Hidden places

Now that I have been here for more than a month, it has become apparent that the majority of my fellow employees will barely experience what surrounds them. All they care about is watching television, checking their Facebook page, drinking in the pub at night and sleeping. Beyond the visual reminder as they ride to the lodge on the employee shuttle or look out the dining room windows as they wait tables, the magnificent wonder of nature and the opportunity to explore it is of little interest. Many of them are also out of shape, so even if they were interested, it would kill them in the process.

Having shared that observation, let me also suggest that I am very happy to be among the small number of residents who are quite content to have it all to ourselves.

On Saturday, I set out before lunch to find the South Canyon Trail. It is actually in the Kaibab National Forest near the northern border of the national park, but no less scenic than one of the Grand Canyon trails. For some reason, I had a devil of a time finding the trailhead, but after several false starts, I decided to trust my GPS and just blaze a trail down from what appeared to be an opening in the forest and very quickly ran into the real trail and made the best of what time I had left. Eventually, I hit what is labelled as an "aqueduct" on my map and true to the description it was channeling snowmelt down the canyon. The snowmelt also made continuing on the trail impossible so I enjoyed the solitude for a few minutes and then made the climb back out. On the way home, however, the Jeep suffered a catastrophic tire failure, so I am now down to four good ones and a shredded remnant for a spare. Kanab Tire Center is about to get another visit.

Today was another perfect day to explore, but with no spare tire,

I had to choose my spot carefully. So, I returned to the same spot

along the Cape Royal Road I described earlier and hiked the opposite direction along the already-mentioned Ken Patrick Trail. My goal was the trail head intersection with what is now the little-used Old Bright Angel Trail, a route down into the canyon

abandoned years ago when the main trail near the lodge was constructed. It would only be 3-miles each way, but what an adventure it would turn out to be. The pine forest dotted with aspens would give way to a very steep set of switchbacks that descended to this absolutely pristine valley of green grasses which then gave way to gently climbing trail up a narrow canyon.

And then, as if it was scripted for a motion picture, the trail arrived at Bright Angel Canyon and the goal was in sight. A surveyor in 1902 stood in this same spot and I am certain had the same question. "How do you get from here down to there?" For now, I can say I know how the first hundred yards went, but that was simply to take this photo. To explore the remainder of this now-historic trail, I will need a companion with the same curiosity as mine.

Oh, and one more thing, the echo is terrific at that spot, too!