Left to right: Lynn Warren (photographer), Neal Wring, Clare Bangs, and Ed Bobigian pausing at sunset at Salt Creek campground.
Lynn Warren
You may think they are crazy, but for the past several years several members of the hiking club have challenged the August heat in what has become an annual backpacking foray into the Grand Canyon. A popular misunderstanding is that the Grand Canyon is much cooler than our valley but down in the canyon, temperatures are quite comparable to Phoenix. On Aug. 18, four “B” hikers headed to the South Rim to spend the night in Mather Campground before heading down the historic Hermit Trail the next morning for five days in the canyon while Phoenix was setting record daily highs. Once below the rim, the first stop was to the Hermit campground, followed by the Monument Creek campground (with a 1.5-mile side trip to Granite Rapids on the Colorado, one of the narrowest areas of the canyon), then the Salt Creek campground, and finally, the Indian Garden campground. On the last day, the group started very early and hiked out on the Bright Angel Trail, for a total of 34 miles. Since there was no monsoon activity, the hikers enjoyed clear but hot weather and saw lots of impressive scenery, including a rare Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake. The club hikes extensively around the valley with occasional overnight adventures such as this in other interesting areas. For more information and pictures, visit the club’s website at pchikers.org.