Participants:
Heidi Ekstrom, Jim Koestner, Marty Pietz, Matt Veck, Larry Walker, Michael Walker, and Courtney Waters

     As Grand Canyon came into view, again as Providence would have it, the plane's path was directly over Grand Canyon Village on the south rim heading north by northwest. I had a perfect view of the canyon from the village all the way to the Little Colorado River. The side canyons, rapids, bluffs, pinnacles, buttes, mesas, and plateaus were spectacular with their long evening shadows. Bright Angel Canyon's 14-mile stretch from the north rim was daunting, bringing back memories of my July 4th, 2001, 25-mile, 7.5-hour run from north rim to south rim – whew! When I spotted Horseshoe Mesa, my thoughts and emotions during our most recent backpacking adventure, just the week before, came back to me like a friendly old dog.

     Seven of us had started at Grandview Point on Sunday, May 24th: destination Colorado River at Hance Rapids and various points in between; total trip time planned, 4 days; total trip distance, about 20 miles. We had also planned side trips to Cave of the Domes, Tuning Fork Cave, and Berry's copper mine operations on or around Horseshoe Mesa. Marty's superb trip report (click) provides the trip's blow-by-blow details.

     This was our (Marty and I) fourth or fifth trip on the Grandview, one, because it has so much to offer and two, it is an excellent trail to introduce beginners and newcomers to Grand Canyon. Horseshoe Mesa, a great place to explore and camp, is only a short, albeit steep, 3-1/2 miles down the trail: a first-rate challenge for 10, 20, and 60 year-olds alike. The mining operations of Pete Berry and company along with the permanent water source at Pipe (Miner) Springs also make this an attractive destination. And for those of a more hardy frame, Hance Creek (another perennial water source [1]) is another mile or so down the trail with Hance Rapids and the Colorado roughly another 8 miles past that. It's simply a great place to be and trek. It is getting more visitation these days.

     Another reason we utilize Grandview et al for our introductory route is because Grand Canyon hiking and backpacking are unlike most that one may ever encounter. First off, the place is enormous; Ed Abbey referred to the great distances as agoraphobic; the scale and distances are so large your brain can hardly take them in: it even frightens some. From the rim to the river is roughly 1 mile vertical distance; and from rim to rim, the average distance is about 10 miles, if memory serves. It can weigh on the psyche of the uninitiated. The trails are also steep and mostly unmaintained – quite rough. If one's legs and lungs aren't used to hours of abuse, they may not do so well here. We have seen, even on this trip, many, many knee and blister problems – some resulting in shortened or altered trip itineraries (click).

     Next, the journey is upside down, meaning that one starts with a fully loaded pack heading down and finishes lightly loaded walking up. It is common for people to become depressed as they walk down, down, down the trail fretting that they must climb out of this giant hole. It is also difficult to convince most that they will actually enjoy slogging up compared to slamming down the trail.

     Another significant factor is the heat. At the Colorado River, the temperature is approximately that of Phoenix: hot. We invented the phrase "infernal paradox" (or eternal paradox) to describe a common situation. One is standing at river's edge, where the water is usually 48-53°F (9-12°C) and the air temperature is 105°F (41°C); one is dying from heat prostration but the water is too frigid to get into (at least for very long!). As Marty says, "Grand Canyon is the Super Bowl of backpacking;" it commands respect in many ways.

     Our most recent trip down Grandview was an absolute delight. Yes, we did have a few blisters, purple toes, and some cases of knee strain – one even requiring an escort back to the rim; these are all normal and expected. And we didn't quite make our destination of Hance Rapids – we did enjoy the cool of Hance Creek and its lovely cottonwood shade. But as it is with every situation in life, what makes the difference between a good experience and a bad one is one's world view and one's attitude – one and his compadres. In this group, a somewhat more "religious" crowd than most, there was and seems to have always been an ample supply of fun-loving, tolerance, acceptance, and wit, as well as an obvious absence of ego and arrogance – a proper view of oneself. I go on these trips as a top choice for my vacations. The minute I get in my car to go, I'm on vacation and ready to enjoy some low-stress, relax time; seems my companions were with me there; they came with that same unhurried, hang-loose mindset. It pleased God to give us a good time together.

     As mentioned, one of our party had significant enough knee strain and pain such that he needed to go back to the rim. Matt and I started up from about the 2-mile point at around 5:00 p.m., he carrying my daypack and I his backpack. We walked out at Grandview Point around 8:00 p.m. I was happy to do it and even enjoyed it. We did stop just short of the rim to drink in a gorgeous Grand Canyon sunset: provided at no extra cost. Matt and I enjoyed dinner at Grand Canyon Village and then headed into the National Forest to camp overnight.

     Early next morning, after a quick McBreakfast, we got Matt situated to meet his family and friends in the Bright Angel Lodge lobby; then I hurried on to get down the trail. As Marty states in his report, Matt required several cortisone shots upon returning to Mesa. I didn't want to hold up the others from reaching the river; so, I beat feet down the trail. In 2 hours I was at Hance Creek... alone. I needed a nap anyway. Actually, while lying quietly under my cottonwood, I was treated to the meanderings of one of the canyon's bighorn sheep population: a welcome sight.

     The rest of our trip was quite uneventful, very enjoyable and relaxing. As Marty states in his report (click), we stayed the next two nights at Hance Creek and Horseshoe Mesa, explored the spring, mines, caves, and the wonderful pit toilet with its world-class view. The naps were refreshing, the food delicious, the sights inspiring, the caves alive and growing (a wet year), and the fellowship warm.

     Oddly, on this trip we encountered some folks and things that just seemed to be out of place – almost at every turn. One woman was on Horseshoe Mesa and she had discovered on this very trip that she was terrified of heights. She and her family needed water and she was afraid for the others to go down to the spring. We did our best to reassure her. Later Marty suggested we should have given her the anti-fear-of-heights placebo pill for her fears: probably not a good idea. One fellow we came across, it was his first time in Grand Canyon and he was lost and separated from his group. He was a bit nervous to say the least. One group had their 4 or 5 year old son with them. Ever tried to watch children around a pool? How about around the edge of an abyss? Had us all nervous. Two guys we saw had no idea where they were; they were just wondering the trails and seemed to be doing ok. I talked to one fellow who was planning to stay overnight on Horseshoe Mesa who had never even heard of getting a permit from the Backcountry Office: blessed ignorance. We found a cache of water, Gatorade, orange and apple juice in Tuning Fork Cave. Things that just make you go, "hmmmmm?" (We saw the register entry from Pygmy Guides and so we had our friend, Floyd Collins, email a scolding letter to them, reminding them about commercial guides not caching stores in the canyon.)

     Well, that about describes it: flashback complete. We happily slogged our way out on Wednesday, grabbed showers, ate at the awe-inspiring El Tovar Hotel restaurant (a special treat), visited our meteorite at Vercamps, saw a cool photo of Albert Einstein with wife and company wearing an Indian headdress and holding a peace pipe, ate some really swell ice cream, and then headed on down the hill back to our urban dwellings in Mesa, AZ. What a great trip!