{"id":2505,"date":"2017-11-28T21:42:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T21:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2017-12-07T15:50:44","modified_gmt":"2017-12-07T15:50:44","slug":"the-big-ditch-day-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/2017\/11\/28\/the-big-ditch-day-3\/","title":{"rendered":"The Big Ditch: Day 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Alarm clocks came early on departure day.\u00a0 We had a 5:30am breakfast scheduled and we wanted to maximize the energy we filled our bodies with before our hike back out of the canyon.\u00a0 It was still pitch black outside so I went out and grabbed a few last shots of the stars while my brother gazed at the early morning sky and the smell of bacon filled the air.\u00a0 The weather was probably about mid 5os and the skies clear so we anticipated a warm day ahead of us.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Joe stargazing\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/38119584594\/in\/album-72157688041669242\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4573\/38119584594_d0cd532fe7.jpg\" alt=\"Joe stargazing\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Faith, our breakfast host, welcomed us in to the canteen at 5:30 sharp and served us piping hot pancakes, fluffy eggs, big fat sausages and thick slabs of bacon all of which we were able to wash down with several cups of coffee.\u00a0 Like dinner this meal was pretty pricey but was very good and filling as it was all-u-can-eat.\u00a0 It was nice to not have to deal with making and cleaning up breakfast on departure morning as it allowed us to get an early start on our long hike out.\u00a0 Back at the cabin we packed up our bags including all of our trash (you have to pack out all your own trash from the Grand Canyon).\u00a0 We&#8217;d planned on leaving about 7:00, but we were all ready to go well before then so we decided to head out in the limited light of dawn.<\/p>\n<p>Down at the Colorado River we crossed to the south side via the silver bridge then followed the river downstream for quite awhile along a very sandy trail lined with some fun oasis-like plants.\u00a0 It wasn&#8217;t long before we turned away from the river and began the long slog to the rim.\u00a0 The hiking temperature was perfect and we had a really nice pace going.\u00a0 Unlike our hike down into the canyon on the South Kaibab trail this hike followed and crisscrossed a stream which would allow you to carry much less water and just filter as you need it.\u00a0 If it was spring I suspect some of the stream crossing would have much higher water and could mean wet feet&#8230;.but I can&#8217;t be sure.<\/p>\n<p>Finally we met the sun as we made a ridge just above a really cool area of smooth rock carved by eons of running water and some nice vegetation.\u00a0 We figured (incorrectly we would later find out) this lush area was called Indian Gardens.\u00a0 We shed some layers in anticipation of the sun exposure and increasing temps of the day.\u00a0 While the rest of the team munched a few snacks I went down to try to grab some pictures of the neat little water falls below.\u00a0 Such a cool little area.\u00a0 It would be a really refreshing place to hang out for awhile on a really hot day!<br \/>\n<a title=\"More falls\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/136797225@N05\/38119583634\/in\/album-72157688041669242\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4579\/38119583634_c0c4b7a49b.jpg\" alt=\"More falls\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Packs back on we continued on expecting the sweat to really start drenching our backs when, low and behold, we entered back into the shadows of the canyon walls.\u00a0 That little stint in the sun would turn out to be the last time we had direct sunlight until we reached the rim.\u00a0 And, with the increase in our altitude the air actually got cooler as we ascended out of the canyon.\u00a0 It turned out to be some of the most comfortable hiking weather I have ever had!!\u00a0 It was spectacular!<\/p>\n<p>I had been using Strava to track all of our activity on this trip and today was no exception.\u00a0 We were making excellent time according to Strava. I kept checking our progress and thinking, &#8220;dang, we&#8217;re 3\/4 done, we&#8217;re gonna be outta here before noon!&#8221;.\u00a0 About that time we came to the true Indian Gardens which sit pretty much at the half way point to the rim.\u00a0 WHAT??\u00a0 Turns out that the GPS on my phone gets fooled in the tight canyons and was over estimating our abilities.\u00a0 Oh well.\u00a0 I felt physically really good.\u00a0 The trail had not been as steep as I expected and the cool temperature made for really comfortable hiking.<\/p>\n<p>We continued along the trail into towards what seemed to be a dead end at a sheer wall.\u00a0 But as we got closer to what seemed the end of the canyon the zig zagging trail up the cliff face appeared.\u00a0 Yet, the trail never seemed to be overly steep.\u00a0 When we were 3 miles from the rim our phones started picking up signal and the dinging and donging of my phone almost made me turn around and head back into the wireless dead zone where real life can be enjoyed.\u00a0 But I texted Steph to let her know that we were safe and sound and almost out of the canyon.<\/p>\n<p>Uncle Rick was apologizing for the slow pace, but he was keeping an amazing pace if you ask me.\u00a0 If I can even consider such a trip when I&#8217;m his age I&#8217;ll consider myself pretty bad ass.\u00a0 As we neared the top I picked up the pace ahead of the other 4 so I could go get the van and bring it over to the Bright Angel lodge parking lot.\u00a0 As I made the rim the warm sun felt good on my air cooled skin.\u00a0 However, just moments before I&#8217;d been in the tranquility of the trail and now I found myself amongst the throngs of tourons wandering aimlessly around the Bright Angel Circus&#8230;.I mean Lodge.\u00a0 But I&#8217;d just completed an amazing trip, in an amazing place with 4 amazing dudes and I found myself grinning inside and out as I considered the last few days of adventure.<\/p>\n<p>We stopped in at the lounge at the lodge for some beer and chicken wings.\u00a0 With some smooth talking from Tom, our waitress Dee ended up warming up to us and eventually sitting down at our table and sharing her life story with us.\u00a0 She also gave us a tip on a great BBQ joint in Flagstaff.\u00a0 With that we loaded into the van and headed to town where we showered at our hotel and made a beeline for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.satchmosaz.com\/\">Satchmo&#8217;s<\/a>.\u00a0 Dee&#8217;s recommendation was spot on and we thouroughly enjoyed our meal here.\u00a0 Bellies satisfied it was time for bed so we could get an early start on the long drive home tomorrow.\u00a0 The drive home the next day went smooth and quick as we made minimal stops.\u00a0 Mom made us dinner at home in Colorado Springs which was a nice break before Joe and I made the final leg of our trip to Longmont.\u00a0 I made it home in time to say goodnight to the kids and Joe made it home in time to start dealing with a mysterious water leak in his basement!!<\/p>\n<p>I highly recommend a trip to the bottom of the canyon and, if you can, a stay at Phantom Ranch.\u00a0 But if you can spend more than 2 nights DO IT!!\u00a0 You really need to spend several days down there in my opinion.\u00a0 I hope to take my family in the near future and hopefully we can make a longer trip of it.<\/p>\n<p>Below are a selection of our photos from the last day but you can see ALL the photos and videos at the album <a href=\"https:\/\/photos.app.goo.gl\/ypPa7KvRZDxtshYn2\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"flickr_72157688041669242_6658\"><div class=\"slickr-flickr-slideshow landscape medium \"><div class=\"active\"><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4573\/38119584594_d0cd532fe7.jpg\" title=\"Joe stargazing\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Joe stargazing<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4541\/38119583144_e1203b01b6.jpg\" title=\"The Colorado\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>The Colorado<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4584\/38119584464_48645aa44b.jpg\" title=\"Leaving the oasis\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Leaving the oasis<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4520\/38119584214_0af3445983.jpg\" title=\"Trudging along\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Trudging along<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4534\/38119582964_5606a0b646.jpg\" title=\"Winding trail\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Winding trail<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4545\/23970402077_bd062faa0a.jpg\" title=\"Creek crossing\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Creek crossing<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4520\/38119583944_ddb4ea218b.jpg\" title=\"Hiker silhouettes\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Hiker silhouettes<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4521\/23970402257_9b863dd827.jpg\" title=\"Vista\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Vista<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4555\/38119583774_268617cafa.jpg\" title=\"Todd on the edge\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Todd on the edge<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4582\/38119587454_2a1ee5b0e0.jpg\" title=\"Huck\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Huck<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4564\/23970402037_ae9e911659.jpg\" title=\"Little falls\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Little falls<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4579\/38119583634_c0c4b7a49b.jpg\" title=\"More falls\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>More falls<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4572\/23970401837_24188c849a.jpg\" title=\"Century up close\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Century up close<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4561\/38119583504_23f053c474.jpg\" title=\"Shady hiking\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Shady hiking<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4523\/38119586714_1f4262bd3b.jpg\" title=\"Century plant\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Century plant<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4586\/23970401587_405fb1b4a4.jpg\" title=\"Oh deer\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Oh deer<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4531\/38119584044_496855567e.jpg\" title=\"Cact-eye\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Cact-eye<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4566\/38119586384_689821e333.jpg\" title=\"Pano\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Pano<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4567\/38119583384_0fec6406c1.jpg\" title=\"Barf\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Barf<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4558\/23970401347_026f7aca46.jpg\" title=\"Bumpy tree\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Bumpy tree<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4556\/38119586054_b85e8b84d4.jpg\" title=\"Toilet water....yum!\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Toilet water....yum!<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4569\/23970401187_0c4ca72895.jpg\" title=\"Tom\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Tom<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4570\/38119585764_75a7e9f872.jpg\" title=\"Joe\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Joe<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4582\/38119583354_c5e76a1895.jpg\" title=\"Desert wood\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Desert wood<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4553\/38119585284_8453ec2b93.jpg\" title=\"Upward\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Upward<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4546\/23970400907_8bbc6df008.jpg\" title=\"Another vista\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Another vista<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4570\/38119584774_7e5d0cffb5.jpg\" title=\"I don&#039;t get it?\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>I don't get it?<\/p><\/div><div><img src=\"https:\/\/farm5.static.flickr.com\/4555\/38119584694_671c0e9cb2.jpg\" title=\"Satchmo&#039;s BBQ\" alt=\"\"  \/><p>Satchmo's BBQ<\/p><\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\">jQuery(\"#flickr_72157688041669242_6658\").data(\"options\",{\"delay\":7000,\"autoplay\":true,\"transition\":500,\"link\":\"next\",\"target\":\"_self\",\"width\":\"\",\"height\":\"\"});<\/script><div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alarm clocks came early on departure day.\u00a0 We had a 5:30am breakfast scheduled and we wanted to maximize the energy we filled our bodies with before our hike back out of the canyon.\u00a0 It was still pitch black outside so I went out and grabbed a few last shots of the stars while my brother [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[7],"tags":[103,104],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2505"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2516,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions\/2516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thewachs.com\/wachsacrossamerica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}