The erosion that created the canyon deposits silt into the Colorado River, giving it a red hue much of the year.
"This river's nature is to be red and full of sediment," Marcak said.
Besides the coolness of the morning, hiking early also lets you see the shadows advance along the landscape as the sun treks across the sky.
At night, there is no light pollution on the bottom of the Grand Canyon, so the stars shine brightly and the constellations are clearly visible. We hiked out before dawn and found that headlamps are helpful but even a half-moon offers more than enough natural light to see the trail — and clear views of the river that rushes far below on two bridges.
It's one of those moments you take in and recall again and again after the trip: You're under the heavens on the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the only natural sound is the rush of the Colorado River.
"The vastness of this is literally overwhelming to many people. I think some people are really struck with their insignificance," Marcak said.
One of the hikers we met on the trail was Bob Stevenson, 67, of Boss, Mo., who rode down the Grand Canyon on mule with his wife in 1995 and had returned with his adult son.
The mule ride wasn't as taxing physically, but hiking gave the father-son team a chance to linger on the trail, take it all in and spend some quality time, he said, comparing the only two ways to get to the bottom on land.
"I think the hiking just gave you an opportunity to get a better feel for the canyon itself because you could stop and look. And we had the squirrels getting in our backpack and the ravens all around us. It was pretty neat," said Stevenson, a retired accountant.
He thought he might be the oldest hiker but saw people years his senior.
"If you're in reasonably good shape and understand what you're getting into and have plenty of water and train for it, then it's very doable," Stevenson said.
Next to actually hiking, the biggest challenge is getting reservations.
There are two options for overnight stays on the canyon floor: the cabins or dorms at Phantom Ranch or one of the three campgrounds — Indian Gardens, Bright Angel and Cottonwood. Combined, that means there are only several hundred people in staying in this part of the canyon at any time. The campgrounds require a backcountry permit; the ranch does not.At Madfun we sell the latest range of inflatable swimming pools from Intex and Bestway.
A year out,A NEMO inflatable tent is easy to use as well as repair. my brother secured us bunks at the men's and women's dorms at the ranch — a 1920s-era spread that serves as an oasis for hikers, mule riders and rafters — but we were able to get a cabin once we arrived by checking in with the office on the South Rim.
It's like going back in time.
You're truly isolated and can't just run to town for something. Supplies come by mule.A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiff brim that may either be curved or flat. Breakfast and dinner reservations are required ahead of time. There's no cell phone signal, television or Internet,From hand held inflatable products carrying your logo, to giant blimps, message boards and balloons for the large venues, which provides a much-needed break from the daily constant of flickering screens. A book, card game or just good conversation are the main sources of entertainment. Here, social networking entails asking others about the hike down or hearing from veterans who have done the trip before.
Finding out which team won Monday night football proved to be a challenge, especially when we asked European tourists.Looking for ED Hardy ,ED Hardy clothing and ed hardy wholesale.
There is a pay phone but we didn't use it. The kids were with grandma.
The canteen at Phantom Ranch is a community gathering place for its temporary residents. Besides breakfast, the dinner menu is limited to two meals that are served at alternating times each evening: steak and hiker's stew. The dinner bell usually beckons guests, most of whom are already waiting outside for the door to open. At other times, the canteen is a place to cool off and converse. And every afternoon, red-faced hikers start arriving and head to the water cooler.
Bright Angel Creek, which snakes along the bottom of the canyon next to the ranch, also provides a great place to cool off, rest sore muscles — and look up to survey where you'll be hiking in the morning.
"This river's nature is to be red and full of sediment," Marcak said.
Besides the coolness of the morning, hiking early also lets you see the shadows advance along the landscape as the sun treks across the sky.
At night, there is no light pollution on the bottom of the Grand Canyon, so the stars shine brightly and the constellations are clearly visible. We hiked out before dawn and found that headlamps are helpful but even a half-moon offers more than enough natural light to see the trail — and clear views of the river that rushes far below on two bridges.
It's one of those moments you take in and recall again and again after the trip: You're under the heavens on the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the only natural sound is the rush of the Colorado River.
"The vastness of this is literally overwhelming to many people. I think some people are really struck with their insignificance," Marcak said.
One of the hikers we met on the trail was Bob Stevenson, 67, of Boss, Mo., who rode down the Grand Canyon on mule with his wife in 1995 and had returned with his adult son.
The mule ride wasn't as taxing physically, but hiking gave the father-son team a chance to linger on the trail, take it all in and spend some quality time, he said, comparing the only two ways to get to the bottom on land.
"I think the hiking just gave you an opportunity to get a better feel for the canyon itself because you could stop and look. And we had the squirrels getting in our backpack and the ravens all around us. It was pretty neat," said Stevenson, a retired accountant.
He thought he might be the oldest hiker but saw people years his senior.
"If you're in reasonably good shape and understand what you're getting into and have plenty of water and train for it, then it's very doable," Stevenson said.
Next to actually hiking, the biggest challenge is getting reservations.
There are two options for overnight stays on the canyon floor: the cabins or dorms at Phantom Ranch or one of the three campgrounds — Indian Gardens, Bright Angel and Cottonwood. Combined, that means there are only several hundred people in staying in this part of the canyon at any time. The campgrounds require a backcountry permit; the ranch does not.At Madfun we sell the latest range of inflatable swimming pools from Intex and Bestway.
A year out,A NEMO inflatable tent is easy to use as well as repair. my brother secured us bunks at the men's and women's dorms at the ranch — a 1920s-era spread that serves as an oasis for hikers, mule riders and rafters — but we were able to get a cabin once we arrived by checking in with the office on the South Rim.
It's like going back in time.
You're truly isolated and can't just run to town for something. Supplies come by mule.A baseball cap is a type of soft cap with a long, stiff brim that may either be curved or flat. Breakfast and dinner reservations are required ahead of time. There's no cell phone signal, television or Internet,From hand held inflatable products carrying your logo, to giant blimps, message boards and balloons for the large venues, which provides a much-needed break from the daily constant of flickering screens. A book, card game or just good conversation are the main sources of entertainment. Here, social networking entails asking others about the hike down or hearing from veterans who have done the trip before.
Finding out which team won Monday night football proved to be a challenge, especially when we asked European tourists.Looking for ED Hardy ,ED Hardy clothing and ed hardy wholesale.
There is a pay phone but we didn't use it. The kids were with grandma.
The canteen at Phantom Ranch is a community gathering place for its temporary residents. Besides breakfast, the dinner menu is limited to two meals that are served at alternating times each evening: steak and hiker's stew. The dinner bell usually beckons guests, most of whom are already waiting outside for the door to open. At other times, the canteen is a place to cool off and converse. And every afternoon, red-faced hikers start arriving and head to the water cooler.
Bright Angel Creek, which snakes along the bottom of the canyon next to the ranch, also provides a great place to cool off, rest sore muscles — and look up to survey where you'll be hiking in the morning.
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