SunBird Hiking Club members (left to right) Flora Stanley, Doreen Liske, Gordon Hagg, Mary Hicks, Mary Lou Giles, Karen Snowden and Don Jones.
Six members of the SunBird Hiking Club hiked and one member rode a mule to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on March 25 and spent two days and three nights at Phantom Ranch. We enjoyed hiking trails in the canyon bottom and soaking our aching legs in the Colorado River at a cool 47 degrees. We hiked down on the South Kaibab trail, seven and a half miles; and up the Bright Angel Trail for nine and a half miles.
The altitude at the rim of the Grand Canyon is 7,000 feet and 2,500 feet at the Colorado River, so it’s quite a descent and a climb back out. Karen, our mule rider, trailed down opposite: down Bright Angel and up South Kaibab.
We had a wonderful time through the hard hiking and enjoyed a celebratory bottle of Champagne when we all reached the summit.
New hikers are welcome. Phone Doreen Liske at 480-883-7868 from October 15-December 30; then call Don Jones at 206-300-3432 from January to March.