Desert Bloom

Spring hit the canyon last hitch and we got to see the flowers blooming right in front of our eyes. Between the flowers, rocks, rainbows and skies it was an awesome display of color, especially set against the red-brown canvas of dirt.

(Flowers and rainbows on the last day.)

We camped up at Mormon Flats near Skeleton Point, more than halfway out of the canyon and right next to a cliff, so our views were the best ever.

(Looking back at our tents on the cliff's edge)

The rom-tec (portable composting toilet) was perched overlooking the Tonto and inner gorge, and has to be in the running for most beautiful bathroom in the world.

(A toilet with a view)

We worked with NPS and CREC to continue our cyclic maintenance up the South Kaibab, putting lots of crushed and dirt on the eroded checks. It looked really nice when we finished and got rave reviews from the hikers, but it’s just a big band-aid that will get torn up by the mules. The long term goal is to armor larger portions of the trail to stand up to the beating of daily mule trains. We got to work with the mule wranglers a bit which was a special treat. Harkening back to the old school trail work, we loaded up mules with dirt to transport down to a particularly hard hit section of trail just below Skeleton.

(Buckets of dirt ready to load onto the mules)

Other notable events included two of our co-workers hiking down for an overnight visit and packing along some Rocky Road ice cream. After 5 days working under blank skies with no running water it was about the best thing we could ask for.

(The only man fast enough to hike ice cream into the Grand Canyon)

A condor soared over camp during lunch one day, and our CREC bird expert spotted a pair of Peregrine Falcons with a nest on the cliffs below our rom-tec. Foot traffic continues to increase, sometimes to the point of frustration. The hikers are enthusiastic and supportive, but trying to work in the gaps between them can feel futile. Among the countless questions we receive, my favorite was probably “why are you guys so dirty?” Well, because I move dirt all day and don’t shower.

I never know what the weather’s going to do since I don’t check before I go out on hitch. By the ninth day in the back country it’s really anybody’s guess what might happen, so it’s always fun to make sailor predictions based on the wind and sky. My predictions are pretty much always wrong, so not surprisingly I was caught unawares by a pretty good downpour that started during stretch circle on our last day.

(Ominous skies, the weather swept in over the south rim and had us running for the trailhead)

Of course I chose that day to be as “Dad-core” as possible, with my shorts, tucked in tee, moccasins and makeshift shoelace headband. With a hi-ho the wind and hail stung us on the hike out, but also brought some beautiful rainbows and provided great motivation to get to the trailhead. While we waited for the mules to bring up our coolers we crashed the “El Tovar” hotel to drink bottomless cups of coffee out of silver carafes. The hostess suggested that my friend Jeff change seats for a better view of the canyon, but Jeff was more concerned about getting his breakfast steak with a side of bacon.

Next hitch could be our last on the South Kaibab. Our crew will probably start working from the North Rim as soon as the roads open, doing cyclic on the North Kaibab. It’s rumored that we’ll have a sweet yurt to operate out of, and the extra 1000 ft of elevation should keep the temperatures manageable during the hot summer season. Meanwhile, it’s time for some camping during my off days…I know, it’s a sickness.

(CREC, ACE and NPS working productively and living harmoniously together.)