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Day 7 - Esplanade to Rim via South Bass Trail

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Saturday, April 20, 2002

I was awakened to what I thought was the sound of rain around 4:00... it turned out to be snow! What?! I got up to pull my boots inside and also to put the rain fly on the tent. I probably didn't need it just for snow but it might have switched to rain and then I would need it. The tent got nice and toasty inside with the rain fly on.

I woke up again around 5:30 to the sounds of others moving about. It was very bright outside and the sky was starting to clear. It did not seem nearly as cold as the night before. A snow squall blew through while we were having breakfast and trying to break camp but it did not last long. The snowflakes were huge. I waited and ate breakfast after I got everything packed up.

We started for the rim at around 7:00 and took only one break along the way, near the base of the Coconino. Mike, Hank and myself were in the lead and Steve was a little behind us. Mike and Hank were usually a little ahead of me as I would constantly drop a little further behind when I would stop to look at stuff or to take photos. The three of us got to the rim around 8:30 and Steve got out around 8:45. It was now a beautiful morning with blue sky and white, puffy clouds, but there were still some small storms blowing through the Canyon. I felt awesome to be back on the rim looking down on it all. I would have to call it a very successful trip.

After taking a group photo on the rim we left the trailhead around 9:00 and headed back to Pasture Wash in Hank's vehicle to pick up Mike's truck. We all got back to the village around 10:30 and there were no Indians at the tollgate... again!

Hank took off for home and Steve had other things he wanted to do, so Mike a I header for the showers at camper services by ourselves. After showers we went into Tusayan for lunch at We Cook Pizza And Pasta and after lunch, around 1:00, Mike dropped my back off at my car. I tried to check-in at the Bright Angel Lodge but the room was not ready and they told me to come back around 4:00.

To kill time I took a drive along the East Rim Drive out to Desert View and listened to the Corrs album along the way. It felt good to have the music back in my life. I met some kids from Phoenix and Flagstaff, a guy and two girls, at Moran Point. I had climbed out along some of the rocks to get some photos and the guy followed me out there. Well, then one of the girls decided that she wanted to go out there as well and I took some photos of her and offered to e-mail them to her, which I did as soon as I got home.

I got back to the village at 4:00, picked up my room key and then headed over to camper services again to do some laundry. After that I went over to Yavapai Lodge for dinner. Ah! Real food again... a guy could get used to this. When I got back to my room I spent most of the evening typing my journal entries into the Pocket PC and went to bed a little after 11:00.


Wintery morning

Anasazi ruin along the South Bass Trail

The Esplanade from the upper portion of the South Bass Trail

South Bass trailhead

Group photo at the trailhead

Colorado River from Moran Point

The Watchtower at Desert View

Ottoman amphitheatre

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