Return journey at October 4^th

Now I’m prepared better. To eat I have only six power bars with me. These contain everything to supply my body sufficiently with energy. They kept me strong the whole way. To drink I have two empty and one not completely filled water bottles with me. That becomes scarce up to the hut where I got the flashlight. However there I will get the best water - fresh spring water. The guys are not at home. So I place a prepared letter under the telephone.

On the meadow in front of the house three Czechs lie in the shade. While I cool my already again battered feet, I talk with one of them in a mixture of english and german. I tell him the story of the past night. He cannot refrain from some malicious joy.

I must proceed. I filled two bottles with the fresh spring water. The third remains empty. Finally I have to carry everything in the backpack. I remembered Cottonwood campground somehow differently. With the sign at the end of it I notice, that I missed the water place. With my feet I decide, that the remaining water reaches up to the Phantom Ranch. I do not go back these hundred yards.

Now the desert begins. It is already back-breaking hot again. I dither whether I should proceed to South Rim or camp wildly at the waterfalls in order to preserve my feet. I cannot decide. Then I arrive at the small creek. It’s water will later cause me to break my breast out in a rash. I take off my shoes and socks to cool my feet. From now on that always becomes necessary when I went downhill more than a few yards. A couple with obviously the same intension pushes along. It would have been place enough for all of us.

At the moment my feet are so well, that we (my feet and I) decide now finally to go to the South Rim and not to the falls. The last foot cooling was exactly between the two hills in the desert. I had to walk downhill again. Thereupon I shifted simply a part of my way into the creek. Shoes, socks and trousers were accordingly wet.

Then I went cross-country back to the Trail. On my way the "steep rock slope", that actually was a wall. Protection of the cactuses against floods. On a sign I read another time "They grow by inch and die by foot ". I preserved myself during my outrageous passing to tread down no plants.

At the only shade place still well-known from the way to the North Rim, under the stone, I wrung out my socks. The desert seemed never ending. As well as the way at the Bright Angel Creek. Finally eleven miles need their time.

The Phantom Ranch made a completely different impression to my first arrival where I missed the main street somehow. Meanwhile it was four o'clock pm. For me in healthy condition I would have estimated at least four hours for the following ten miles. Two hours to Indian Gardens and two for the way up to the rim. After three hours however it would become already dark. I hoped I would have reached Indian Gardens at sunset.

First I crossed the Colorado River and went along up to the Bright Angel Canyon. Though I had not enough time I decided to make an excursion to the beach of the Colorado, in order to cool my feet. The water burned quite at the maltreated feet. After this boon I arrived at Indian Gardens Campground at seven o'clock pm. On my way to the North Rim I didn’t see the Campground. Even now I only hear voices from there. So I assumed to be in the proximity of Indian Gardens. Far from it! It takes one more hour to approach Indian Gardens.

Since seven pm I hiked with the flashlight on. With a rest I switched off the lamp, in order to see the starlit sky. I sat down on the stone edge of the trail. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me in the coppice, pointing on a larger and heavier animal. I turned the flashlight on and light in the direction. It flitted away, I couldn’t identificate nothing. I assumed it was the only here existing cat of prey named Bobcat. Since I did not see pictures of this kind, I can only guess, that it is the Puma occurring in America. (Much later I found out that I was wrong, it wa the comparatively harmless lynx.) I immediately set off.

My feet required now more and more frequently for a rest. Proceeding with a flushlight takes time on the craggy trail. With the next rest I again switched off the lamp. Again a noise behind me. Again lamp on and shine in the direction. In front of me a colossal deer in the distance of approx. ten feet. It could not be impressed by the light.

At Indian Gardens I filled up again all bottles. It was the last water place on the way back. continued to walk slowly. My feet became worse and worse. Resting didn’t bring me forward. I determined somehow, that simple two-second-stoppes already helped a lot. But it took no long time that even that didn’t help any longer. So I rested again. At one these stops where I heard again this noise I shone directly in two eyes. It is one more bobcat. The animal turned immediately the head to the side. I set off to leave this area as quick as possible.

With the feet it couldn’t continue hiking so and I considered whether I maenwhile had reached a level that I could lie down without fear of a carnivorous animal. So I did and woke up one hour later by getting cold. That stop helped my feet getting much better.

It had been noticeable to me already before, that I became observed by South Rim. My flashlight was to be seen far enough. Finally I could see also the person there above. And he or she did not shine.

I advanced well now. From the way to the north I still knew, that there is a gate in the rock close to South Rim. With the many shooting stars – though I did not believe in it - I wished two different things for myself:

1) that the rangers wouldn’t await me,

2) that I became beamed to the gate.

Suddenly I stood directly in front of the gate. That buoyed me up. The exit was now no longer far away. I walked and walked but it didn’t come. I had forgotten, that there is still another second gate.

I could see a person above on a balcony again. I believed, that the Grand Canyon Lodge (Bright Angel Lodge), also existing at the South Rim, would be the only so exposed building. I refrained from visiting the lodge at arrival time. Suddenly I stood in front of a gate again. Now it was the one close to the rim. Now I was close to my target destination. There was light in the Ranger station at the trailhead. I had already resigned myself to it, in receipt to be taken. In order to avoid the impression of a peekaboo this time, I started the flashlight. But there was nobody. I went to my car, entered it, everything completely unconsidered. Here they had obviously much more equanimity. The only remarkable was a deer that gnawed at the shrubs in the middle of the territory.

Next morning with the breakfast I determined that the exposed building wasn’t the lodge but an observation station belonging to the rangers. Thus was finally clear that it could not have been a coincidental observer.

At the North Rim I saw a Sweatshirt with "Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim 1999". Fullwith pride I wanted to buy this one at the South Rim. To buy it me before I’d done it was not applicable for me. Misfortune. This Shirt was not available here. Now I only can buy it, if I drive back to the North Rim again. Much effort. But I think I can plan my route clever to get it. For today I walk at the South Rim with a "Hike Grand Canyon North Rim" shirt. That is also not bad. But nobody takes notice f it. Note: I also didn’t get the Shirt later at the North Rim. It was even maintained, it would never have given this Shirt. As a substitute, later on I embroydered my "Hike Grand Canyon North Rim" shirt on the back with “rim2rim2rim october 1999” in a copyshop.

[Grand Canyon] [Deutsch] [English] [October 1st, 1999] [North Rim] [The Way Back] [Valley of the Gods] [Photos 1999] [Photos 2004] [Impressum] [Software]