Phantom Ranch is too much!
Posted: Jun 10 2002 8:23 pm
I just got back now from Phantom Ranch and I am on Cloud 9!!! 
I just can't get enough of that place. Now mind you, this was not a perfect trip.
My two friends and I got to Maswik Friday night and found out that there was a pipeline break near Cottonwood. (If you are going really soon, you might want to check on the status of this. They said drinking water would only last 3-4 days, and if it wasn't fixed by then, oh, well...) We would have drinking water for our stay, but it was the bucket brigade all the way for flushing. No showers. We said we were going anyway. The creek would do (soapless, of course).
Saturday morning, we hit the South Kaibab in extreme :!: windy conditions. We thought we were going over the edge parachute style a couple of times...but hung on sandy eyes and all. Pretty soon, it got really nice, with just a burst of wind that reminded us we were just skirting those very windy conditions.
Phantom was very windy and 108 degrees, but hanging out in the creek helped a great deal. We had a relaxing and fun day down there, then hit the trail for the trip back up Sunday morning. It was a perfect hike back up! I hated it to end--much too short--but am already thinking of next time. If you have never done this hike, you have to ASAP. It is just the best!
I just can't get enough of that place. Now mind you, this was not a perfect trip. My two friends and I got to Maswik Friday night and found out that there was a pipeline break near Cottonwood. (If you are going really soon, you might want to check on the status of this. They said drinking water would only last 3-4 days, and if it wasn't fixed by then, oh, well...) We would have drinking water for our stay, but it was the bucket brigade all the way for flushing. No showers. We said we were going anyway. The creek would do (soapless, of course).
Saturday morning, we hit the South Kaibab in extreme :!: windy conditions. We thought we were going over the edge parachute style a couple of times...but hung on sandy eyes and all. Pretty soon, it got really nice, with just a burst of wind that reminded us we were just skirting those very windy conditions.
Phantom was very windy and 108 degrees, but hanging out in the creek helped a great deal. We had a relaxing and fun day down there, then hit the trail for the trip back up Sunday morning. It was a perfect hike back up! I hated it to end--much too short--but am already thinking of next time. If you have never done this hike, you have to ASAP. It is just the best!