Life Notes in the Margin

We spent an interesting two nights at the campground. We saw a ring tail cat, skunk, many deer and a scorpion that visited the ranger talk. The park rangers were excellent, very friendly and helpful. The second night's presentation about bats was entertaining. We saw many of those each night and were more relaxed after the ranger said the "bats in the hair" thing is a myth. We headed for the south rim on Tuesday morning about 830 am. 9.5 miles to go and about 5,000 feet uphill. Goodbye mighty Colorado. Devil's Switchback behind us. Ouch! The worst is yet to come. Most of the last 3 miles was like this. Steep vertical switchbacks that just burn the lungs and the legs. My shoulders were killing me at this point and we still have 3 miles to go. We walked right behind these bighorn sheep. Finally, victory! 9.5 miles, 5,000 vertical feet in 4.5 hours of walking time, 5.5 hours with rests. The ranger thought it would take us about 6 hours with rests. Some people...

As you exit The Box, you enter desert terrain. It was in the 80's at the canyon floor which is very similar the climate in Phoenix. On the way to Ribbon Fall, we passed through this jungle. I believe these are Tamarisk plants. This is a non-native plant species that is choking the tributaries of the Colorado. The Park Service must come in with manual labor and remove these plants every year. This is man's influence on the canyon. Read more about this issue at the NPS website . But the heat and distance were worth it. Here are some pics from Ribbon Fall which cascades from about 500 feet above.

We started our day hike from Bright Angel campground, headed to Ribbon Fall about 7 miles north. These are the cabin rentals at Phantom Ranch, not far from our campground. Fairly deluxe. $100 per night. These are some amazing shots from a narrow canyon called "The Box." This was my favorite part of the entire trip. The canyon walls are about 2,500 feet above the creek at some points. Fantastic beauty! We walked along the creek for about 3 miles in this kind of scenery.

Getting ready to step off! 6.5 miles to the bottom from this point at the South Kaibab trailhead. We packed only what we needed, carried the latest lightweight backpacking gear but these packs are still full! The weather was beautiful. High in the 60's at the rim. I think this is the mule train hauling the waste from the composting toilets along the trail. After 3 years of stewing, it's pretty ripe. Or maybe that's just the way mules smell. Continuing along Cedar Ridge (O'Neill Butte in the background) we ran into one of several mule trains carrying those who don't carry themselves or their gear to the bottom. A lot of dust and fluorescent green land mines. What are they feeding these mules? Rest stop #1 (Cedar Ridge). About 1.5 miles into the descent at this point. Lots of day hikers go down this far. We got the rock star treatment from the kids who asked "are you going to stay overnight at the bottom?" The adults didn't care. Rest stop #2, ...

We discovered some things that will make the trip better and found out the stove solution had the wrong gas supply. I'm glad we found out during this test rather than at the bottom of the canyon. It's an easy fix. The weather was warm with a low in the 60's which made for great sleeping and an awesome time by the campfire. The fire is a luxury we won't have in the canyon since no fires are permitted below the rim. Here's a tip. Always check under things (i.e. picnic tables, fire rings, big rocks, etc.) before moving or using them. E was getting annoyed at our dog's scratching around by her legs under the picnic table. We soon found out the reason why. A large black tarantula had made its home under that table and we disturbed its space. It was trying to hide under the shovel to get away from the dog. It slowly moved into the desert. E and M were troopers though, they volunteered to stay the rest of the night. Such is life in the desert. That was the...

We'll be camping at Cave Creek Recreation Area on Friday, Oct 26. This will be a chance to make sure all of our backpacking gear is complete and serviceable. It will be better to find out if your missing a tent stake here than get to the Grand Canyon and have an equipment issue. For the link to the park map and info click HERE . I'll be out there in the early afternoon to get a spot. If you think you are coming, call ahead and I'll direct you to the camp site. We'll do dinner over the fire and breakfast in the morning before heading home. There will not be a hike on this day. The fee for camping is $20 per night per campsite.

This has become my favorite hike in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. It is the most remote feeling trail as you trek up trail 8B from the crest of Granite Ridge. We packed from the parking lot (sorry for anyone that showed up at the SW corner! Although you could park there, the city lot is actually at the NE corner of that intersection. File all complaints with the city parks and rec mapping service.) to the saddle of Granite Ridge and then over to 8B and down to the Phoenix Mountains parking lot (busy busy with all the day hikers going to the top of Piestewa Peak. It was a little windy but worth the effort. This was a challenging hike because of the elevation gain. About 1.2 miles to the saddle and probably about 1,000 feet elevation gain. when you go over to 8B you descend to the other parking lot and then have to climb to the saddle on the way back. I'll definitely do this one again. I think the rest of the group has dropped out. It's been the two of us on the last ...

Sunday October 21, 2007 630 a.m. Meet at the trailhead parking at the SW corner of Lincoln and 32nd St. The trail is not listed on the map description (it's on the map) but we looked down at the trail last week and it's a serious 1 to 2 mile climb. Depending on how we feel we might hike over 8B to 302. Suggested pack weight is 20lbs. This is the second to last training hike.

A short hike on a beautiful day to the junction of 8A and 8B in the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. 5.5 total miles and a handful of Captain Crunch. Only three weeks til the Grand Canyon backpacking trip! The process of gearing up has been the most challenging. We are finding some great new gear that is very tempting because of its light weight. So we're trading in some of our more ancient hiking gear for less weight and more comfort. Expensive but well worth it and this hobby is one of the few splurges we have. We'll take every advantage to extend our hiking careers.

Sunday, October 14th, 630 a.m.; we'll meet at the trail head at 40th Street and Shea for a hike along trail 8 to trail 302 to 300 which takes us to the top of Squaw Peak. Total distance should be around 7-8 miles. Recommended pack weight is 20 lbs. Bring 3 liters of water and plan for a 3 hour hike. Here's the link to the park map See you there! Mike

For a great packing list go to Backpacking.net For another great packing list go to Utahwild.com For backpacking gear rental in Scottsdale go to lowergear.com Don't wait too long to get your stuff together. I'm finding it is a big job to buy gear and figure out what should go in the pack.

What a great day for hike! The starting temp was in the 60's and plenty of parking at the trailhead. We did 4 miles out and back and another 1.3 around the base of the peak and parking area. The backside of the trail appears to be similar to the elevation gain we'll be seeing on the last three miles of the canyon hike on Bright Angel trail. It was a small group of 2 but well worth the time and effort to get it done. Pack weight was about 30lbs for me.

We'll meet at the trail head for Pinacle Peak at 630 am on Sunday, Oct 7. The recommended pack weight for this hike is 10 lbs and bring at least 3 liters of water. The total distance out and back on the trail is 3.5 miles. We'll add 2.5 miles by adding 1.25 miles on the west end through the neighborhoods before we turn back and hike through the park again. Link to the Pinnacle Peak park website Link to directions and the trail map The description from the City of Scottsdale Parks: About... The Sierra Club rates the 150-acre Pinnacle Peak as a moderate hike with an elevation gain of approximately 1,300 feet. The trail has a very smooth tread with a number of ups and downs over the course of the 1.75 mile trail (one way). It is not a loop trail so you come back over the same trail. High point on the trail is 2,889', the lowest point is 2,366', and the elevation at the trailhead is 2,570'. Hiking, horseback riding and rock climbing will take you to spectacular ...

We joined AOTC on an 8 mile hike along the Cabin Loop trail, a relatively flat hike. The fog was heavy in the morning which obscured the fantastic views from the rim. It was a 12 mile drive on gravel roads to the trailhead. 4 wheel drive high clearance required for the last 1/4 mile. We had to don rain gear for the first hour or so. There were multiple water crossings and I got a soaker on the first crossing; better to get it over with early. The total time was 4 hours including lunch and breaks along the way. Pack weight was light. Maybe 10-15 pounds all-in.

6 a.m. was the perfect time to start. The temp was in the low 80's and the sun wasn't even over the horizon yet. The five-mile plan turned into a 6.3 mile trek as we added on some of trail 100 to our initial plan. The avg walking speed was 3.0/mph not including rest stops. With fully loaded packs our goal is 2.5mph. This was a great time. Stay tuned for the time and date for hike #2.

Sunday, Sep 16, 6am, North Mountain Preserve at the end of 40 th Street south of Shea blvd (9200 N. 40 th Street). We’ll go about 5 miles total. I recommend at least an empty pack with water bottles. We'll try for 5 miles. The map can be found at http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/hikphgud.html

We'll use this as a white board for the hike to the Grand Canyon in November. Tips, feedback, planning, calendars, trip diary, pics etc. will be posted here as a central source of information. Hiking the Grand Canyon is a "life list" type of achievement. I lived in Alaska for four years and still, to this day, regret not doing more outdoors stuff (we did a lot, but there was so much more we could have done.). I don't want to take that chance in Arizona. So, I'm very committed to making this hike this year. Who knows when I'll get another chance? There isn't always a tomorrow in this world.

We had a great time. The smiles tell it all. We look forward to our next cruise. It's a good vacation when you wake up in your own bed the first night back, in the middle of the night, and don't immediately know where you are! We left the ordinary world behind for 12 days.

Sailing into Bermuda. A lot of history here. A little help from Powerful the tug. West End, a historic part of Bermuda. This is a British territory so they drive on the opposite side of the road. More British influence. The steering wheel is on the right side of the car. On-board the Aristo-cat heading to the snorkel site about 1 mile offshore. Captain Jack at the helm with first mate Nickie. As we approach the snorkel site, snorkel master Jackie gives a safety briefing. Later, she'll be serving rum swizzels for the return trip. They learned to serve these drinks after snorkeling, not before! Nice hats!

The sailing days were the most relaxing of all. The port calls were very rushed. Here are some highlights of the languid days aboard ship. Eat. Often. Buffet served all day and most of the night. Full service dining in DaVinci and Michelangelo dining rooms. Great wait staff including Ivan (stop abusing your Asian assistant even though he's loud), Giuseppe, and Jon Max form the Philippines (10 contracts, gone 10 months at a time). A tough way to make a living. Everything is personalized. Emma from Mexico was our excellent cabin stewardess. The service on Princess is exceptional. They really give you the VIP treatment. Small details like our name on the phone caller ID screen makes the difference. The welcome packet was very personal. This is effortless effort when it comes to traveling. Leftover dinner I couldn't eat. I wasn't THAT hungry. The captain made an at-sea rescue of a small sailboat captain 300 miles from NYC. There was a 15 foot shark and her baby circling the sai...