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Bright Angel Trail Day Hike
Grand Canyon National Park
October 18, 2003
by Beth Baumert
| Hikers: |
Rudy Arredondo, Marge Cawley, Bruce Fisher, Sankar Gopalasubramanian,
Jenni Jacobs, Jenni's friend Ryan, Eileen Kim, Joe and Bill Michalides,
Priscilla Molinar, Chuck Parsons, Sharon Strong |
| Leaders: | Beth Baumert, Kathy Robertson, Tim McAlpin |
| Length: | 9 miles to Indian Gardens; 12 miles to Plateau Point |
We started down the Bright Angel trail on a clear, crisp, sunny
morning and wound slowly down the switchbacks, plunging into the
Bright Angel Canyon. We passed some mountain goats right by the
first arch, then continued down the trail through 2 billion years'
worth of rock layers. Sankar was kind enough to wait for me as I
proceeded slowly down the switchbacks, eventually resorting to
using my knee brace. I was busy snapping pictures and was totally
impressed by the straight horizontal seams separating the rock
layers. The nicest thing about the trail was that it was in
maintenance mode so that there were no mule trains, as well as
the conveniences of bathrooms and fresh water every 1.5 miles.
In addition, most of the trail was in the shade, both on the way
down and back up. I kept taking the same pictures over and over
again, but at different elevations, because the view was so
spectacular. It is a humbling and breathtaking experience to be
a part of such grandeur, and I was thrilled to have the
opportunity to hike the canyon for the first time.
We descended down through layers of Kaibab Limestone, the Toroweap
Formation, and Coconino Sandstone, all light in color, then down
into the red rock layers of Hermit Shale, the Supai Group, and
Redwall Limestone. We were in the side canyon the whole way down,
with rock walls towering above us on three sides, with a crescent
moon on top. We plunged further into the Muav Limestone and Bright
Angel Shale formations. All of a sudden, the trail became flatter
and there were a lot of cottonwood trees. A group of us rested in
the cool shade at Indian Gardens and consumed snacks before
proceeding out to Plateau Point in the 90-degree sunshine. We were
rewarded there by a view of the Colorado River roaring over rapids
below.
I had goosebumps on the way back to Indian Gardens, overwhelmed by
the magnificence of the rock layers before me. Upon my return there,
I met Joe Michalides, and we both refreshed ourselves by dipping our
feet in the creek. We then began the long ascent to the top. It was
rather discouraging when Ryan went running past me and Tim went
speeding past, but the rest of us just kept up our steady pace and
met at the rest stops. After a while, I stopped looking up because
the rock walls were still so far above me. Eventually, everyone made
it out in one piece.
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