Postscript, September 2008
Well, since this trip memoir was written, I have married Natasha (May 2001) and had two beautiful kids, Daniel (2003) and Lauren (2004). I would definitely love to take my family on a Grand Canyon hike someday. With us having kids very soon after getting married, we have not yet traveled as much as I would like. However, we will definitely do more of that as the kids get older. I don’t want my kids to have to wait until their mid 20s to be able to see some of the great stuff I’ve seen.
It was an interesting experience taking Natasha to the Grand Canyon for the first time. When we were dating (about 9 months before we got married), we took a 2-week vacation to Arizona and Colorado in the summer of 2000. We went first to Durango and the Ouray area, then went to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Because my first experience in the Canyon was so moving for me personally, and because I’d seen other folks have such emotional reactions to seeing the Canyon for the first time, I had really hyped up the Grand Canyon to Natasha, and sort of expected her to have a similar emotional experience. One thing I hadn’t considered, though, was that we were coming to the Canyon after already seeing the spectacular mountains of Ouray and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, two places which in some ways are more impressive than the Grand Canyon. Maybe if you want someone to be blown away by the Grand Canyon, you shouldn’t show them Ouray first – Ouray is just freakishly beautiful.
OK, so, no, she didn’t freak out, say “oh my god”, or start crying. I think I over-hyped it a bit and expected it to be as powerful to her as it was to me the first time. But she does agree that the view from that North Rim lodge balcony is one of the best places on Earth to have a margarita! (Also in the running might be the view from the Princeville hotel bar and restaurant in Kauai where we had our honeymoon).
The only really bad part of this trip was ruining those 3-4 rolls of film by double-exposing it at the Grand Canyon and at Emigrant Wilderness. I really think there were several professional quality shots on there. I really have not had much opportunity to travel to places that beautiful to do some photography since then, and it may be a while before I get a chance to photograph places that awesome again. I’d really like a do-over on those rolls.
A few other lessons learned from this trip. If I do go back and do the rim-to-rim hike with my family, I probably would not go along with the philosophy of getting up at 4-5am so that your main hiking is complete by, say 10am. I understand the point of beating the heat, but getting up that early--especially when sleeping in a tent on the ground--is brutal. Getting enough sleep and having a relaxing breakfast to fuel up for the tough hiking might be worth trading off for hiking in a little hotter weather (finishing by, say, noon or 1pm instead of by 1030 or 11am). I know Natasha and my daughter Lauren are NOT morning persons, so I think they’d probably agree with me there. Probably the best bet is to plan the hike in the Spring or Fall when temperatures are cooler.
A headlamp would have really come in handy to be able to find things in the dark yet have both hands free. And I should definitely try to pack lighter. I love the pictures I took, but that tripod was HEAVY. Maybe I can afford some ultra light carbon fiber tripod for the next trip!
Since writing this memoir, Steve and Kim have adopted two kids, Taylor ( a girl) and Ryan (boy). Also, Robert and Linda had their first child a couple of years ago, Katherine Giles Canaan (it could be debated that Katie was their 2nd child – with their first child being their golden retriever, Trooper!) Now that we all have kids, I really look forward to maybe going on a great hiking trip sometime with both of their families, along with mine.
The adventure continues…
Showing posts with label Emigrant Wilderness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emigrant Wilderness. Show all posts
Saturday, August 30, 2008
1998 Grand Canyon, California Trip, part 10
Parting Thoughts / Lessons Learned
Photographically speaking, there may be more good landscape/nature pictures to be had at the Emigrant Wilderness than at the Grand Canyon. However, just being able to say that you hiked rim-to-rim has a nice, manly sound to it. It’s just very hard to capture the majesty of the Grand Canyon photographically. Human eyes can see far more contrast and depth than you can get from a picture. I have seen great pictures of the Canyon but was only moderately impressed. You definitely need to go see it in person. Maybe you’ll even cry and say “oh my god” like some folks I saw. OK, maybe you won’t cry, but you’ll definitely be impressed.
If you don’t like crowds, go to the North Rim. It’s closed in winter and it takes 3-4 hours longer to get to from Phoenix or Flagstaff than the South Rim. This extra travel time required really thins the herds. Plus, it’s 1000 feet higher than the South Rim, which makes it cooler in the summer. Also, the view from the North Rim Lodge bar while you’re having a beer or margarita is one of the best in the world. But, you also need to see Plateau Point, which is much easier to hike to from the South Rim.
You can hike down the Bright Angel Trail to the Indian Garden campground, then out to Plateau Point and back out in a long day hike (12 miles round trip, 3000+ feet of elevation change), but it’s tough, and it takes twice as long to hike out as it does to hike in. Allow 10-12 hours, and bring plenty of water and food. If you’re doing a long hike, Gatorade / drink mix powders to mix in your water bottle can help prevent “water intoxication”. Heed all heat precautions...it gets very hot in the Canyon interior, even though it may be cool on the Rim. The advantage of backpack camping or staying down at Phantom Ranch is that you can hike at a much more leisurely pace, knowing you have a place to stay in the Canyon. But you have to plan and get reservations for Phantom Ranch and campgrounds pretty far in advance. If you stay at Phantom Ranch, be sure to pick up a Phantom Ranch t-shirt, which they only sell down there (can’t get ‘em in the rim gift shops).
If you want to go to Plateau Point and Phantom Ranch but don’t want to hike, you can take a mule ride. However, this really doesn’t appeal to me personally. I don’t like being stuck with a large tour group. Also, there are some pretty hairy spots along some points of the trail where there are some steep cliffs and drop-offs. I think I’d rather be standing on my own two feet rather than sitting 6 feet up on a swaying mule next to a cliff edge. Remember, the mules walk CLOSER to the edge of the cliff when passing other hikers.
So go there. Hike. You can definitely get away from quite a bit of the crowds by hiking, esp. at the South Rim. Be blown away by the view. Take some awesome photographs, but don’t put your film back in the camera after you’ve already exposed it once. Take water (and drink mix). Don’t feed the animals ... they’ll find your food and take it from your pack without your help. A headlamp is useful. A walking stick is useful. Earn the T-shirt. Get out of the mules’ way. Don’t fall in. The Grand Canyon most certainly does not suck.
Photographically speaking, there may be more good landscape/nature pictures to be had at the Emigrant Wilderness than at the Grand Canyon. However, just being able to say that you hiked rim-to-rim has a nice, manly sound to it. It’s just very hard to capture the majesty of the Grand Canyon photographically. Human eyes can see far more contrast and depth than you can get from a picture. I have seen great pictures of the Canyon but was only moderately impressed. You definitely need to go see it in person. Maybe you’ll even cry and say “oh my god” like some folks I saw. OK, maybe you won’t cry, but you’ll definitely be impressed.
If you don’t like crowds, go to the North Rim. It’s closed in winter and it takes 3-4 hours longer to get to from Phoenix or Flagstaff than the South Rim. This extra travel time required really thins the herds. Plus, it’s 1000 feet higher than the South Rim, which makes it cooler in the summer. Also, the view from the North Rim Lodge bar while you’re having a beer or margarita is one of the best in the world. But, you also need to see Plateau Point, which is much easier to hike to from the South Rim.
You can hike down the Bright Angel Trail to the Indian Garden campground, then out to Plateau Point and back out in a long day hike (12 miles round trip, 3000+ feet of elevation change), but it’s tough, and it takes twice as long to hike out as it does to hike in. Allow 10-12 hours, and bring plenty of water and food. If you’re doing a long hike, Gatorade / drink mix powders to mix in your water bottle can help prevent “water intoxication”. Heed all heat precautions...it gets very hot in the Canyon interior, even though it may be cool on the Rim. The advantage of backpack camping or staying down at Phantom Ranch is that you can hike at a much more leisurely pace, knowing you have a place to stay in the Canyon. But you have to plan and get reservations for Phantom Ranch and campgrounds pretty far in advance. If you stay at Phantom Ranch, be sure to pick up a Phantom Ranch t-shirt, which they only sell down there (can’t get ‘em in the rim gift shops).
If you want to go to Plateau Point and Phantom Ranch but don’t want to hike, you can take a mule ride. However, this really doesn’t appeal to me personally. I don’t like being stuck with a large tour group. Also, there are some pretty hairy spots along some points of the trail where there are some steep cliffs and drop-offs. I think I’d rather be standing on my own two feet rather than sitting 6 feet up on a swaying mule next to a cliff edge. Remember, the mules walk CLOSER to the edge of the cliff when passing other hikers.
So go there. Hike. You can definitely get away from quite a bit of the crowds by hiking, esp. at the South Rim. Be blown away by the view. Take some awesome photographs, but don’t put your film back in the camera after you’ve already exposed it once. Take water (and drink mix). Don’t feed the animals ... they’ll find your food and take it from your pack without your help. A headlamp is useful. A walking stick is useful. Earn the T-shirt. Get out of the mules’ way. Don’t fall in. The Grand Canyon most certainly does not suck.
Grand Canyon, California Trip, part 9
Sat/Sun 9/5-9/6—California, 60 HR, Emigrant Wilderness
After finding out that Mark McGwire had hit HR #60 to tie Babe Ruth (we later found out it may have been with the help of some steroids in addition to the andro) while I was hiking in the Canyon, I called my friend Robert Canaan Friday night to check in and discuss our hiking plans in California. We had originally planned a car camping / day hike, but he and Linda instead arranged an overnight hike in a place that proved to be well worth the extra effort to hike in a few miles. Since I was very tired from the Canyon hike, I was a little skeptical of doing an overnight hike instead of just an easier day hike, but it turned out to be well worth the effort.
My friends planned a hike in the Emigrant Wilderness, which is on the northern border of Yosemite National Park. I still was pretty tired, stiff, and sore from the Canyon hike, so putting on the heavy backpack again was a struggle. Of course, that was mostly my own doing, because I stubbornly insisted on carrying the 8-lb tripod with me on this hike as well. But that proved to be a good idea, because I would not have gotten some good, long-exposure photos without it. And on this hike, we ended up having some of the best light for landscape pictures I have ever seen.
Emigrant Wilderness is in the Sierra Nevada range, and features small, cool-looking mountains, lots of exposed granite formations (it looks a lot like Enchanted Rock in places, but with more trees and greenery), pretty lakes, very green alpine meadows, and big pine trees. And, fortunately, no bears. There weren’t even that many people there on this Labor Day Weekend. We got rained on for awhile in the afternoon, but it cleared up about 6pm. At one point, the sunset looked like the glow from an ethereal volcano just over the horizon. My friend Steve, after later looking at the pictures I took of it, proclaimed the sunset to be “fake” and that I had “made it up using computer graphics.” This was Steve’s way of saying that it looked pretty cool. We had a good dinner, drank a bottle of Livermore Valley Cabernet, then smoked a Cuban Montecristo, complements of Dr. Klein and of Steve for giving it to us. It was perfectly clear and crisp (about 50 degrees), which is perfect “cigar weather.”
Then the moon came out. Man, I have never seen anything like this moon that night. It seemed much brighter than normal because there were no other city lights to compete with, and it was a very clear evening. Even before the moon rose over the horizon, there was a glow from it that seemed like the sun was about to come up. When it did finally rise, you could see everything clearly. There were distinct shadows, and you probably could have read a book by the moonlight (I should have brought one – didn’t think of that). I took an entire roll of film just of the moon that night, and Steve later mistook one of these moon shots for a sunset!
I slept for awhile in the 4-man tent with Robert and Linda, but because of my bad snoring, I kept waking them up. Then they kept elbowing me to get me to stop snoring, waking me up. I decided that I would volunteer to “break the cycle” before we got too irritated with each other, and I moved my sleeping bag / pad outside on the rocks sometime around 1 or 2am. That actually worked out really well because it was such a nice, clear, cool night. The stars and moon were still really beautiful. We all slept better after that!
I woke up with a bit of dew on me. It felt like it was about mid 40s F, and the moon was getting close to the other horizon. I snapped about 18-20 more pictures of the moon, then Linda and I had a good breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. Robert slept in until about 830am, then he got up and made his breakfast. While he ate and packed up, I climbed up this really cool rock formation that towered 200-300 feet over our campsite. I took lots of pictures of this, but unfortunately, I double-exposed a roll for the SECOND time, so I lost many of these pictures, too. (At least now that I have a digital camera I don’t have to worry about that).
We then packed up camp and headed over to Chewing Gum Lake (so named for its small, 1-3 foot diameter boulders that dot the shore of the lake that appear to be small wads of gum). There we ate trail mix and beef stick (now a staple on all my hikes). I threw a roll of black-and-white film in the camera for the hike out, and was very pleased with several shots, especially of the lake and some large dead trees. If you’re into fishing (which I’m not), this small lake looks to be a great fishing spot, and you would probably be there alone if you went there on a non-holiday weekday.
We drove back to Livermore about 5pm and had a great Mexican dinner. Robert and Linda had to work the next day, but I didn’t, so I had a couple of really good margaritas. When I got home from the trip, Mark McGwire just hit home run #62 and Sammy Sosa matched him shortly thereafter. It was very cool at the time. Of course, we now know that they were on steroids when they did … sigh.
After finding out that Mark McGwire had hit HR #60 to tie Babe Ruth (we later found out it may have been with the help of some steroids in addition to the andro) while I was hiking in the Canyon, I called my friend Robert Canaan Friday night to check in and discuss our hiking plans in California. We had originally planned a car camping / day hike, but he and Linda instead arranged an overnight hike in a place that proved to be well worth the extra effort to hike in a few miles. Since I was very tired from the Canyon hike, I was a little skeptical of doing an overnight hike instead of just an easier day hike, but it turned out to be well worth the effort.
My friends planned a hike in the Emigrant Wilderness, which is on the northern border of Yosemite National Park. I still was pretty tired, stiff, and sore from the Canyon hike, so putting on the heavy backpack again was a struggle. Of course, that was mostly my own doing, because I stubbornly insisted on carrying the 8-lb tripod with me on this hike as well. But that proved to be a good idea, because I would not have gotten some good, long-exposure photos without it. And on this hike, we ended up having some of the best light for landscape pictures I have ever seen.
Emigrant Wilderness is in the Sierra Nevada range, and features small, cool-looking mountains, lots of exposed granite formations (it looks a lot like Enchanted Rock in places, but with more trees and greenery), pretty lakes, very green alpine meadows, and big pine trees. And, fortunately, no bears. There weren’t even that many people there on this Labor Day Weekend. We got rained on for awhile in the afternoon, but it cleared up about 6pm. At one point, the sunset looked like the glow from an ethereal volcano just over the horizon. My friend Steve, after later looking at the pictures I took of it, proclaimed the sunset to be “fake” and that I had “made it up using computer graphics.” This was Steve’s way of saying that it looked pretty cool. We had a good dinner, drank a bottle of Livermore Valley Cabernet, then smoked a Cuban Montecristo, complements of Dr. Klein and of Steve for giving it to us. It was perfectly clear and crisp (about 50 degrees), which is perfect “cigar weather.”
Then the moon came out. Man, I have never seen anything like this moon that night. It seemed much brighter than normal because there were no other city lights to compete with, and it was a very clear evening. Even before the moon rose over the horizon, there was a glow from it that seemed like the sun was about to come up. When it did finally rise, you could see everything clearly. There were distinct shadows, and you probably could have read a book by the moonlight (I should have brought one – didn’t think of that). I took an entire roll of film just of the moon that night, and Steve later mistook one of these moon shots for a sunset!
I slept for awhile in the 4-man tent with Robert and Linda, but because of my bad snoring, I kept waking them up. Then they kept elbowing me to get me to stop snoring, waking me up. I decided that I would volunteer to “break the cycle” before we got too irritated with each other, and I moved my sleeping bag / pad outside on the rocks sometime around 1 or 2am. That actually worked out really well because it was such a nice, clear, cool night. The stars and moon were still really beautiful. We all slept better after that!
I woke up with a bit of dew on me. It felt like it was about mid 40s F, and the moon was getting close to the other horizon. I snapped about 18-20 more pictures of the moon, then Linda and I had a good breakfast of oatmeal and coffee. Robert slept in until about 830am, then he got up and made his breakfast. While he ate and packed up, I climbed up this really cool rock formation that towered 200-300 feet over our campsite. I took lots of pictures of this, but unfortunately, I double-exposed a roll for the SECOND time, so I lost many of these pictures, too. (At least now that I have a digital camera I don’t have to worry about that).
We then packed up camp and headed over to Chewing Gum Lake (so named for its small, 1-3 foot diameter boulders that dot the shore of the lake that appear to be small wads of gum). There we ate trail mix and beef stick (now a staple on all my hikes). I threw a roll of black-and-white film in the camera for the hike out, and was very pleased with several shots, especially of the lake and some large dead trees. If you’re into fishing (which I’m not), this small lake looks to be a great fishing spot, and you would probably be there alone if you went there on a non-holiday weekday.
We drove back to Livermore about 5pm and had a great Mexican dinner. Robert and Linda had to work the next day, but I didn’t, so I had a couple of really good margaritas. When I got home from the trip, Mark McGwire just hit home run #62 and Sammy Sosa matched him shortly thereafter. It was very cool at the time. Of course, we now know that they were on steroids when they did … sigh.
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