More hiking

Every so often in my schedule I get a day of "Prep/Rove" in which I can either prepare for upcoming programs, complete training, or rove the area talking with visitors.  Yesterday I had one such day, and I really wanted to be out and about.  So early in the morning I hit the Bright Angel trail in my uniform and hiked down the trail.  My goal was Plateau Point, a location 6 miles into the canyon, with an elevation change of 3000 feet.  Along the way there are are few stops that I was using as markers, so I knew if I had the time (and energy) to make the full hike.

Four and a half miles into the canyon the trail passes through a beautiful oasis filled with trees, and more prickly pear cactus than you can shake a stick at!  This is the location of Indian Gardens.  There's a campground and a ranger station located there, and during the fall/winter that is the first water available.  I didn't stop on my way down, except to say hi to some ranger friends in passing.

Heading further out on the Tonto plateau another mile and a half I reached Plateau Point.  This is the first view of the river you can get from the Bright Angel trail.  At this vista you stand 2,000 vertical feet directly above the river.  The wind is incredibly powerful, and I spent the whole time down there holding onto my uniform hat.

After a short impromptu program for some of the visitors down there about the condor circling above, I started back up.  The hike down took me 3 hours, which meant I should average about 6 hours on the way out.  In this summer this hike would have been completely in the sun, and therefore very dangerous.  Even now it's an incredibly difficult hike, and we don't recommend it to visitors.

On the way up I ran back into a ranger friend, helped her with some tasks, and then she offered me some Gatorade and ibuprofen, which I desperately needed!  At that point I was only in a little pain, but still knew the hike out would be hard, and I still had 4.5 miles and 3000 feet to climb!  On these hikes usually it's my hips that ache, while my knees and legs are just tired.  After refueling I hit the road.

This time of year is incredibly busy for hikers, as the weather in the canyon is cooler, and an ideal time to be out galavanting.  On my way out I stopped and talked with over two hundred visitors, gave advice for hiking, turned some people around and asked them to return to the top (they had no water, or an insufficient amount), and provided some basic first aid to a woman who had tripped and scrapped up her leg.  For me it was a lot of fun, but also gave me a chance to break and give my legs a rest!!

I made it back out (obviously, as wifi is really not that prevalent below the rim), with a grand total of 8 hours and 30 minutes hiking, including stops!  No wonder I was exhausted when I made it back up!!

It was an absolutely beautiful hike, and I am surprisingly not that sore today.  A little soreness in my calves, but nothing like my last hike where I waddled around for a day with soreness/stiffness throughout my legs, glutes, and lower back.  I have some photos on my camera, as well as my phone, which will be posted soon!!