Getting to the Grand Canyon from New York can be time consuming. I chose to fly to Las Vegas and then rent a car for the drive to the rim. It turns out that it would have been almost the same price to fly directly to Flagstaff and take a bus to the rim. However, the drive was beautiful and provided a pleasant prelude to the physically demanding days
ahead. National Airlines may not be the classiest operation in town (more on this
later), but it is both cheap and convenient. The flight from JFK to Las Vegas
took 4.5 hours. My seat was next to the wing and did not provide much opportunity for
photography. At the airport, I was shuttled to the rental car by a jovial fellow who apparently preferred the arid Nevada clime
to Hawaii (go figure). He claimed that I was the first New Yorker he had 
met
with a sense of humor. I told
him to mind his own @#$&$#% business :-) My short time in Vegas convinced me
that the media stereotypes were not inaccurate: lots of gaunt old men in plaid shirts. By car, the
travel time from Las Vegas was about 4.5 hours including stops for gas and photos. The drive was beautifully scenic and
passed over Hoover Dam.
The route was 95 --> 93 --> 40 --> 64 into the Grand Canyon. The speed limit was 75 for most of the journey and enforcement was
lax (except near Hoover Dam). I had pre-purchased an annual park pass and went straight to Yavapai
lodge (inside the canyon, but not actually on the rim), arriving at 8 PM. A note on the car: Never, ever, ever even think
about driving a Ford Escort at highway speeds. The cabin is so noisy it will damage your ears. On the way back I actually wore earplugs.
atrium
at about 6:30 AM.
Originally from Connecticut, Diane is an ex park-ranger and
has worked in and around the canyon for many years. She proved an excellent guide. We discussed the itinerary and basic trail rules and spent some
time packing my backpack. Sky Island provided most of the gear; I brought clothing and toiletries. At this point I learned that the other two
people had bailed and I would be Diane's only ward. This was ok; I wouldn't have to worry about slowing others down. On the first day, we descended
about 4000 feet
over the course of 4.5 miles along the New Hance trail. We started at 9:30 and arrived at the campsite
at 4:15. Steep downhill hiking is an arduous process, as one must carefully check oneself at every step. It
is quite trying for the legs as well. The hike down revealed some beautiful rock formations as we descended through most of the Canyon's 12
main geological layers. We also saw Agave cacti (not to be confused with
Yucca, their
less ornery cousins). These cacti wait a
number of years and then, in the course of
a day, sprout a huge
stalk that flowers and dies. We saw a number of these plants in different stages.
About an hour into the hike, I was startled by a rattling sound. Latent
instincts evolved over millions of years came into play and, before a thought
could register, my camera was out and clicking. I guess our species is doomed if we ever
return to the wilderness. Later on, I saw the smallest bird I have ever encountered (live or in a
museum). It was the size of a thumb (possibly a
hummingbird) 
and had a loud chirp for something so small. I guess one could
characterize it as the Bose bird. We also saw lots of
brown/green lizards that appeared to change color before our eyes (for reasons
unknown to me, they also seem to do pushups). When we reached the campsite, the canyon was windy and a drizzle had started. Things
got a little chilly. After some investigation of the
trail
ahead, we decided to make camp rather than continue. The views
were beautiful, but making
camp in the weather proved a little challenging. A
red clay dust had permeated everything; we were officially canyonized. 
had a late start and broke camp at 7:40. The second day's hiking was comparatively easy. The first mile consisted of a steep descent in the
spirit of the previous day, but thereafter the hiking proved less difficult. We followed a tributary to the Colorado river. Rain pounded the south rim, but
the dry bed was wide and it was too early in the season for flash floods. We made camp at the Colorado river
at 11:20 AM and milled around for
the rest of the day. The views of the North side of the canyon
were spectacular. A rafting 
expedition
scouted and successfully traversed the rapids in front of us. During the day, I encountered the largest wasp I
have ever seen. It was the size of the aforementioned bird (see - "smallest bird I ever saw"
- I never, in a million years, would use hyperbole) and
was both long and fat - with a nasty looking stinger. Over the course of the
next few days I saw several of these wasps. They are Tarantula Hawks.
Apparently, they do not fear larger animals and a few swipes with my walking stick were necessary to
dissuade them from
investigating me. We camped on a dune. The shore of
the Colorado was composed of a beautiful, fine sand, such as one might find in
the Caribbean. The Colorado was too cold to bathe in (except for one stout German hiker we
met), but a "splash bath" could be effected without too much
discomfort. At night it drizzled a little.
the ascent to Hance creek early. The
trail seemed impassable
from afar, but the human eye is notoriously poor at estimating
slopes. The path meandered along gorges and grew very narrow at times. The views were spectacular as we ascended about 1400 feet over 6 miles.
Fortunately, the majority of the exposed hiking was accomplished in the cooler morning. We arrived at camp a little after noon. Hance creek lies
along the popular Grandview trail and sees parties arriving from both directions. Unfortunately, the best site was taken by someone who had
hiked
down from the top just for the day in order to hold this place for another party. This was particularly frustrating, as the party it was held for was
relatively slow- but we couldn't begrudge someone who would hike in and out along a pretty rough trail just to hold a spot.
The campsites lay along a creek which boasted a pond-like ecosystem. The sun was oppressive,
so I cooled myself
under a rock ledge until about 4 PM. Once shade had engulfed our campsite, I returned and we milled about until
nightfall.
At night, there was quite a raucous as the river toads croaked their hearts
out. To see the stars at night, given the position of the mesh, I slept upside down in my tent-
and learned that this positioning
was not conducive to a proper restful sleep.
was the most
challenging. The ascent was 3600 feet over the course of 6
miles. We
began by ascending to Horseshoe Mesa, on which we were presented with spectacular
vistas. On the way, we replenished our water supply near some mining ruins. After this, we followed a succession of switchbacks to the top. Because
Horseshoe Mesa is a feasible day trip from the top, we encountered a higher density of people from that point onward.
Eb himself was leading a
backpacking trip into the Canyon and passed us on the way.
We reached the Grandview trailhead around 2 PM. All manner of tourists and tour guides were present. After
returning to Yavapai and unpacking, I purchased a USGS topo map and asked Diane to plot the route on
it. The remainder of the day was spend eating, sight-seeing, etc..
I left the GC at about 7:30 AM, stopping only at Yavapai point to take
some 
morning photos. The car trip back was about 4.5 hours. For
reasons unknown to me, National Airlines decided to upgrade me to first class.
However. my images of caviar and champagne proved optimistic. For NA, first class just means wider seats and less brusque service. However, the passenger next to me never appeared, so I got 2 wide
seats and a window with an excellent view. Before embarking, we were treated to the sight of the captain cleaning the
front
window of the plane
with a washcloth while hanging out of the side 
window. As I mentioned, this is not a high class operation. But they treated me well and got me home on
time. I managed to snap quite a few aerial photos of the Southwest on the way to NY. After some complicated logistics I arrived home safe and sound
with lots of photos, some sore muscles, and very nice memories of the Grand Canyon.