Too hot to go down inside. Saturday I was to mile and a half with a nice couple from Florida. That was OK. We were out early enough that there was plenty of shade in the Fault Switchbacks. By early afternoon, we could see from the rim that ALL the shade was gone from the trail, and the rim-to-rim runners were still plugging along.

A guy passed us at the second tunnel, telling all and sundry that he left the North Rim at 5 AM, with his spiffy "rim to rim 09" shirt. He said, "There are over 100 of us." I said,"And did you get a permit?" but he ignored me.

Sunday we rode bikes along the west rim road. Looked for the terminus of the Pima Point tramway, but no luck. Have to look for some old photos to pinpoint it, I guess. It was 85 on the rim, yikes!

It is officially HOT in the Canyon. Caught the 5 AM South Kaibab shuttle to do a SK-BA loop. It was like a solar oven in the Redwall on the SK. It was hotter coming out from Indian Garden on the white sand. It was hotter still climbing to mile and a half with no shade. The full-sun thermometer at Indian Garden read 120 at 9 AM. I don't think I'll be below the Redwall again until fall, except of course that I have to lead a rim-to-rim the first week in June.

Someone cleaned up the graffiti! I could tell that panels we have been working on are now completely clear. Probably a ranger-type who actually gets paid to do it.

Coming out the Redwall in the Bright Angel, we stepped off to let the mules pass, and a hiker was right behind them. One is actually not allowed to walk that closely behind. Anyhow, he started off down the slope to cut the switchback and get ahead of the mules.

I yelled, "Hey, don't do that!"
Brad yelled, "Hey, dude, stay on the trail!"
His hiking companion yelled, "Don't cut the trail!"
The wrangler, who was at that point directly below him, so cutting wouldn't have worked anyway, yelled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
The hiker said, "OK, OK", and got back on the trail.
I sympathize with not wanting to be stuck behind the mules, but they DO stop and let hikers by eventually.

It is miserable to hike in the heat. It was just a month ago that we were hypothermic coming out in a sleet storm, and now it is 100. And as we were climbing out, there were hundreds just starting down. In fact, I counted 100 people from Indian Garden to the Fault Switchbacks, 100 from the Fault to the first tunnel, and 48 from the tunnel to the Rim. Yes, I was trying to keep my mind off hiking in the heat.

Yesterday we walked to Grandeur point. Haven't been out since they put in the Trail of Time. Every meter is 1,000 years, and every 10,000 years is a marker. Eventually there will be more information on the deep history of the Canyon. It was interesting to walk the Great Uncomformity. Now they need to put in a 6,000 year old history for the creationists right at the end of the trail. World is created, flood cuts the Grand Canyon, rock magically gets too solid to cut anymore, etc.

Went down the South Kaibab today. Lots of rotten kids wrote their names in the Coconino. They were even text messaging one another: "tired yet?" Next rock: "I'm tired". Next Rock "Still tired." Next rock: "Hmmm." and almost every rock on the way down said, "Turn around now.". I wish they had.

On the way out, a British lady asked Brad if he would walk out with her, so we did. Her daughter was heading down (at 11:30 AM: a bit late) and she turned around just before Ooh Ah, because she wanted to be sure she'd get back out. Not a bad decision. Wish more people would think like that. So we chatted and I showed her some of my secret fossils. A lot of flowers out, including some frail stem mariposa, which only bloom after a pretty wet spring. Cheyeva never flowed this year though, so it wasn't that wet.

Hiked the Hermit Trail to Santa Maria Spring. Just for a change. Tried to get through the barrier (It's legal: I'm a resident), but when they re-did the road they changed the pass code.



Nice day and not very crowded, but disappointing to see graffiti in the Supai. I am used to, nay, expect to see it in the Coconino, but not this far down. Behold the post of shame:








We erased the stuff in the rocks, naturally, but couldn't get the bozo who carved his name on the rocking chair at the resthouse. I Googled the name though, since it is kind of unusual, and there is a Jake Gerster in Scottsdale. Maybe I'll be able to track him down and carve my name in his car door.

Anyhow, it was a nice day and we met a couple from Alaska with whom we were able to gossip. Saw a backpacking pair one of whom had an arm in a sling. When we came back out, I was going to volunteer to help carry some stuff, but one backpack was abandoned under a tree. Don't know if it was left there to pick up after the walking wounded got out, or just plain abandoned. Didn't see the couple again. Passed two ranger groups, so one assumes if they hiked out, they could have contacted the Green and Gray for help.