Clear Creek Trail

Considering that we spent the night in 10-person dormitories, we both slept well.

Like the other women in my dorm, my calves are sore - just the typical delayed-onset muscle soreness. Nothing to worry about.

In the women's dorm, from the time the Phantom Ranch wake-up call (a loud knock on the door) came at 4:30 a.m., there was no more sleeping. People were getting dressed, showering, lights were on, plenty of talking was happening. My brilliant plan of having no breakfast and sleeping in was foiled! Plus, cleaning the dorms happens from 7 - 9 a.m. or so....I had to vacate my comfy bunk bed too early!

We decided to hike a ways up Clear Creek Trail. The trails yesterday were the corridor trails - wide and suitable for mules. Clear Creek Trail is like the majority of hiking trails in the Grand Canyon - narrow and suitable for humans.

We headed up the North Kaibab Trail a bit, and heard lots of rocks falling near the trail.


A group of bighorn sheep was grazing and walking along the canyon wall, sending rocks down below them. Luckily they were on the opposite side of the canyon from us - so rocks weren't falling on our heads!

The junction of the North Kaibab and Clear Creek Trails was a little confusing, but we found a sign and were sure we were on the right track.


The footing is more rocky here, and the trail is narrower.


The views were beautiful, although the early morning sunlight made it hard to capture them in photos.


We hiked up a ways and were passed by several small groups of backpackers.

This picture shows where I was standing when we decided to turn back. When the trail was less than 2 feet wide, the footing was rocky, plants and cacti stuck out into the trail, and there was a drop of hundreds of feet on one side, I just couldn't do it.


But other people definitely do backpack on this trail. People must get used to it. As we were turning back, a couple in their 60's with large backpacks briskly hiked past us.


See what I mean about those steep drop-offs?


There's a bench built into the side of the trail that overlooks Phantom Ranch. We relaxed on the bench for a while.


From the bench back to the North Kaibab Trail, the trail was a little wider.

We decided we'd entertain ourselves at the ranch for the day!

Are We There Yet?

OK, we've had lunch, had plenty of water, and are set to keep hiking!!

We can see Panorama Point below us.


I'm dwarfed by the inner canyon landscape.


Rumor has it that when the CCC worked on the River Trail, they took a piano or pool table down the South Kaibab to provide entertainment at Phantom Ranch. Looking at these trails, that's hard to believe!


The black bridge (shown thanks to our zoom lens) is how we'll cross the river on the South Kaibab.


But this is the un-zoomed picture showing that we still have plenty of hiking to do.

Most people take between 4-6 hours to hike this trail.


Yay!!! We made it to Panorama Point!!

Lucky for us, a backpacking guided tour group is waiting for a straggler, so there are plenty of willing photographers.

Generally there are the right number of people on this trail....we're hiking on our own out of sight of anyone nearby, but we can usually see people in the distance farther down the trail. I guess that if we waited 15-30 minutes, some one coming down the trail behind us would catch up. It's not too crowded, but not too isolated.


Now we just have to descend to that beach! This section of trail averages 22% grade, the steepest portion of the trail. We're feeling pretty good, but my right shin is getting tired.


We're making steady progress. The Colorado River looks really still and calm from here.


The black suspension bridge seemed a little scary to me before we started this hike. After hiking on all of these steep trails, I have no worries about something as fenced in as a bridge!


The black bridge starts at the other side of this tunnel.


We're walking over the Colorado River!! Now we can see that there's a lot of current.


On the canyon floor it feels noticeably hot. Of course, it's October, so it's only in the 80's. In the summer, this section of the trail would be well over 100°.

There are pueblo ruins just off the trail. These ruins have been dated to A.D. 1050 to A.D. 1140 approximately. Three or four families might have lived here.


Looking back at the black bridge, it feels great to know that we made it!!


The stream we're walking along is Bright Angel Creek. It's so refreshing to be near water and vegetation again.


A mule deer and two fawns are crossing the creek as we arrive.


Phantom Ranch is paradise for deer - plenty of food and water, almost no predators.


The deer are obviously used to hikers. We saw them often during our stay - including some deer jumping into the mule pen and eating food meant for the mules.


We're happy to see the first building.....but it's the residence for the rangers stationed at Phantom Ranch.


Behind the mule corral, we see a welcome sign and the canteen where we'll check into our dorms and buy something cold to drink.


We made it!!! Must be time to soak our feet in chilly Bright Angel Creek!


Our GPS says we've hiked 8.3 miles and descended 4700 feet. It took us 5 hours and 45 minutes... we went slowly and really enjoyed the trail. We're tired, but not unbelievably tired. Great hike!!

Heating Up

O'Neill Butte has been the major landmark we've measured our progress against all day.


As we reach the end of Cedar Ridge, O'Neill Butte comes into focus.


There's a small viewpoint that some people visit on the way. Maybe we're the ones on a mission now, since we continue on the main trail.




As we approach O'Neill Butte, it feels much warmer.


The trail is very dusty. My legs and boots are turning red from the dust.


This section of trail from O'Neill Butte to Skeleton Point looks flat, but it descends at about the same rate as the rest of the trail. My legs were looking forward to a break from the constant descent.


Glad I have those convertible pants that turn into shorts. It's definitely getting warm now.


The tall flowers in this picture are agave plants. They bloom in a good year with a lot of rain - apparently like this year! They're often called "century plants", but it doesn't take 100 years for them to bloom. They do bloom only once in their lives, and it takes approximately 15 - 30 years for the plant to grow strong enough to produce this giant flower stalk.


Finally, we see our first view of the river on this hike. It's still a long way down there!


This next section of trail looked like a zigzag at the end of that long straightaway from the rim. Up close and personal it's even more remarkable.


We pass an abandoned mine as we start down this zigzag section of trail.


Believe it or not, we end up encountering mules on this steep section of trail. The rules around the mules are simple: stand still, facing the mules, on the uphill side of the trail.

Fortunately, at the end of a switchback we find enough room to stand comfortably and let the mules pass. The mules go in the opposite direction that we're going (they go down the Bright Angel and up the South Kaibab). We don't have to walk behind mules.

Mules are the professional climbers of the canyon and they're faster than all but the most experienced and speedy Grand Canyon hikers.


In the excitement of the mules passing us, we miss our chance to get a closeup photo of the halfway sign. I'm a little shocked that we're only halfway there. We've passed most of the landmarks we could see from the rim.

Plus I'm getting a little tired.


That little square sign is the official halfway point.


Now we emerge on the Tonto Plateau. There's a trail that stretches for miles along this plateau.


There's a small natural arch visible far above us. (This picture is zoomed in so you can see it!)


The Grand Canyon is home to a pink subspecies of the rattlesnake. These pink rattlesnakes are most frequently seen along the Tonto trail on this plateau. Fortunately, those sightings are rare, especially along the well-traveled South Kaibab Trail.


This is the last resthouse before Bright Angel Campground. Definitely one of the most scenically situated resthouses I've seen!


This area is where we start overtaking hikers who headed out quickly in the morning. Many of them are carrying backpacks, which makes their hike much more difficult than ours. Our packs weight about 10-15 pounds each - mostly due to the 4 liters of water that we're each carrying. There's no water available along this trail.

That green oasis down at the bottom of the canyon is Phantom Ranch!!!


We still have plenty of spectacular trail left to cover.


We got used to walking next to steep cliffs. A park ranger offered this bit of advice: "Always make sure there's a body length of ground between you and the edge. That way if you fall, you're just falling on something flat, rather than falling over the edge." These trails are wide enough that it's almost always possible to follow that advice.

The South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails are called the corridor trails by the park service. These are the recommended trails for people who haven't hiked the canyon before. Mules also use these trails, so the trails are wide and well-maintained, with good footing.


Looking at how much more trail we have to hike today, I'm feeling a little surprised.


There's another glimpse of Phantom Ranch.


Seems like a good time to pause in the shade of a rock for some rest and lunch. I'm feeling pretty fatigued at the moment.


During lunch, a group of pack mules passed us heading up the trail. Since the South Kaibab trail is the shortest route the mules can use, the pack mules go up and down the South Kaibab to supply Phantom Ranch and river rafters.

Luckily, lunch revived me!