07:30 am - Approaching Palisades Creek

I just finished breakfast. I got up at 4 this morning and started hiking by moonlight. I am very close to Palisades Creek so I got a good head start on the day.

11:30 am - Little Colorado River

I am at the Little Colorado! I took some photos of the Beamer cabin and that is the end of the line. Everything else is just backtracking from here.

I am going to have some lunch, take some more photos and then start back. Camp is about 7 hours away so I know it will be dark when I get there. I will at least get through the rough cliffy part of the trail before dark though.

It is absolutely beautiful here!

There is one raft tied up at the confluence but I have not seen a person.

07:00 pm - Lost in Grand Canyon

Well, I am not really lost, I am on the trail, next to a cairn, but I cannot for the life of me find the actual trail. It is pitch black and this headlamp is useless beyond 20 feet or so. I just cannot pick out a trail. It clouded up after sunset so even the Moon won't help me and it is not due to rise for hours yet anyway. So I guess I stay here until daylight.

I just climbed through a wash and my GPS tells me that it was Comanche Creek. I am less than a mile from camp as the crow raven flies.

I did pretty good until it got dark. I left the Little Colorado at 1 and got back to Palisades at 5:15. I filled up both water bottles to use for dinner tonight and also sucked down another liter. So I have some food and plenty of water and I should be all set. I actually see some stars now so maybe it will clear and the Moon will help me out again.

I am actually quite comfortable as I had extra clothes with me. It is a nice night and all I can hear in the Colorado River off in the distance to the west.

01:30 am - Camp Sweet Camp

The Moon finally came rose and the clouds finally broke and I finally managed to make my way back to camp. I think I left there around midnight and only caught a couple of short catnaps in the 5 hours I was there. Trying to sleep on the ground propped up by a backpack is not the most comfortable sleeping posture. I know some people can sleep anywhere but that's not for me. It started to get a little chilly after 11 and my face was cold so when the clouds finally broke up and the Moon lit everything up I decided enough was enough.

I don't know what those cairns were that I found but there was no trail there. I finally found the real trail much closer down to the river. Those cairns must mark some other route or a long abandoned trail.

It feels so good to be back at camp and hopefully I can get at least a few hours of sleep now.