

We went outside to hike around, but found out that you can only walk around the rim on a couple of paved trails. Here are the views.

Joe looks thrilled to be here, or maybe to have his photo taken.

A nice older couple offered to take our photo. We got a couple different angles so you can see the vastness of the crater behind us.

They have a nice viewing station where you can look through fixed telescopes at some key features. Joe took on his museum orator role and gestured and explained away.

We had looked into the hole as much as we could, so we sat in the stripey shade.

That pretty much concluded our Meteor Crater ogling. We went back to Flag and enjoyed one of my favorite restaurants called Oreganos for a lot of carbs. Then it was back to Tusayan for one last night of rest and relaxation before hitting the trail.

When we started planning the whole adventure we had to figure out what to do with the cat. This is as close to hiking as Logy would be getting (sleeping in my hiking boot box and lazily watching the birds out back).

Logy doesn't have his second family, MA and Nick or Sally and Scott, here in Vegas. Auntie Kathy may be my godmother, but she's not Logy's and I can't imagine here scooping anything or letting Logy get on the furniture. So we had to look elsewhere for a kitty-sitter.

I found a vet right in our area and they have a nice kennel with kitty condos. Really they are cages but fairly decent sized, and they interconnect. If they aren't too booked up and have the room available they can open the pass-through between a couple to give the cat more room to move around.

So we boarded Logy for the first time. He was a little pissed off at first. We could hear him growling and complaining at the techs when they took him back to do a quick check up. They let us go in the back to see him in his condo. He was mad at us.

He looked away from me and wouldn't let me give him cheek scratches and head rubs. He was pouting worse than a little kid.

Logy dissed us as we tried to say goodbye. I wished the techs luck and told them that normally he is very friendly.

And just like that, we were off...well, we left in the morning, but still. You get the idea.