Is That What I Think It Is?

On the recommendation of a coworker and my housemate, I decided to do a 5am hike down South Kaibab Trail. I really wanted to hike down Bright Angel, but my housemate told me about increased mountain lion sightings and South Kaibab is the way to go. So at 4:00, I rolled out of bed and instantly froze. You wouldn't think it's so cold here, but in the mornings it sure feels like State College, PA.

My housemate was already up and advised me to drive out and park by the trailhead, but I had no idea where the trail was so I decided to drive to the visitors center and take the shuttle bus. I arrived there, in Jurassic Park as I like to call it, at 4:45. I call it Jurassic Park because the design of it and all the signs are in the same fonts and colors. I half-expected to see a T-Rex out on the distant horizon behind the complex.

The bus didn't roll in until about 5:15. So much for the "hiker's express" bus that supposedly runs through there. By the time the bus rolled up, there were two French tourists, a family of Americans and some picture-taking stragglers waiting with me. To my surprise, the bus was already full of people from the previous two stops.



Once at the trailhead, the real fun started. It took less than five minutes before a tourist (American) went to the side and peed. Really? There were bathrooms at the top! Fifty yards! I thought this whole men-stopping-right-in-font-of-me-to-pee thing was long in my college past. Nope.


(It's not even like it's a wide trail!)

The Canyon was perfect in the early morning to hike, because the trail dips between two outstretched cliffs, providing shade for most of the morning. Even so, dehydration is still a factor. Your mouth gets dry, lips get chapped and you begin to pant.


The thing about this trail I knew I'd hate on the way back up? The stairs. Nearly the entire trail were some form of stairs. Wide stairs, steep stairs, stone stairs. Everyone knows how much I love stairs.




(This is Ooh Ahh Point from afar... I zoomed in a bit)

I followed the French couple, leapfrogging with them at different times because we both stopped to take pictures. The hike was enjoyable on the way down, mostly. Going down steps is never the problem. I knew with every step I took that there would be two torturous ones in its place on the way back up.

My original plan was to go to Cedar Ridge--which would have been about 3 miles with an elevation change of 1,400 feet. In case you don't know, 1,400 feet is enough to make you cry if you're out of shape. That hike of 3 miles is about 3 hours to do, on average.

I only made it to Ooh Ahh Point, a simple 1.8 (ish) mile trek with an elevation change of 800 feet. Trust me when I say 800 is enough. The way back up sucked, as I knew it would, but after a while it wasn't so bad. I stopped to rest every 100 feet or so to drink because there's nothing worse than puking in public (which is what happens here a lot). For the most part, it was empty on the trail on the way back to the trailhead. I guess all the hikers decided to start when I did at 5:30.

But I got to see something not a lot of people do, the sun coming up over the Canyon.


(These are views of the Eastern Canyon at around 6AM from Ooh Ahh Point)



I reached the trailhead at 6:33 and sat down to enjoy my granola bar in victory for having conquering 800 feet of stairway.



As I was waiting for the shuttle to take me back, I glanced up and see this massive golden body slinking across the road to my left. At first, I thought "hey someone left their dog out." But then, it dawned on me... we're so far to the east there's nothing here but the mules and the trailhead. As in, there's no one around to let their giant dog wander.

Plus dogs don't walk like that, either. There was a definite cat-like gait to the animal and I could see its muscular shoulders from where I was sitting.

That, my friend, was a mountain lion. So much for choosing a trail based on sightings.