Into the abyss - Part II

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May 15th - Part II

Mike and I were the first of our group to head down the trail. Starting elevation is 8,241 feet. The upper part of the North Kaibab is through a forest of aspen, douglas fir and ponderosa pine. It always smells wonderful except, of course, for those places where the mules have recently peed.

Since this was opening day on the North Rim, there had only been two commercial mule trips down the trail this season. On the north rim, they offer four different mule rides, two into the canyon going as far as either the Supai Tunnel or Roaring Springs.

The Coconino Outlook is a popular day hike destination, ¾ mile down the trail, 500 feet below the rim. We stopped briefly for a few sips of water and a picture or two and then proceeded down the switchbacks to the Supai Tunnel.

The Supai Tunnel is another popular day hike destination with a water faucet (seasonally) and toilets. We shed our packs for a few minutes and availed ourselves of the facilities. At this point, we had hiked about two miles.

Once you go through the tunnel, you can see “the bridge”, another mile down the trail. We usually stop on the far side of the bridge on the way down, take off the boots (and put on the Crocs), have lunch, relax, and let it sink in that we’re back in the canyon once again.

Soon enough we were ready to continue. It was definitely getting warmer. The toes on my left foot started to complain a bit, but other than that, I was feeling great! Mike commented on the difference in the output of Roaring Springs this year as compared to last when it was gushing out all along that section instead of in just one place.

We arrived at what is now referred to as the Roaring Springs Residence (formerly known as Aikens House) after about four hours on the trail. We’d hiked about five and a half miles and dropped about 4000 feet, a relatively easy hike into the canyon.

We have stopped here before but only to get water from the faucet near the trail. This time it would be our base camp for the next four days.

As usual, we had plenty of good food on this service project. Pat, who's been the cook for the last three years, fed us hamburgers and Polish sausages, baked beans, and salad on this night.

Unlike previous projects, this time we didn't have to sleep in our tent. We originally laid our sleeping bags out on the helipad, but not five minutes later, it started to rain. It didn't last long, but we scampered up to the porch and ended up sleeping there the next four nights.

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Photos

The trail below
If you look at the full image, you might be able to see sections of the trail.

The Mule Train
This one was probably returning from the Supai Tunnel.

Lunch Time
just after crossing the bridge

Roaring Springs - 2005
This is a picture Dan took last year. You may be able to see that there were more springs due to the much greater amount of melting snow.