Grand Canyon Day Hike -- Post 1

Many months ago when I talked with my friend, Helen, about going out west again -- she was all over it.  She agreed to accompany me on my research geology hikes to secure photos for the next online class.  Also, my wish was that for my birthday I wanted to have my feet walking in the Grand Canyon.  Originally we tried to secure reservations with the Havasu Indian tribe, but there were communication issues.  Despite making over 100 calls, I could not determine whether the lodge was going to be open.  That is when we decided to spend most of our time hiking Sedona, except for the day of my birthday.  I have lots of Grand Canyon photos from previous hikes, but not the detailed pictures of the rock layers that I need for the online class.

We woke up early and were out the door just after 7:00 a.m.  We decided to approach the canyon from the east entrance and headed up toward Flagstaff and drove up 89A.  This route takes an extra hour of driving, but worth it since you get to drive along the rim of the Grand Canyon from east to west.

Entering the park...

I took hundreds of pictures while in the canyon, but will only include a small portion of them in this post.  There are several overlooks on the west rim drive, but we only stopped at one since we were eager to get on the trail.

 

When we were getting back in our car, one of the Grand Canyon ravens was begging.

After going to the market to pick up a few things, we parked at the visitor's center and waited for the bus to take us to the South Kaibab trail head.

 

Ready for our day hike to walk to Cedar Ridge.

 

The beginning of the trail....

 

The view from the trail head....

The switch backs....

On a previous hike that I did solo, I studied Grand Canyon geology and carried three text books with me.  From memory, I believe these are fossilized sponges.

Down, down, down....

 

Mule train coming up the trail....

The first major stopping point was at Ooh Aah Point.  Beyond the sign it is straight down for at least 1,000 feet.

The mule train intercepted us at the overlook.....

The view looking east from Ooh Aah Point.

Much work has been done on the South Kaibab trail over the last few years.  In many spots workmen have used the natural stone to make steps.

 

Notice the moon in the background.

 

A Grand Canyon resident....

The area center left is our destination:  Cedar Ridge.