Grand Canyon and Tuscon!

A quick post before I go to a meeting, then back to the Canyon tomorrow morning for 8 days. The last hitch (Feb 2nd to 10th) was great. Coming off one day's rest after San Diego we soldiered out for another 8 days of cyclic trail maintenance and tread upgrading with the National Parks Service. Building up from almost 16 days straight working hard and living outside, I had a nice little groove going on, but my body was definitely tired. I split time between working up the S. Kaibab trail from Phantom Ranch on cyclic maintenance and making the 4 mile trek up to Skeleton point (over halfway out of the canyon) to gather rocks and crush them to improve the tread going down into the red and whites.

(the rock crusher and 8 tons of rocks that we hauled in)

We collected 2-3 tons of rock from the surrounding terrain and brought it to the gasoline powered rock crusher to make a bunch of beautiful limestone crushed for the trail. I used my time after work to go on some great hikes, including an hour long sprint up Clear Creek trail, and a nice 2 hr walk up the North Kaibab on Super Bowl Sunday. Believe it or not, they piped the Super Bowl Game into the canyon using an internet connection and held a nice party in the Phantom Ranch Bunkhouse. As much as I love watching football, I couldn't stand the thought of seeing a television commercial after so many days out in nature, so I opted for the hike followed by Swiss Miss and adventure whimsy over a nice topo map of the Grand Canyon. Luckily, I had a few coworkers that wanted to do the same, and we had a good time. Some nice wildlife experiences this hitch included a close up encounter with a bighorn who was chilling on the side of the trail, and a fly-by from a Condor during lunch at Skeleton point (9 ft. wing span!).

(wildlife sighting on the walk up to skeleton point)

Post work was time for refreshing dips in Bright Angel creek, a fad that caught on with a few brave souls and made camp smell a little better. All that heavy lifting, hiking and clean living had me feeling beat-up but pure. Our hike out went great, as I chatted away with Alison for 4 hours straight up to the top.

(a dip in Bright Angel Creek)

After the requisite trip to the Green Room (25 cent drinks on Wednesday night) and a recovery day in Flag, Jeff and I headed off for a trip to Tuscon, AZ. Some of his family friends gave us a home base while we took advantage of our 6 days off. Highlights included hiking to the top of Wasson Peak in Saguaro NP, camping in Coronado National Forest (beautiful spot!) and making lots of friends with our positive vibes in the city. Fire dancers, friendly bartenders and a great live performance from "Clam Tostada" at Sky Bar on 4th street got us started off right and we never looked back. Fueled by delicious mexican food and the complementary natures of our minds (I made plans for daytime, Jeff took care of the evening hours), I'd say we had about as much fun in Tuscon as two people can have in 4 days.

I need to sign off now to attend a meeting. I'll be out of touch through Feb. 24th in the canyon, and then I will be attending a two day orientation training in Prescott, AZ. Never a dull moment!