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Hiking | 16.70 Miles |
4,790 AEG |
| Hiking | 16.70 Miles | 7 Hrs 30 Mns | | 2.23 mph |
4,790 ft AEG | | | | |
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Partners |
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| partners | | Had been too long since the rim-to-river and back via the S. Kaibab-Bright Angel loop, and it was calling. Left the wheels at the backcountry office and our group of 5 took the fully-packed hikers' shuttle to S. Kaibab. Weather forecast looked good all week, and didn't disappoint! One of my favorite things to do is take "Canyon rookies" down this trail and watch their faces contort in awe and wonder - such amazing vistas along the way, and Brian did excellent on this trek! Major kudos! Desert plants are nearing peak bloom season down low.
Made it down to the river by 9:45 and enjoyed wading in the cold water at the rafters beach. The calm was briefly interrupted by an unexpected sight - a young guy about our age decided it would be a good idea to go swimming in the river...by jumping directly off the black bridge into the Colorado! We watched in surprise as he plunged that 50+ feet (?) into the water, just north of the strongest current. He came up quick, so I'm assuming he hit bottom fast (not exactly lake jumping here), but he got off to the side and came up limping pretty bad...yikes.
Lots of traffic on the trail this day, I think there were over 40 people at Indian Gardens when we got there With the increase in traffic, and the warming time of year, there were some hurting folks along the way. Before we started climbing to 3-mile resthouse, a girl was laying in the shade of a boulder saying she had just vomited...not good. Her group had pushed her to the river when they'd only intended to go to Indian Gardens. She said she hadn't eaten in awhile either, and definitely dehydrated. Hoping to stem any possible heat exhaustion, we put a wet cloth on her head and gave her water, electrolyte drink, and some salty food to put down when she felt up to it. A ranger came by soon so she probably had a long, tough hike out...hope this didn't turn her off to hiking forever!
Back on the rim, it was time to grab some brews and jalapeno poppers at the lodge, always a good way to cap off the trip! |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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