A May Hike

May 20, 1989.  Grand Canyon, Arizona.  It's morning on Horseshoe Mesa.  A leisurely one at that.  Sun came up about a half hour ago--at quarter to six-- and I am just getting breakfast going.  For once on a Canyon trip I don't have to blast off first thing in the morning. It's great just sitting here looking east toward Desert View and Hance Canyon.  Maggie and I hiked in yesterday, covering the 3 mile trail in about 3.5 hours.  Found a nice campsite with a bit of shade and promptly zonked out.  We really needed the break after getting up at 3 am to drive up on Friday.  The mesa afforded us a grand sunset:  long, slow, and intense with Mercury and Jupiter suspended just above the rim before slowly setting.   Later the full moon rose dramatically over the rim, preceded by an intense glow.  The silvery disc appeared as a bright sliver on the rim and quickly grew as it emerged.  Within minutes it was fully above the rim bathing the Canyon in a bright light.  Canyon walls stood out in a dark relief under the strong moonlight. 

Now it's Saturday afternoon after a delightful four hours hanging out at Page Spring sitting in the shade, sleeping, washing up and drinking water.  The spring is a large pool in a shaded grotto with leafy green vegetation hanging from its ceiling.  Water drips steadily from the ceiling, creating a most soothing effect.  The trail down is steep and rocky in places but easy to follow.  It passes a deep mineshaft which still has rails in place on the floor and a pipe of some sort along the ceiling.  A piece of machinery--looks like a pump--sits on the ground adjacent to the shaft.  A rusted wheelbarrow sits on the side of the trail just above the spring.  Lots of small animals, especially lizards and hummingbirds, were evident around the spring.  A couple ravens cruised by as well.  The walk back to camp with 12 quarts of water wasn't bad--we made it up in 45 minutes--15 less than the trip down.  Once back in camp we explored the Cave of the Domes on the west side of the mesa.  We walked in about 100 feet--it's large, multi-chambered, cool and dusty with lots of stalactites and stalagmites.