For birthday this year, I had my usual cabin at Phantom, and we spent the layover day hiking to the top of Phantom Rock.  Well, where one can see the top.  I'm not crazy yet.  Just climb up the Clear Creek Trail and turn left.

We figured it would be pretty easy off trail to walk the Tonto level.  After all, this is where the Tonto Trail exists on the south side.  At first it was OK, then we got into a couple of rock slides which were hairy.  Fortunately I found a game trail that led us through the worst of things.  We spotted a cairn where we needed to climb down for our view.  Coincidence? 

A slippery down climb led us to the view.  It was nervous-making for me to sit that close to the cliff for so long, and I freaked myself out hiking back.  I spotted the game trail again, about 200 feet below us, and after a sketchy down climb/slide/slip got back into the groove.  

Then two days later I hiked down with NPS fish crew to help clear invasive trout from Bright Angel Creek.  We walked slowly upstream shocking fish to stun them, gathered them all up, counted the natives and disposed of the trout.  The trout are killed, then cleaned, then the larger ones given to any who wish to consume them.  Smaller trout are sent to an aviary in New Mexico where the Zuni raise eagles for ceremonial purposes.  Part of the job is PR, so when hikers stopped to see what was happening, someone bounded up to the trail to explain.  Apparently the fly fishermen are not pleased with this project.  But like the fish crew says, there are trout all over the world.  The humpback chub is only found in the Colorado River drainage.

Then the govmint shut down, so we were supposed to hike out early.  A surprise blizzard moved in that night, so we were told to hang around, clean the bunkhouse, inventory the supplies, and don't have any fun.  I left the bunkhouse an hour before the kids so they wouldn't have to wait for me.  One of them left an hour and a half after I did and caught me at the rim, but the rest not.  Guess there is life in the old girl yet.

What a nice week spent with lovely young people who do important work in the out of doors.  Trained scientists, many of them with Master's Degrees, working at temporary jobs because there aren't full time positions. The way they bounded gracefully from wet rock to wet rock was rather disconcerting as I dragged my elder self up and around the boulders.  Flaunting their supple muscles and flexible joints.  Just wait guys.  Time catches up with us all.