Day05 Bright Angel Trail

(click 'title' to see Day 05 album)

Holy Crap we have to Hike out of here!

Bright Angel Trail Summary:

• Total Time: 5h 34 min (4 hours moving time)
• Speed: 3 km/h average
• Total Ascent: 1,323 m (4,340 ft)
• Total Distance: 16 km (avg. grade 11%)

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Morning arrived sooner than anyone would want. The group across from us were up earlier than the crack o’dawn and let me tell you ammo cans on metal tables is not a quiet thing. Needless to say we were up earlier than we wanted to be. Gary got the water going for the coffee then proceeded to make the Backpacker version of Denver omelets. We wrapped eggs in the left over tortillas and added ketchup or salsa and had our own version of breakfast burritos. Some of us had to tend to our 'BLUE' toes (those steps took their toll). Trail hikers and and a 4000ft decent don't cut it.

We packed up and hit the trail at 8:30. Spirits were high as we set out to stroll along the Colorado River for the first 3 km's. We discussed it and today we were not going to be those tired looking people we saw hiking out yesterday “Team S’more” (as we called ourselves) was going to greet everyone with a big smile no matter how we felt. The first run of switchbacks appeared a little daunting but the grade was low enough that it didn’t feel like you were going uphill. The first half of the hike was a nice meandering trail at a comfortable 7% gradient. A few steeper sections up through the Garden Creek Canyon leading to the mid point rest stop at Indian Gardens Campground for some food and water refills. The second half of the journey started out in a similar fashion. A Mule Deer grazing on the side of the trail, a few dances at the creek crossings and a comfortable grade that was just getting us closer to the 'WALL'.

It wasn't until the last 2.5 km and the final climb out at an average gradient of 13% where the legs started to feel it. Each 'Blue Toe' step felt like it was 12" high and 24" high if you stubbed your toe. All you see are switchbacks and people moving along at a turtle's pace. We pressed on to the top enjoying the beautiful views and taking pride in the fact that we just hiked out of the Grand Canyon!

The hike was absolutely amazing and the experience is hard to express in words or pictures. You really have to see it for yourselves.

(click 'picture' to see Day 05 album)

Day04 Down South Kaibab Trail

(click 'title' to see Day 04 album)

We hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back – Holy Crap!

Packing 115 pounds between us (the guys carried the brunt of the weight).

Indulging delicious freeze dried delicacies including s’mores – really?!?

South Kaibab Trail Summary:

• Total Time: 3h 10min total time (2 hours moving time)
• Speed: 4 km/h
• Total Decent: 1,430 m (4,693 ft),
• Total Distance: 11.3 km (avg. grade 13%)

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With a late start on Saturday, driving up from Sedona and arriving around 1 pm. We had to grab some food and sort out where to park and catch 2 buses to get to the trail head. The second bus was a little delayed due to an RV blocking the road and we started to worry a little that we were going to be setting up camp in the dark (based on the estimate of 4 hours down we were given).

Arrival at the trail head at 2:30pm, we began the decent. The first thing you see is a jaw dropping set of switchbacks the carries you down the cliff face leading you to the ridge line trail that is etched into the canyon walls. Every 5 steps was another view that deserved 10 pictures, but not one of them would truly capture what we were seeing. The decent was a comfortable grade, 6" log steps every meter that would come to haunt us later (Blue Toe Steps). We continued through the middle section that was just as picturesque and found ourselves making good time reaching the bottom of the last decent by 5:00pm. A short jaunt along the banks of the Colorado river and we arrived with plenty of time to set up camp.

There were only a couple sites available when we arrived and we were lucky enough to get a one along Bright Angel Creek. We pitched the tents and were careful to unload all our food into the ammo cans provided so that the critters didn’t ravage our packs. Gary strapped on the headlamp and cooked up a Mexican feast. Some precooked southwestern chicken, added a few veggies then rehydrated some beans and rice, wrapped it in a nicely warmed tortilla and that was dinner. The piece de resistance was the dessert – freeze dried s’mores. Imagine chocolate pudding with those little marshmallows that are in hot chocolate mix but because the water isn’t warmed they don’t really hydrate and melt, they remain crunchy. Add some graham crumbs to top it off and you have something that’s not particularly delicious but you “just can’t stop eating it”. With nothing to do after dinner (there are no campfires allowed) we headed up to Phantom Ranch to have a drink and play cards. We successfully completed the drink part of the mission but were too tired to break out the cards. Anticipating an early start we headed to bed around 9:30.

(click 'picture' to see Day 04 album)

Day 04 Getting ready to Go

Just distributing gear between the packs and getting ready to enjoy the breakfast buffet. 2 hour drive back to the Grand Canyon then green trail down red trail up!

Day03 Verde Canyon Railroad

Started the morning with coffee by the creek. Not quite 4am that we know Rick would have been swinging in the chair by. But still a good start.

Relax for the rest of the morning and then spent the afternoon exploring the Verde Canyon by train. As you can see from the pictures the scenery was quite spectacular.

Off to Grand Canyon tomorrow for the hike and overnight camp.

Day 02 Montezuma Tour

After checking into our hotel we headed south to visit Montezuma Castle and Montezuma Well. We were going to come back up to Sedona for sunset but decided to drive a little further to the outlet mall for an afternoon of shopping.
This afternoon we are heading to Clarkdale to ride the Verde Canyon Railroad and check out Tuzigoot National Monument.

Got the Permit

We were lucky enough to get the permit this morning so are heading to Sedona for two nights and driving back up Saturday to hike in.

Packing the Gear

Getting organized for departure. Trying to minimize gear to fit in 2 bags. Not sure we will get it done.

Bonaire2010 Roundup

I needed a distraction from work, so I took a little time today and went through the pictures and picked a selection to highlight the whole trip. It was hard choosing, I managed to get it down to 162 pictures.

If you need a distraction from your day, check out the Bonaire2010 Picture Roundup, or check back in at the blog.

Another great trip with great friends. So glad we could share it with everyone.

My next distraction will be a video roundup. Keep you all posted.

Day17: Back to Work

We are packing up and heading out the door to catch the 1st of three flights, when we will arrive in Spokane at 8pm. We depart ways with A&N in Houston where they go through LA to Van. A great trip: 25-28 dives each, 2000 pictures and videos totaling 15 gigs of digital data. See you all soon.

GVAN

Day16: Relaxation - No diving

Nothing to exciting today. Cleaned up and packed all the dive gear, headed out for some morning shopping and relaxed the rest of the day around the hotel. Managed to see the last unseen four-legged terrestrial wildlife on the way home from dinner to finish off the day.

Day 15: Last Day to Dive

Last day to dive today with the 24 hour no fly rule. We were up early again hoping to dive the Blue Hole on the windy west side of the island. We checked it out yesterday and it seemed doable from shore as long as the wind was down (if the wind is up you are promised a serious thrashing trying to get back to shore). Unfortunately, it was one of the windier mornings we've had here so we went back to Something Special. Down to 130 ft on the first dive hoping to see a ray on the sandy bottom but instead we were greeted by a 'field' of garden eels. A ray would have been a nice touch on the last day but we always enjoy the little eels. We decided to go back to Karpata for the second dive, our favorite sight by far, it was a great way to end the diving for the girls. The boys headed back out around 3:30 for a late afternoon dive at Red Beryl. Managed to track down another green moray eel, several baracuda and an assortement of what are now the usual suspects.

Video 3: Cool Things

Day 14: Early Dive

Headed out to Alice in Wonderland at 7:30 for a earlier morning dive. All the usual suspects were out. Thought it might be a little different,didn't see anything new but marked a lionfish for removal. Garden eels on the sandy floor between the two reefs. Second dive was Margate Bay where Noha spotted a large lobster at about 80 ft. He was out cruisin' so we got to see him head home and back into his reef spot. Also saw some barracuda that weren't shy about being followed or photographed and a hawksbill turtle. In the afternoon we headed for the other side of the island - Lac Bay where the windsurfers hang out. We stopped at the slave huts, the Wilemstoren Lighthouse and had drinks and a snack at Jibe City. Headed back to the Hotel for our in house BBQ to round out another great day.

Day 13: Wreck and Double Reef

First dive today was the Hilma Hooker, a 72m cargo freighter that was sunk in 1984. The second was Angel City which is one of the many dive sites in the double reef system. Andy spotted our first Lionfish which are not native to the Carribean and are removed when found. Unfortunately, we did not have any flagging tape to mark the location so the Lionfish will see another day.

After a leisurely lunch and a couple hours relaxing we decided to knock off our third dive of the day at Bachelor's Beach. As we were on our way back through the shallows, several fish scooted by us one by one, now dubbed 'the crazy train fish' by Andy, we half expected to see a smiling shark chasing after them. It's easy to see how the writers for Finding Nemo come up with the characters.

We had dinner as Casablanca restaurant which was recommended in a local food guide. It suggested trying the mixed grill for two and stated "Guaranteed you won't leave hungry!" Three of us shared the stack o' meat (mixed grill) and still brought back a whole chicken for lunch.

Day 12: Land and Sea

We packed up the truck with 12 tanks and a picnic lunch and headed for Washington Slagbaai National Park for a little land and sea today. It was about a two hour drive to the first site up north and through the park. We saw lots of birds, goats and iguanas en route and enjoyed the variety of cacti. At the first site, Playa Fungi, we descended toward the sandy bottom and Vicky spotted a southern stingray, we hung out at 120ft for a bit then checked out the rest of the reef.

During our snack stop the lizards were coming from all directions looking for a snack. Seems they are fed frequently by the tourists and one was so bold as to climb Andy's leg trying to get his PBJ (Peanut butter and jam sandwich). Finished the second dive and headed to Boka Slagbaai for our lunch stop.

On arrival we decided we really weren't too fussed about getting another dive in so we had a leisurely lunch and enjoyed the beach areafor awhile. We headed back south past Gotomeer to see the flamingos and got back to the place around 5:30. A little review of today's pictures, some diner and of course the three C's...cribbage, cookies and coffee....

Click to view all pictures.

Day11: Bonaire Underwater Camera

Thanks to the die hards that stuck around for 45 min for us. Not very good directions, had a 50/50 chance and we should have gone North first, but we finally found it.

Screenograhers: Marion Pavan, Maged Sedky and Jim Smerdon.

Day 10: Andrea II and Belmar house reef

Got one dive in this morning then had to pack up and move to new accomodations. Highlights were a lobster hiding a small cave and I was excited to finally find a Pederson cleaner shrimp.

The Belmar is a place you can spend a little time. We are now ocean front as opposed to ocean view and have a large deck with comfy chairs and table for evening crib matches.

we dove the house reef at twilight to see what was out there before the sun went down. Finished the night off with Fresh Wahoo prepared by our in house Chef's .

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Switching Hotels

We will be diving the underwater cam Sunday between 12:30 and 1:00 pm Bonaire time. (8:30 - 9:00 pt).

Link to Bonaire underwater cam. (http://www.breathebonaire.com/index.php)

Day 9: La Machaca and Cliff

We set out this morning with the talk of three dives in a row but that changed after the second when the girls became "thermally challenged". It is quite surprising how cold you can become after an hour underwater even when the temperature is 27 degrees. Today we dove La Machaca as our first dive to a depth of 132ft (Mark...that is all I could get with my computer buried in the Sand) to see the garden eels on the sandy bottom. We cruised behind a couple turtles and saw a very large tarpon. Spent the afternoon lounging by the pool, pizza for dinner and a trip to Lover's the local ice cream shop for dessert.

Video 2: Octopus - Green Moray eel

Day 8: Ol'Blue and Karpata

Two great dives today. We dove Ol' Blue as our first dive and Andy spotted a little octopus. We all gathered round to take a look at the shy little guy who really looked more like a blob of dough but he wasn't going to put on any kind of show for us. Gary and I swam on and Andy and Noha held back. Once Andy "shooed Noha off" he was able to capture a great video of the octopus on the move.

The next site was Karpata where we were entertained during our surface interval by a crazy bird that was pecking at himself in the side view mirrors of the parked trucks. Gary thought it would be funny to put on some music and make a little video. The Karpata site was amazing. The sun was out for the dive and the visability was so good it was hard to believe that we were 90 ft below the surface. I was swimming in the front of the group as I typically do when a rarely seen 5ft green moray eel caught my eye. I signalled the group with a huge come quick wave and we got some great pics! Finished the night off with a cribbage double skunk, girls putting the boys to shame.

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Day 7: Front Porch, Bari Reef and Salt Pier

On a typical dive day the last thing we put on is the wetsuit, today was a little different. We headed out to the dive sites and couldn't find the first one so we came back to the apartment to get the map. It wasn't a particularly sunny morning and as we were waiting in the truck, the sky turned black and the rain started coming down. We joked in the truck briefly about another cup of coffee and skipping the morning dive but we were loaded so decided we might as well go. It was still pouring when we got there and a little chilly so we all jumped out and put on the wetsuits first. I'd say we were just about as wet going into the water as we are coming out. Today's dives were great. We started at a small sunken tugboat with a sandy bottom and explored many coral heads into a reef.

We played 'Where's Waldo' with the peacock founders and scorpionfish and Andy happened upon a very relaxed turtle. The rain stopped after diving but it was cloudy the rest of the day so we spent the afternoon hanging at the apartment reviewing today's pics and relaxing.

Night Dive for 3 at Salt Pier. Although I was told that the pier is all lit up, you won't catch me jumping into any dark water! The crew came back with some great shots and video. Finished the night with pan seared Mahi Mahi served over caramelized onions with rice and bean salad prepared by Chef Andyman and sous chefs Noha & Vicky.

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Video 1: Canadian School

Day 6: Webers Joy and Andrea I

Got two Dives in today. Webers Joy/Witches Hut and Andrea I. Lots more great pictures and a large variety of fish (large and small). Coral and Sponges were amazing. Spent the afternoon lazing by the pool, some grocery shopping where Vicky found Coke zero and pretzels. After dive snack food that we typically crave is not that common down here. Ended the day with a great dinner at Sunset Grill.

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Day 5: 1000 Steps and Oil Slick

Decided to do 1000 Steps as our first dive. It is only 72 steps but fully geared up is supposed to feel like 1000 on the way back up. Fortunately we're all fit so it wasn't too bad. After a short drive and 1 hour surface stop we checked out the next dive site, Oil Slick Leap. Andy and Gary headed back to Oil Slick for a Night dive with the "Friendly" Jelly fish and eel's.

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Day 4: Dive Orientation

Slept in this morning. Lounged with coffee then breakfast. Decided we should check out the deal with diving. Had a brief orientation on the do's and don'ts for the marine park. Don't take anything with you besides what you need to dive, do leave the vehicle unlocked and all windows down. It's a hard concept to follow especially for the overly prepared G. Apparently thieves go through your car while you are diving and take anything of any value, if the windows are rolled up they will break them before trying to open the doors. Did our first dive on the Buddy Dive house reef to make sure we had enough weight.

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Day 3: We arrived

Landed at 6 am at the very pink Flamingo airport (4 hour time change so 2 am our time). Spent a couple hours getting bags and the rental car then went for breakfast.

They have great espresso here so we were feeling a little less sleep deprived after breakfast. We weren't able to check in to our apartment till 3 pm so lounged by the pool with the iguanas till then. After check in went to the local grocery store to get some breakfast and lunch items. Went out for dinner then to bed early.

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Day 02: Spokane-Seattle-Houston-Bonaire

Sitting in the Airport in Seattle. Google has provided free WiFi for the airport so killing some time surfing the latest Bonaire discussion boards.

Sitting in Houston airport......still surfing on Google WiFi. Greeted Andy and Noha at their gate then another 1.5 hours, one more flight and the start of Day 3........

Day 01: Nelson-Spokane

Arrived in Spokane. A cool crisp morning drive south of the border. Will be a little bit of a climate adjustment when we arrive in Bonaire on Saturday.

Packing

We are packed and ready to leave in the Morning. Taking Hunter over to visit with his cousins in Castlegar later today. Andy and Noha are already enroute in LA.
Looking forward to some beach and sun.