My Last Few Weeks, Friends, and Thanking Someone Special

My Last Few Weeks and New Friends - Well in just 10 more days I'll be heading home and ending my 3 months of volunteering as the Mather Campground Host.  My host duties were shared with Steve Jerman.  Steve and his wife Donna, have become good friends over the past three months as we've shared this adventure.

Steve Jerman (L) and Me (R)

We've both shared in our duties and in my opinion made a positive impact on the Mather Campground.  It's funny most people in the campground get us confused.  I've been called Steve and visa versa.  We are "brothers from a different mother" as the saying goes.  I look forward to our continued friendship.

Things at the campground should be slowing down in September, but we've been busy every day.  We've sold out nearly every day with a few exceptions.  The weather has been perfect and people seem to be thoroughly enjoying the campground.  The Ranger staff has asked both Steve and I if we'd stay through October, but both of us can't wait to get back home.  I've recommended my good friend, hiking and cycling buddy Jerry Neely if he'd be interested in spending October at the rim.  He agreed and it looks like he'll be taking over the reigns at the end of the month.

Grandview Trail Hike - This week I hiked the Grandview Trail.  This trail was developed in the early 1900's to provide access to the Last Chance copper mine.  The trail takes you down quickly to the Horseshoe Mesa where the mining operations were conducted.  The Last Chance mine didn't pan out (no pun intended).  There was copper discovered, but the cost and difficulty of getting the ore out of the canyon was too, too difficult and was abandoned.  The owner of the mine built the Grandview Hotel once abandoning the mine.  The hotel is no longer there, but remnants can still be seen.  Timbers from the hotel were used by Mary Colter in the building of the Desert View tower.

Timber Structure Make the Trail

I've been wanting to do this trail for some time and figured this break was as good a time as any.  I'll admit that hiking it by myself isn't something I recommend, but I gave plenty of people my itinerary and was confident I could make it.

The trail starts at the Grandview overlook and descends rapidly down the side of the canyon.  Much of the trail is narrow and rocky.  The switchbacks are steep and instead of steps most are inlaid with rocks from the canyon.  Looking back I could see where they had built the trail with pine timbers.  It didn't give me any confidence in the trail, but I continued on. 

Inlaid Rock on the Switchbacks

On the Edge

 The views were just as I thought and made it all worthwhile.  Much of the trail was right on the edge of the canyon.  I'll have to admit I have had a fear of heights from childhood.  I think it was from my falls climbing in the garage in Atwater, CA.  This made the hike a little challenging as I had to face my fears.  As I made it down to the beginning of the mesa the trail leveled out, but it didn't make it any easier.  At three different points the trail was washed out by rock slides.  The trail disappeared under the rocks, but emerged on the other side.  This made it more interesting, but a little dangerous as any slip climbing over the rocks could be interesting.

I made it down around 11:00AM just in time to have lunch (Raman noodles).  I found a nice Juniper tree and settled in to cooking lunch.  The Raman noodles hit the spot along with a piece of fruit and a Cliff bar.  Just as I finished lunch I saw three hikers approaching.  We exchanged hellos and they continued on around the mesa.  I noticed rain on the south rim and thought it a  good idea to start back up.

Rain and Canyon Colors

The rain brings out the colors of the canyon and it was beautiful on the way up.  As I gained elevation the temperatures started to drop into the 60's.  I met another group of backpackers heading down to camp on the mesa.  We made way for each other, said hello and were on our way.  I began to get soaking wet from the rain and perspiration.  Every time I'd stop for a break I'd get chilled.  I hadn't brought a fleece or other layers and so the only alternative was to continue up the trail. Hiking kept me warm and warded off any hypothermia.  I made it back up to the top of the trail at 3:15PM.  The sun broke out and it was nice just to stand in the warm sun for a few minutes.

Thanking Someone Special - I want to take the time to thank someone very special and dear to me for letting me enjoy this adventure.  This past July 31st Billie and I celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary.  She joined me here at the canyon for our celebration, but much of her time has been holding down the fort back in Gilbert at our home.  She has unselfishly let me spend three months up here fulfilling something I've wanted to do for a long time.  I know her time at home hasn't been as much fun as I've had.  She's had to take care of things at home I'd usually be doing, making certain the bills are paid, and caring for the grand kids in her second job as grandmother.  She was there when we had the Gilbert flooding (5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period) watching the parks flood, sending my text updates, and worrying if it would make it our way.  To say the least, she has been great and I love her very much.  I know this isn't enough, but THANK YOU!  I LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Well it's time to close for now, but I'll post a final wrap up soon.  

Biking, Hiking, Rain and Much More

View from Shoshone Point

Well, what to say?  It's been 2 months into this adventure and things are coming to end in a few weeks. I have to apologize for not posting anything sooner, but internet access here is poor to say the least and I have to go to the General Store to access the wifi hotspot.

Biking and Hiking

This month I had a visit from my good friend Jerry Neely.  He was on a cycling trip through Canada and had a planned stop at the North Rim.  He made a stop by the South Rim staying at the Ten X campground in Tusayan.  We were able to meet up and spend some time together biking and hiking.  I had obtained a backcountry permit to hike down the Bright Angel trail and spend two nights at the Indian Garden campground.  We were able to spend the time on some day hikes out to Plateau Point and the Tonto East trails.  We also enjoyed steaks at Jerry's campsite at Ten X and Sloppy Joe's and BBQ beans later at my campsite.  Not to mention several beers!

Jerry After Cycling to Yaki Point

Biking After the Rain - The day before we hiked down to Indian Garden, we took a short bike ride out to the South Kaibab trailhead and the Yaki Point overlook.  It had been raining the day and night before and that provided some really spectacular views of the canyon with the clouds looming about.

Hiking to Indian Garden - The following day we hiked down to Indian Garden.  It was a nice day for hiking as the rains had cooled things off and the trail was in great shape.  On the trail I ran into Kim one of the Preventive Search and Rescue (PSAR) volunteers I had met at the campground.  We talked for a few minutes and then I was on my way.  Just down the trail I ran into Mr. Horney Toad.  He was sitting on the trail enjoying the damp, cool dirt.

Mr. Horney Toad

After a 6 mile hike from my campsite, we arrived at Indian Garden around 2:30PM and set up camp.  We met Jeff the backcountry ranger and had a nice conversation.  We told him we were going on a day hike on the Tonto trail and he recommended hiking the Tonto East out to Pipe Springs.  We also talked about going out to see the sunset at Plateau Point and he said he see us out there.

  

Cactus on the Plateau Hike

Sunset at Plateau Point - After dinner and rest, we pulled together our headlamps and water and headed out to Plateau Point.  The hike out was enjoyable and we were able to see the colors changing as the sun started down.  The views along the trail out to Plateau Point were pretty and its hard to describe the colors as the sun starts down.  Hopefully these pictures give you some idea of the beauty.

Colors on the Canyon Looking East

The look to the east had the sun reflecting off the canyon walls and provided bright red and red-orange colors along with the green of the plateau.  Again its hard to describe.  You just have to be there to get the full affect.

Jerry and I found a spot on the rock out cropping of the point and sat watching the sunset.  We both found ourselves playing with various settings on our cameras trying to capture the best pictures.  To say the least it was a blast and the views from the plateau of the sun setting to the west was spectacular.

Sunset from Plateau Point

The hike back to the campsite was in the dark.  We had our headlamps on and found it pretty easy.  The plateau trail is pretty flat and with the exception of the various rocks is an easy trail.  On the way back we say 2 lights bouncing along the trail.  At first we thought it was flashlights from approaching hikers, but it was to perfect.  Next thing we knew we were face to face with two deer moving along the trail.  It was, to say the least, pretty neat!

Tonto East Trailhead

Upon arriving at the camp we sat down and enjoyed our six pack of beer we had brought with us in our packs.  We split it 3 beers a piece and packed it in lunch pouches with blue ice.  It wasn't ice cold, but it beat the alternatives.

Tonto East Day Hike - The next day we slept in till about 7:30AM.  After enjoying a good breakfast we packed up for a day hike out the Tonto East trail to Pipe Springs.  The hike out to the spring head was about 3.5 miles along the plateau region of the canyon.  Temperatures were about 105 F.  The trail is un-maintained, but in good shape.  

Jerry on the Tonto East

We headed out hiking the trail and enjoying the scenery.  Jerry and I took turns on point.  It was an enjoyable hike out to the springs.

Cooking Raman Noodles

Arriving at the spring we found a group of Cottonwood trees.  The trees provided a nice amount of shade and a great spot to settle in for lunch.  It was a nice little oasis and Jeff, the backcountry ranger, was right on spot.

I had brought some tuna fish and crackers along with nuts and a few Cliff bars.  Jerry opted for the hiker's standard Raman noodles.  We sat and enjoyed lunch, the shade of the Cottonwoods, and each others company.  It was a great way to spend time with a good friend.

Pipe Springs

Upon returning to the top of the canyon, Jerry and I spent one last afternoon together enjoying a few beers and dinner from Wendy's.  

Shoshone Point - After a fews days of work, I took a short 2 mile round-trip hike out to Shoshone Point.  The hike out is along a NPS roadway to the point.  The road is closed to vehicle unless there is a special event at the point.  At the point I walked out to a rock cropping.  I'm afraid of heights and it was pretty spooky for me.  I'm not much for selfies, but had to give it a shot.

Me at Shoshone Point

Back at the Campground - The month of August was the monsoon season for Arizona.  We had off and on again showers.  Some of the rain was pretty heavy and washed out some of the campers.  I ran into a young mother and her kids one afternoon.  She told me her tent was flooded and she was pretty down and out.  I helped her get the water out of her tent and helped put the tent up with the rain fly.  She was pretty down and said that this was going to be the worst vacation ever because of the rain.  I told her of when I was a kid and we were camping in Canada.  It rained and the wind blew so hard that Dad had to pull the front wheel of the Chevy Carryall onto the tent to keep it from blowing away.  Everything we had was wet, but for me that's a memory I have and it was the best vacation ever.  I ran into to her a few days later and she thanked me for the help and told me her kids had a blast.  She said it was a great vacation.

I called my Mom a few days after this and told her the story.  She and I laughed remembering that wet and windy camping trip to Canada.  Later, I was reading my sister, Deborah Reeves, blog and she mentioned that same trip and her memories.  It was ironic how we both shared those memories at nearly the same time.

First Month Completed, Visitors, and Adventures

This past Wednesday I completed my first month of volunteer service at the Grand Canyon National Park Mather campground.  I have logged 144 hours as a volunteer.  It's been fun.  I've had visitors. And I've had some fun adventures.

My Little Visitors - Last week I was visited by Billie and our two grandsons, Elliot and Ian.  The boys had a great time thanks to Billie.  They played at the campground, saw some Elk, and visited the south rim.  Billie also took them to the iMax theater in Tusayan to see the movie about the Grand Canyon

Ian and Elliot

history.  They both enjoyed it and picked out stuffed animals to take home.

It was fun having them out and they both had a blast.  We made a fire one evening and they roasted marshmallows and made S'mores.

Billie came out this week and we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary.  I made reservations at the El Tovar lodge dinning room and we had a very nice dinner.  After dinner we enjoyed a walk to the rim to see the sunset.  It was a great evening.  I'm very fortunate to have her in my life.

Adventures -  I adventured out this past week with some of the Rangers to the Grand Falls on the Little Colorado river.  The falls are located northeast of Flagstaff in the Navajo Nation.  We drove out on Navajo 70 for about 9 miles to the Little Colorado River.  There's a concrete damn bridge that you can drive across when weather permits.  We drove to the other side, but with monsoon storms in the distance decided to cross back to the safe side.

Grand Falls

At 185 feet tall it is taller than Niagara Falls.  During heavy monsoon rains and spring snow melts the falls runs with heavy dark chocolate colored waters.

The falls were formed from the Merriam Crater.  Lava flowed from the crater creating the falls and the Little Colorado river rerouted over the falls.  It was really spectacular to see even though the river wasn't flowing at a heavy pace.

With monsoon rain clouds in the distance we thought it was best to start heading back.  The road is a dirt road accessible by 4 wheel drive.  If you were out there in a heavy rain it could get pretty dicey.

This Thursday I visited the backcountry office to see about getting a permit for a trip down to Indian Gardens with my friend Jerry.  Jerry is coming out after his cycling trip the second week of August.  I was concerned that there wouldn't be any permits, but the Ranger was able to get us 2 nights at Indian Gardens campground on the 14th and 15th of August.  We plan on hiking out on the Tonto east and Tonto west trails to check out what we can find.  We'll plan one day hike out to Plateau Point.  Photos will come in the blog entry.

WH Chocolates

White House Visitor - Earlier this week the lead Ranger received a call that a White House staffer was coming in and needed a campsite.  She was able to reserve him a site. Around 7:30 he arrived and I greeted him as I do all of the incoming guests.  We talked for a few minutes and he checked in to his site and was off.  The next morning he stopped by the kiosk and gave me a White House box of chocolates.  He thanked me for my help and we shook hands.  He hopped in his car and was off.  Now what to do with the chocolates??

"Wild Life" in the Canyon

"Do nothing to smear its grandeur... Keep it for your children.  Your children's children and all who come after you.  As the one great sight which every American should see."  -Theodore Roosevelt

"Wild Life" in the Canyon is this week's theme for my last few weeks at the Grand Canyon, both in and around the south rim, and Mather campground.  Nothing to "wild" happens in the campground, but there are some funny and rewarding things that go on.  There is also an abundance of wildlife such as squirrels, elk, and of course the ravens to see.

I took the 3 day break I had this week and enjoyed bike rides out to Hermit's Rest and the South Kaibab trail head.  I also hiked down to the 3 mile rest house on the Bright Angel trail to have lunch and celebrate (albeit late) the one year anniversary of the backpack trip my sister, Deborah Reeves, and I shared a year ago June 2013.  The above picture is where I stopped, had lunch, rested, and talked with other hikers.  The view was the same when Deborah and I stopped at this same place.  We are one of the 1 percenters when it comes to the Grand Canyon.  Of the 4.5 million visitors each year only a lucky 1 percent actually backpack down and camp at the bottom of the canyon at the Bright Angel campground.  We shared that experience and can claim that title.

On the way back up the trail, I ran across this little critter.  It's hard to see as the squirrel is naturally hidden in the thorny berry bush.  The squirrel was munching away on berries and could care less about me.  In some way it's a little worrisome as to how the creatures in the canyon have become so accustom to humans.  But at the same time it provides a neat opportunity for visitors to see the animals up close and personal.

The next morning I was surprised when I opened the door heading out to do my rounds.  Mr. Elk was out in the campsite next to me taking a probably well deserved rest.  This time of year the bull elk have new antlers covered in velvet.  They spend most of the day eating and trying to rub off the velvet using trees and small bushes.  The cow elk are with the young calves and can be seen around the park.  These are big animals weighing up to 800 lbs.

The following day I took a trip out to the Desert View area to meet the campground host.  I ran into Bill as I was driving into the campground.  Visually Bill has the look of Santa Claus with his big grey beard, round mid-section and cheeks.  Desert View has a small campground of 50 sites and you can see Bill takes pride in it.  It's located on the very eastern edge of the park with views of the Grand Canyon and Colorado river carving to the west.  Navajo and Hopi lands are to the east along with the Painted Desert.  

The jewel of Desert View is the tower.  The tower was built in the 1930's by architect Mary Colter for the Fred Harvey company.  Just an FYI, Mary Colter designed many building and structures around the Grand Canyon National Park to include the small structure with the hugh fireplace at Hermit's Rest and the cottages at Phantom Ranch.  She can be seen throughout the park.

Inside and painted on the tower walls are some beautiful, southwest Hopi Indian art.  This area is known as the Kiva room and you can see logs that were brought from Mesa Verde and the old Grandview Motel.  The paintings and murals were painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie and artist Fred Greer.

That evening I stopped at the Grandview overlook to watch the sunset.  This overlook is where the trailhead to the old Last Chance copper mine is located.  After the mine was closed (to difficult and expensive to move the copper ore from the canyon) the claim owners built the Grandview Motel.  I didn't see any remains of the motel, but the old Grandview trail still exists.  You can hike and camp down on Mule Mesa.  It's only 3 miles straight down (a 3,000 foot drop in elevation).  

The sunset from Grandview was great.  From this vantage point you are east looking west into the canyon.  As the sun started down the eastern walls of the canyon turned red and purple.  It's hard to capture this with my Lumix camera.  You'll just have to come out and see it for yourself.  About 7:25 the sun started to set.  The day was ending and I headed back to Mather for dinner.

"Wild Life" at Mather - People are funny.  Part of my role as the campground host is to rove through the campground, stopping to say "Hello", and of course keep the park clean for the guests.  I enjoy stopping, talking, and just getting to know the people.  Where the come from, where they are going, answering any questions and providing directions for their daily plans.  

I also have to look for infractions of park rules and ask the guests to correct it.  I like to do this before the law enforcement Rangers have to be involved.  Most people are very glad to take care of things.  They want to keep the park clean and wildlife safe.  BUT, there are always those that do it be-grudgingly.  

The funniest one this week was a gentleman who had run several electrical extension cords from the nearby bathroom.  I received a call on the radio from maintenance and rode down to talk with the camper.  As I turned the corner you could see red extension cords running down the road and into their tent.  I stopped and introduced myself to the man and his family.  I informed him that he couldn't have the extension cords running into his tents from the bath house.  Mather campground doesn't provide electrical to the sites and informed him that he would have to remove them.  I offered to help, but he refused.  He asked what's the difference in plugging his phones into the wall outlets of the bathrooms?  I informed him that if this was allowed we'd have extension cords running all through the park and that wouldn't be pretty, not to mention a hazard to others and wildlife.  He then started in as to how the park was the worst he'd visited and that he wanted to lodge a complaint.  I politely provided directions to the National Park HQ on the park.  I said that the park would love to hear his recommendations.  He then started in saying, "This is America we have lots of money.  This isn't a budget issue, we have lots of money."  I then stated, very politely, "Sir, there is a budget problem.  The government currently has a $17 trillion dollar deficit and this has impacted the park services along with other government agencies."  He looked puzzled and said, "Where did all the money go?  This is America."  I politely recommended he talk to his local politicians about the budget, thanked him and rode off.

I'll close with a good story about people.  Early in the week a European couple stopped at the kiosk and said they had a tent and two sleeping bags they wanted to donate.  It would be to expensive to ship and they didn't want to throw it out.  I took the items and locked them in the shed.  The next day a couple came in for their reserved campsite.  The young man asked me if there was a place to get a tent.  He explained that their tent was stolen a few days ago.  I gave them the tent and sleeping bags and asked that they return it the next day.  The next morning, I checked with the Rangers and they said the young couple had checked out without leaving the tent and sleeping bags.  I rode down to the campsite to see if they had left the items on the table.  I'll admit I was a little disappointed.  The Rangers said I'd never see it again.  I told them I had faith.  A few minutes later the couple rode up and I walked out to greet them.  They thanked me again and again.  They asked for some directions and then rode off.  

My faith in mankind was rewarded!

Arrival Day - Mather Campground

I arrived at Mather Campground on Sunday 6/29/2014.  What a whirl wind month this has been.  I just returned from a 5,541 mile trip out east to visit family and friends.  After that I repacked from my bags to the RV to start my 4 1/2 hour trip up to Grand Canyon National Park.

The drive was typical with my regular stops at the Sunrise and McGuireville rest areas along I-17.  I arrived at the park at 3 PM and found Ranger Carrie Roberts at the Mather  Campground kiosk.  After our greetings, she showed me where my site would be on the Fir loop.  It was easier to enter the site from the Aspen loop.  So after maneuvering through the narrow Fir loop, I pulled into the site and within the hour I had the travel trailer hooked up and watching DirecTV.  I tried out my new tripod for the DirecTV antenna and it worked out very good.  Ranger Carrie had the propane tank on site and had arranged for Titan Gas to be on site today to connect the 50 gallon tank to my trailer’s regulator.  Mike from Titan showed up around 10AM and made the connection.  I’m now fully connected and ready for my 3 month volunteer duties.

This morning, Monday 6/30, I took a nice 5 mile walk down to the lodges and then back on the rim trail.  On the way back I noticed a squirrel on my tire and he then disappeared into the engine compartment.  I opened the truck hood and there he was nosing around.  I left the hood cracked open.  I’ve heard that this will keep these critters from trying to make a home in your engine or worse yet start munching away on wires.  I pondering getting a light to mount inside the engine.  This is another way to keep them out of the engine during the nights.  Ahhh, the great outdoors!  We have to remember we are visitors and the animals live here.

Internet access from the site is very sketchy.  Broadband access isn’t available from the site, but there is 3G/4G available at the lodges and wifi available at the library and park headquarters.  This will make keeping the blog up a challenge.  I’ll have to schedule time each week to check my email, Facebook, and update my blog to ensure I stay connected.

Tomorrow, Tuesday 7/1, is the first day of my volunteer work.  Ranger Carrie has asked that we meet her in the morning around 9AM.  From there we will go over our duties, get our volunteer shirts and hat, and then its off to work.  I’m excited, but at the same time already missing Billie (she stayed in Gilbert - but will be visiting).

Well, I’m off to get my bike set up and inflate the tires.  Maybe I’ll take an evening ride.  

It’s Official - My First Day

This morning, Tuesday 7/1, I met with Ranger Carrie to start my first day of volunteer work.  Steve, the other host, and I walked down to the kiosk to start the day around 9:30AM.  The morning started off with a brief orientation of the duties and a typical day.  We then received a tutorial on how to start and drive the Polaris vehicle from Ranger Heather.  From there we split up.  Steve went off to receive his volunteer shirts and hat, while I went with Ranger Heather to do an inventory of the sites to determine which sites were occupied and which were vacant.  This is used by the Rangers at the registration kiosk to update their database of sites and prepare for the day’s arrivals.

One of the duties as a volunteer host is to police the sites that are vacant and clean up any trash that may be left.  They call it micro trash because most is small in nature as people are packing up for their travels.  There are also Ravens that seem to wait and watch the sites for those leaving to enjoy the park.  Once they leave the Ravens move in and shred garbage bags or anything left out.  What a nasty, annoying bird.  In addition, we have to check the sites for things such as clothes lines or hammocks.  These lines and hammocks can’t remain up.  The ropes or hammocks create a hazard for the elk that move through the park.  If possible we will remove them.  We also leave a note for the campers reminding them of these rules.  

This afternoon I made my first rounds and completed everything in short time.  I met Ranger Mary later in the day and did a final ride through of the campground.  This evening I’ll be helping out at the kiosk with the final rush of campers arriving on site. 

Evening Rounds 

Well, this evening was an eventful evening.  The national forests are under a fire ban.  This means that no open flames or fires are allowed on the park.  Upon arriving at the kiosk, Ranger Mary informed me that there were two reports of fires in the campground.  Park Police arrived and together we went to the reported sites.  One site had started a fire in the fire pit and the police handled that incident.  I told the officers that I’d ride down and check on the other report.  I arrived at the site to find that the folks were enjoying a bottle of wine and had some candles going to add to the moment.  I informed them of the ban and they were very nice and put out the candles.  I reported back to the police and that concluded that.

Arriving back at the kiosk Mary was preparing to close up for the day.  After closing we had a couple come up and report that there tent was missing from their site.  They said it had been stolen.  We confirmed their site in the reservation system and asked the normal questions; Are you sure you went to the right site?  Are you certain that the tent is missing?  After this questioning they called the Park Police and we handed the incident over to them.  

UPDATE:  The police found the tent!  When they returned to the site to complete the investigation, they found it.  The couple was at the wrong site.

One day down and 89 to go.

Grand Canyon NP - I AM READY!

Mather Campground - GCNP Arizona May 2014

May 12, 2014 - This past week is/was, what's turning out to be an annual event.  My trip to the Grand Canyon with Jerry and Ken.  We planned on riding our bikes around the park, a 3 day hike to Bright Angel campground, and enjoying each others company for a few days.  I also wanted to take this opportunity to visit with Ranger Dorothy Utech and the on-duty hosts in preparation for my volunteer work starting the July.  

Jerry and Ken enjoyed last night in Williams, AZ.  I traveled up Sunday and met them at the Trailer Village campground next to the Mather campground.  After disconnecting and a quick set-up, we were off to the Backcountry Office to get our lottery number for a backcountry permit to hike the Bright Angel trail.  We were very lucky and had number 6.  We decided then that we would go to have  pizza and beer at the Maswik Lodge.  We had our normal greetings, catching up on each other, along with enjoying pizza and beer.  They make a great pizza at the Maswik Lodge.

On Monday (May 5, 2014) we were up early and headed out at 7:30AM to the Backcountry Office for the backcountry permit lottery drawing at 8:00AM.  We arrived and along with a few other early birds waited for the doors to open.  At 8:00AM the Ranger raised the US flag and the lottery began shortly after eight.  We were drawn very quickly due to no-shows and had our backcountry permit in hand for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  We headed back to our RVs to map out the days adventures.  I attempted to meet with Ranger Utech, but the line of incoming visitors at the Mather campground kiosk was piling up and she was running the window by herself.  I left her a message and we made the final plans for a bike ride to Yaki Point and Hermit's Rest.  

We had a great ride out to Yaki Point.  We circled around and headed out to the Bright Angel Trailhead and the road to Hermit's Rest.  The first hill to climb was a real challenge for me and at approximately 6,900 feet elevation it took every breath I had, and many gasp for oxygen, to make it to the top.  From there I became somewhat adjusted to the added 6,000 feet in elevation to that of Gilbert, AZ.  The ride was a blast and we enjoyed an ice cream bar at the Hermit's Rest food and drink window.  We completed 25 miles (give or take a 1/2 mile from the 3 Garmin bike computers between us).

Tuesday (May 6, 2014) we loaded our packs in the truck at 7:30AM and headed to the parking lot D at the Backcountry Office.  After parking, we unloaded our packs, adjusted our trekking poles, and finally climbed into our packs for the 9.5 mile hike down the Bright Angel trail to the Bright Angel campground and Phantom Ranch on Bright Angel creek at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Campground

The hike was a blast despite the windy conditions.  We spent the fist night at the Bright Angel campground near Phantom Ranch.  We had a nice large site by the canyon wall.  The wind was very gusty and made putting up the tents a challenge.  But with a few rocks and some work, the camp site was up.

Jerry and I hiked out to Plateau Point on the second day and the views were spectacular.  We spent the night at the Indian Garden campground and on Thursday morning we hiked out of the canyon to more pizza and beer putting 23 miles behind us.

Friday (May 9, 2014) was pretty much a day to relax and recuperate.  I spent the morning relaxing and around 1:30PM, I walked up to Mather Campground to meet the campground hosts on duty and Ranger Utech.  Ranger Utech wasn't available, but I was able to meet with the two current hosts on duty.  Both were very helpful and I was able to see the host site in the Fir Loop.  This allowed me to understand where I'll be living for 3 months along with the electrical, water, and sewage hook-ups.

Saturday (May 10, 2014) we had dinner at the Yavapai Canyon Cafe and walking back to the campground we said our good-byes to Ken.  He planned on leaving at 6:00AM and I planned on leaving at 9:00AM.  Jerry was moving to the Ten-X campground south of Tusyan to meet his wife, sister-in-law, and nephew for a few days at GCNP.

Sunday (May 11, 2014) I awoke to snow flurries and temperatures in the low 30's.  Ken had already departed, but not before the snow started falling.  By 8:00AM there was a dusting of snow on the ground and it was starting to come down pretty heavily.  I prepared everything to leave and had a last cup of coffee with Jerry.  This also gave me an attempt to warm up before leaving.  After coffee, I took off and was home back in Gilbert, AZ by 3:00PM.

I'm prepared to arrive on July 1, 2014 to start my volunteer job as campground host at Mather Campground.  I have the host's campsites figured out and even have my library card at the CGNP Community Library.  

I AM READY!  

Giving Back - Time to Volunteer

As a child I was fortunate to have parents that introduced me and my siblings to the National Parks.  As an adult I introduced my wife and children to the National Parks.  Over time we've enjoyed many of the parks camping and recently I've started back enjoying hiking and backpacking in the Grand Canyon National Park.

Back in 2013 I retired from full-time work (well actually any work).  I have always thought it would be fun to volunteer at one of the parks.  Now it's time to give back to the National Parks that I've enjoyed throughout my life as a child and now an adult.  This past spring I put in an application to volunteer as a campground host at the Mather Campground on the south rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.  To my amazement, I was selected and will begin my 3 months of volunteer work in July.

I'm looking forward to this adventure and will be moving my RV (26 foot travel trailer) up to the south rim this June after returning from a family reunion.  I start my volunteer work the 1st of July and will serve 3 months through the end of September.  The volunteer agreement requires 4 days of work each week.  As I accumulate hours, I can log these and once completing 240 hours of volunteer work will be awarded a volunteer annual park pass.

I plan to use my 3 days of personal time each week exploring the canyon, witnessing sunsets and sunrises, hiking, and hope to do a few overnight backpack trips.  As I work and explore the canyon, I'll post my adventures on my blog for everyone to read and hopefully enjoy.