Last Day at the North Rim :-(

Saturday June 25, 2011
North Rim Grand Canyon
Campsite #20

Today is our last day at the
North Rim of The Grand Canyon
but like Zion, it is a place to which
I will for sure return.

Although between now and then
I have to figure out how to have
a humidifier when I sleep while I’m
boondocking.  I’ve had a lot of trouble
with my nose and throat drying out
completely during the night.
It is SO dry here.
If you have any ideas for how to
increase the humidity while you sleep when you
are boondocking.  Do let me know.

Somehow we fiddled the morning away.
No big breakfast or clean up
But it was a yummy breakfast just the same.
That 2# of strawberries sure went a long way!

On the way to the trail I wanted to get
a couple of pictures to use for the blog
of the Bridle trail
which I had run yesterday.

While I was running the loop around the
campground yesterday I had seen what looked like
a huge army tent

and a cool looking
tall skinny tent that could have been a shower.

I made a note to self to come
back and check the shower out
Looked like a great boondocking
possibility especially with a solar shower bag.

So today, since I was out getting Bridle Trail
pictures and went right by there I stopped in
to inquire.

The owner Mike couldn’t have been more
enthusiastic and friendly.  He has
SOME set up here. 
Not just the shower but
Pretty much ALL the comforts of home.

Here he is standing in front of his
kitchen.

 

Check out just a piece of this kitchen
notice
an ice maker on the right :-)

 

 

They usually bring a microwave but they
don’t generally camp in campgrounds
with generator hours but rather just
in the forest so he can set up the generator at a distance
from the camp and just let it run. 

Mike has a trailer and a jeep
he hauls all this in.

Wish I’d taken more pictures of
this elaborate and complete
set up he had, but I didn’t
want to be intrusive.

Mike and his wife work in on-line
education for the University in
Flagstaff.  So they can pretty much
work in any forest where they can get a
Wifi signal.

Sounds like he could be a full timer
for sure.

One last shot of this young man
whose name I can’t remember but
who wanted me to take his picture
on his bed in the big tent.
Pretty seriously nice beds for tenting!
AND the tent has a flap in the roof
for a woodstove chimney.
Mike likes Winter Camping.

  Thanks Mike for the tour and all the information!

We got out on to the Widforss Trail about 12:15.
The trail is named for a painter who lived and painted at
the Grand Canyon in the 30’s
and produced a large collection of watercolors
prized for their geologic detail.

The trail runs along the bottom (south)
and up the East sides of Transcept
Canyon.  The campground is on the West side
of this side canyon and we walked the
Transcept Trail along that rim the day we arrived.

Although it was billed as a “mostly flat”
trail, the beginning was “mostly UP”

There was an trial guide with
14 numbered stops along the way.
When we got to #6, we found a nice view

and further investigation revealed
a fine outcropping
for having lunch.

I got this shot of David in the shade munching but
we neglected to get Gorillapod to take a shot of us both.

There were fields of lovely ferns along the way

and a few folks heading out for longer
than a day hike

It was quiet and lovely with window
views of the canyon along the way.

And on the top of one rise, trees had “adapted
to the extreme winds and weather

One with a convenient low arm

And of course if you are up on top
then you have to hike down
but look at what we found in the middle
of the trail at the bottom

Yes it was as big as it looks
over 12’ in circumference
by our unofficial measurement.
Our hands are finger tip to finger tip in the back.
So this tree is 10’ 10” plus the distance between
our hands that you see.

Of course I had to sniff it.
Mmmmm those Ponderosa Pines smell great!

And of course back UP we went.
This time to an outcropping.
This rock ledge drops off on both sides.
Straight Down.

I thought I might go out to the end
and take a look.
Then I got on the rock
which was not flat
but rather VERY  bumpy and uneven.
I got just out a few steps
and changed my mind.

So David started out – why?

I issued a caution
a plea
a strong warning.
But when I suggested that some
one who was known for hiking with
their spouse could easily just push
him or her off such a place
and never be suspected.

He changed his mind and came back.  LOL

It really was a scary place.
And especially with the winds
that gust at unexpected moments.

BUT on an adjacent rock
look what David found.
That’s two days in a row.
My second benchmark.
Take a look Good Luck Duck. :-)

 

We got to marker # 14, mid point in this 10 mile hike
and decided we’d go “a little further” just to see
and then turn around.

And that we did.
If we had started out earlier,
we would have done the whole thing
but at this point to have done that
would have put us back after dark.
No sense in an over doers day.

On the way back we took a picture of
the big tree from a distance.  It’s not only
big around but tall.

The hike back was just as lovely

Notice a lot of it is UP too.  :-)

 

The forest is just as serene

Back at the trail head we left the two walking
sticks we’d picked up to use on the hike.
We had used a rock from the trail to sand down
their handles as we went along
and they were ready for another
trip up the Widforss.

One final shot of the meadow leading up
to the trail head.

This was our last day at
The North Rim.
We really wish we had at least another 5 days.
There is a lot to do that we didn’t get to.

I advise that you book your
campsite early and for a week.
You can boondock that long with their
generator hours and the information
we only found out about today.

There is a Wifi cafe of sorts
at the Campground General Store.

This consists of two tables and a couple of
surge protectors so you have the wifi AND
plug in to electric.  Could have charged my
cell phone and my computer for at least an hour
there every day.   Would have been a great spot
to write this blog!

Another lesson learned.
FOR NEXT TIME!!!
Ain’t Life Grand???