Grand Canyon day 2

Well I managed to get some good sleep last night!  It was so peaceful to just look out the top of my tent and see the stars and moon throughout the night.  I did wake up from time to time but managed to fall back asleep.  It was just relaxing to wake up, look up and see the sunrise . . .

I think I exited my tent around 7:00am . . . oh my was that a chore.  I unzipped the door and just sat there a bit . . .

. . . waiting for motivation but mainly strength.  My legs were ridiculously sore and standing up was a challenge.  I did manage to roll out of my tent and pry myself in the upright position . . . I bet it was hilarious to watch.  As I walked around the pain was manageable, but if I sat down for an extended time the tightness was back.  After going to the restroom, I decided to take a short walk down the path towards a bridge.  The creek was running and looked so refreshing even at this early hour!

The one thing that I quickly noticed is how friendly everyone you meet is along the trails.  It is so easy to make small talk and chat a bit.  I met a super nice lady in her 60s while standing on the bridge.  We both discussed our entry and exit route and then snapped a photo for each other.

I headed back to the meeting area in order to cook some breakfast which is  just grits.  I was glad I was hanging around the campsite today while the majority of the group was doing a 13 mile hike!  I am not going to lie the hike back out has me concerned and worried.  So today I am relaxing.  So there are 5 of us just sort of hanging out which was fun.  We headed back to the Phantom Ranch Canteen for morning drinks . . . they also had the best brewed iced tea!  We sat around and chatted, I filled out a post card, we laughed, and then we all set out in different directions with plans to meet back up around 1:00pm at the campsite for lunch.  Marilyn and I decided to do a short 1.7 mile hike called the River Trail.  It was short but also great to get up and move around.  The hike followed the ending of the South Kaibab Trail we were on yesterday and totally killed my legs and then the Colorado River.  The views did not disappoint.  We would once again cross the Colorado River . . .

. . . it sure is big and fast moving . . . up we would go . . .

. . . we were quickly high up and could see the bridge we just crossed . . .

The views were nice and thankfully we were in the shade most of the hike . . .

Our 1.7 mile hike was over and we again crossed back over the Colorado River . . .

. . . it was a bit scary on this bridge as the metal grates were not secured perfectly and rattled with each step!  As the trail ended we did see this cute guy . . .

. . . we made it back for lunch with the rest of the group.  I heated some water and boiled chicken ramen noodles.

It was about as tasty as ramen noodles can be but also had some nuts and sesame sticks too.  After all was cleaned up where did we go?  You guessed it back to the Phantom Ranch Canteen!  I loved the big board with the prices and the mail bag too!

While we didn't really have any major accomplishments to celebrate like yesterday, we had another round of celebration drinks of lemonade and beer.  If you bring your cup back, the refills are only $1!  We again chatted for a while and that is when a HUGE decision was made.  You can pay for the mule team to bring your belongs back to the rim . . . I know how awesome is that?  So I paid the $70.55 for a mule to carry up to 30 pounds out to the rim.  I was thrilled at the thought of my backpack being so light!  We cleaned our table and headed to Bright Angel Creek to cool our feet and chill a bit!

 

I tell you it was so fun hanging out and just relaxing; totally takes your mind off the pain in your legs or the hike you must do tomorrow.  It is very rare that I ever have absolutely nothing to do.  It was also nice not having a cell phone; no calls and no temptation to check emails!  We also had a bit of a sneaky plan for our dinner tonight too.  During the endless hours of research, I found out that at the Phantom Ranch they serve dinner; mainly to the people staying in the cabins . . . I know cabins . . . I tell you this place is awesome.  It really was a great, fun place to hang out . . . we walked there a lot and never seemed to mind the half mile trek each way from the campsite . . .

Anyway, they have two seatings for dinner; steak at 5:00 pm and stew at 6:15 pm.  Each time slot is limited to about 50 people and difficult to get a reservation too.  I had tried calling several times and no luck so one lonely Friday night, I called and they had an opening for 2 steak dinner!  Sold!  I couldn't grab my credit card fast enough.  While the meal is expensive (about $47 per person) it was yummy and worth every penny.

You have to remember that all the food is brought from the rim down to the bottom by mule!  It was served family style; one steak, one baked potato, and the rest was all you cared to eat!  It was so worth it, and I knew it would give our bodies some great fuel for the big hike back to the rim tomorrow.  With our bellies full we headed back to the campsite like we were in trouble . . . we knew there would be comments about our dinner, but I could have cared less!  Only one person really asked and we just said it was good.  I didn't feel guilty because anyone could have made the effort to get a meal too.  We pulled up to the table and hung out with the group for a bit before making our last minute plans for tomorrow.  We had to have our stuff taken down, packed in the empty mule feed sack, and delivered back to the Phantom Ranch Canteen before 6:30am sharp!  I was so excited about not having to carry my stuff that there was no way I was missing that deadline!  I painfully crawled back into my tent for the night knowing that I probably would not sleep very good at all just thinking about the big hike up.