Cheyava Falls (part 2)

April 20, 2010

This is the second of 2 posts documenting an overnight trip to Cheyava Falls.

Morning at the Falls

I first woke at sunrise, but drifted in and out of sleep well into the morning.

It was so pleasant to simply lie there, needing only turn my head to look up at the falls, in complete solitude. I was in no hurry to plunge my feet back into the creek and backpack twenty miles out of the Grand Canyon, and didn’t start hiking until 9:30.

There’s plenty of pictures of the falls in the previous post, but the morning light is always a little different, no?

Back to the Clear Creek Trail

The return trip was relatively uneventful. I counted 21 crossing on the way back, making 42 total for the trip.

Returning along the Clear Creek Trail

The flowers along the trail were even more brilliant in today’s subdued light.

I could smell the dinner at Phantom Ranch from high above, as I dropped in just before 5pm. I was fortunate to get a cup of coffee just before they closed to serve the meal.

more Clear Creek Trail photos:

Climbing the South Kaibab Trail

I’d stayed at Bright Angel Campground just once before (and on that occasion I arrived at 1am), so I never experienced Phantom Ranch at this time of day. The evening was peaceful and relaxed, and the late sun lit up the area like I’d never seen it before.

I lingered in this setting until almost 6pm before returning up the South Kaibab Trail.

Some thick clouds blew in for the golden hour, and it was great for photos.

The Park Service installed a new interpretive display at the archaeological site on the River, so I stopped to read it.

The sun dipped over the horizon before I even reached The Tipoff.

The remaining hike was clear, cool, and breezy. By the time I reached O’Neill Butte in the dark, I was simply ready to just be home. I got to the the rim at about 9pm, and was back punching the clock in the El Tovar kitchen at 6am.

I saw zero people on the trail from the black bridge to the rim! Zero!

How strange to find solitude on a corridor trail in April!