Hiked to Skeleton Point yesterday with a couple celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. A nice change from the BA.

Met Keith Green at Skeleton. He has been a ranger here since Powell came through, and he was on his way to Phantom Ranch for a few days. He told us the whole story of Skeleton Point. I knew some mules went off, but Keith had a lot more detail.

It seems that in the 20's, mules were tied together with slip knots in case one decided to go off the edge. A wrangler got tired of the knots parting when they weren't supposed to, so he tied the mules together with real knots. While coming down the first switchback in the Redwall, the mule he was riding started losing it and going too fast. The mule behind got pulled in, and the mule behind that, and so forth until the string was careening toward the cliff. The wrangler took a dive and the mules went off the edge.

On the way out we got to critique other hikers. My favorites were the two young ladies below Cedar Ridge with spaghetti topped shirts, purses, and one half liter of water stuck into one of the lady's waist belt. I kept watching for them to return and never saw them. Of course on the BA, they would have water and probably meet a ranger to two to advise them. On the Kaibab -- nada.