Yeah, yeah, most of my updates are on facebook now. Been doing a lot of corridor trails. The dog is in renal failure, so we can't leave him with anyone and had to cancel our Thanksgiving overnight, so we decided to do a day hike a day. Wednesday we walked the west rim trail (8 miles) Thursday down to Skeleton Point, Friday I had a gig for the field institute (got paid for that hike!), Saturday skeleton again (it is warmer and sunny on the south Kaibab) and today we were going to do Dripping Springs, but it is snowy and blowy and we are wimps.

Cleaned up a LOT of graffiti: lots of kid with parents who don't know better. Every day there are 10 to 12 tags on the South Kaibab. That Coconino Sandstone is just too inviting, I guess.

Found three new fossils on the Bright Angel. Hiking with little kids (Field Institute Meet the Canyon hikes) they look for stuff close in. Little guy swears he found a shark tooth, but didn't have my camera to take a good picture, so I need to get one and send it to a geologist and see if it really is. It looks promising. this picture isn't the shark tooth: this is a Derbia. I know that one.

What do you do with a day off school? Why you hike to Indian Garden and out. Not too many people on the trail, but lots of gnats! Came out just behind the Park Circus mules, and when they turned off at Three Mile we ran past them. Then got behind the dude mules, but the wrangler graciously moved to a wide spot in the trail and stopped to let us by. "See you soon," he offered, and we snorted (quietly) and beat them out handily. It's not hard to stay ahead of the mules because they stop a lot more than we do.

Erased one graffiti panel and picked up four cigarette butts, a Kleenex, and a napkin. Passed on the really, incredibly gross bandanna, though.

Phantom in November with temps in the 80's. Wow. Robert came willingly for the first time in a few years. Four hours out, even with Robert's bum knee. Spent the layover day going up Phantom Creek.

Friday had a Meet the Canyon for GCFI with a nice couple and their girls. The girls were soccer players and they really gave me a workout coming out from mile and a half.

Saturday spent most of the day helping to build a foundation for a greenhouse for the community garden. Sunday hiked to Skeleton Point on SK. Alex and Nick Clement from Wisconsin: good job tagging every stinking rock in the Coconino. NOT! I used up two spray bottles of water to get rid of your crud.

Other than that, a beautiful day. On Friday highs were in the 40's. Today it was 70 when we got out.

I really have been remiss in keeping this up. Nothing like being on Facebook to louse up your priorities.

Did a custom day trip for the field institute and one for Intel. Brad has been sick with some kind of flu that turned onto pneumonia, so I've been hiking by myself.

Erased a bunch of stuff on the BA, then on the Kaibab. Looks like only one group, but that's all it takes. Mathew Stelling from USC: shame on you. A passing hiker said that just proves everything he thinks about the Trojans. He also admired my Macabi skirt, and said he wanted one for himself (they do sell kilts for men!)

Looks like snow today, but they always promise more than they can deliver.

Finished two rim to rims in a row, then a beginning backpack, and today took some persons down to Indian Garden and out. Felt pretty strong coming out, considering that just the day before I was on the trail carrying a 30 pound pack.

Lots of kids: some kind of outreach group. Left almost no trash. Hurrah! Some other kids, though, carved their names onto a lot of rocks. Andrea, CJ, Kyl, etc. Naughty, naughty.

Hiked down to Skeleton Point, and climbed one cliff down from where we usually stop. Ugh! Lots and lots of graffiti. Spend almost half an hour and a liter of water washing off the rocks. Also RGS was there from Luke Air force Base.

Went down the Hermit today, and carried out a bag of trash from Santa Maria Resthouse. There is an ammo can there for a trail register, in a vain attempt to keep morons from writing their name on the walls or the benches, and some people think it is for their junk. Mike Shryock, no one cares that you hiked two miles into the Canyon.