Snowed on Friday, so we sat around like toads.  Got out to walk to the PO, it started snowing again, and we wimped out and went home.

So, said we, we shall go long on Saturday.  To that end we got in line for the 6 AM hiker shuttle to the South Kaibab.  A regular bus pulled up and announced that the hiker shuttle was not stopping.  Sure enough, I espied it careening down the road away from us.  Accordingly, we hopped onto the regular shuttle.

At that early hour, it only took an extra 10 minutes or so to get to the trailhead.  Due to construction, the actual trailhead parking is closed, and the bus pulls up about a half mile away.  As I hot footed my way along (trying to beat the crowd behind me to the outhouse) I heard shrieks and giggles from ahead.  There was an entire bus-load of hikers posing for pictures.  At least fifty of them.  It was they who had filled up the hiker shuttle.  We scampered down to get ahead of the pack, and passed an adult with a couple of kids.

"What kind of group is this?" said I.

"UofA.  We are going to the river and back."

I looked askance at the little girl sitting there.  She could not have been more than eight.  "Today?"

"We've done this before," defensively.  I doubt the little girl had.

"Do you have a permit?"  According to the NPS website, groups which hike below the Tonto level on a day hike and have participants sign up ahead of time must have a permit.  She ignored me. So when I got back, I emailed the BCO and ratted them out.

Still more huge groups traveling down in clots of ten or so.  Got caught behind an older man who collected about 15 people behind him.  He never looked back, never offered to step aside.  I felt like a car behind an entire row of cars: I don't want to pass 15 people at once.  Maybe I can wait until Mormon Flat where the trail is wider. 

I kept having to stop as the crowd inched their way down the water bars.  This is how people feel on the Hillary step on Everest, I thought.  Then the guy behind me grumped, "Excuse me, please, on your left".  I thought, "If he is going to do it, so am I."  So I surged to the left, saying, "Excuse me, excuse me."  When I reached the bottleneck guy, there was a nice ledge of Supai, so I trotted along the rock ledge and emerged triumphant at the head of the line.

The guy STILL did not stop to let people pass.  I picked up speed so I would not get caught behind them again, and didn't even take our usual rest stop halfway down the Redwall.  Made it to the Tipoff in one hour forty-five, scooted off on the Tonto West, and finally sat down for a drink. 

Hiking across on the Tonto was a relief.  Only saw one other couple.  Got to Indian Garden and filled up on water.  There were not as many people on the BA as I had feared.  I guess they were all still at the River (or on their way down still). Should have gone back at dusk to sell flashlights. A hiker on Facebook posted a picture of a line of hikers at Indian Garden at 1:15 that day waiting to fill water.  There are at least 50 in line. 

I would bet a lot of the young kids had a very hard time getting out.  It is getting warm down there, too. 70 in the shade, which probably means 90 in the sun. 

Then Sunday we went back down to mile and a half to stretch out the muscles.  It felt pretty good, and we cleaned up some graffiti and carried out a batch of really gross TP and the auxiliary fecal matter which we had been eyeballing for at least a month.   Saw it over spring break, and it was just too icky to think about.  I scattered it to let it dry a bit, and we finally bit the bullet and carried it out.  Along with a sweatshirt, a part of sweatpants, a cotton tee, and one glove.  The ghost of Micheal Jackson, maybe? 

Also saw turkeys. No, real ones.  Wild turkeys below the rim. Climate getting warmer?  Nonsense

cactus just starting to bloom on the tonto

First canyon east of Garden Creek

Real turkeys on the trail for a change.

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