Grand Canyon - Phantom Ranch -- some photos (May 4, 2014)

This is post #3 of a series (#1 is here; #2 is here).

This post includes various photos giving a glimpse of the group's doings on May 4, 2014.  This day was spent entirely at the bottom of Grand Canyon - a unique, delightful, place.  24 hours entirely without cell phones, TV, news.  24 hours entirely present with fellow hikers, plus what are properly called natural wonders.  Nice.

Early stages of hike along North Kaibab Trail to Ribbon Falls.  Heading toward the "Box."
 Just look at this photo (especially amazing if you click-to-enlarge)!  I love the sunlight and clouds here.

Principal activities for the day:

• Breakfast in the "canteen" (the community building at Phantom Ranch where meals are served; and where, between meals, food/beverage and misc. are available and folks hang out); pick up sack lunches
• Most of our group then did all (or part of) the 12+ mile round trip hike to Ribbon Falls
• Afternoon fun in the "canteen"
• Miscellaneous wandering around Bright Angel Creek, Colorado River, etc. 
• Hiker's stew dinner at the "canteen"
• Ranger talk (focused on those irrepressible Kolb Bros)
• Followed by black light scorpion hunt (OK, only one or two folks went on the hunt (one being Mike))
• Evening fun in the "canteen"
• Relatively early bedtime for most in anticipation of early start for next day's hike-out
• Stargazing for others

Repeating comment from post #2:  "(Click-to-enlarge photos, as always.  Doing so loses access to the pithy captions, but that's definitely the right trade-off.)"

(Immediately following the last photo is a video picking up the day's photos taken on the Narrative Clip camera ("wearable technology" that was clipped to my shirt during the trip and automatically snapping pictures every 30 seconds).  Those photos are running along in the video at a pace of about two per second.  Photo quality naturally suffers on this device, especially in comparison to the other photos - but the Clip does somewhat succeed in providing an alternative viewpoint of the day's proceedings.)

My favorite type of photo:  contrasting the size of our human presence (in this case, Carol) against
 nature's grandeur.  (If that sounds cliched, so be it!)

Another "man persons in nature" photo" . . . my favorite . . . 

Most of the Ribbon Falls hiking contingent.  At the outset we weren't committed to making the 
entire hike (and thus didn't really pack or dress properly in all cases); accordingly, some of this 
group returned to Phantom Ranch after completing about half of the Ribbon Falls hike.

Me 'n Charlie on one of the six bridges spanning Bright Angel 
Creek between Phantom Ranch and Ribbon Falls.  

Might be the single greatest photo from the entire trip.  Outstanding views of 
the canyon, Mike and Bright Angel Creek.
And then Jim adds an entire extra dimension. 

Making our way out of the Box (nickname for the beginning portion of the hike (immediately north 
of Phantom Ranch) due to steep canyon walls on both sides) - here, the canyon is opening up a bit .  
Still a long ways to Ribbon Falls.  But honestly:  who wouldn't want to follow this trail for as long as it goes?

Out of the Box and continuing on toward Ribbon Falls.

This effort turned into some really nice photos.  (Thanks, Carol & Jim.)

Theresa and Alex at the final bridge prior to arriving at Ribbon Falls.

Finally made it to Ribbon Falls.  We had no idea that it would look so spectacular.  Certainly
the falls are tiny on an absolute scale - but the near-shock of encountering this in the desert
on a scorching-sunny day is quite impressive.  In this photo Jon is making his way toward 
the water at center/right; I'm approaching the falls from the left.

The waterfall was unbelievably refreshing on this hot day (as Nick can attest).

Much enjoying Ribbon Falls.  Jon, me, PJ, PJr.

Yes, I like this photo of PJ and me.
Part of the visual impact of Ribbon Falls stems from the access to the back of the falls - from
where one looks out through layers and layers and layers:  water and lush green plants, then rock and 
desert trees, then additional layers of stark, bone-dry canyon walls of varying hues; then blue sky.

Nick had brought along water filtering equipment - without it, we all would have had to turn back.
With it, there was a fair amount of work for Nick, Jon, Paul Jr., Alex here below the falls.
For the record, it was a success:  no one became ill using the filtered water.

Meanwhile, back at the (Phantom) Ranch:  non-hikers plus early returners from Ribbon Falls hike avail 
themselves of the pleasures of the "canteen".  Maeve and Dave share expressions of appropriate caution, if 
not outright disdain, as Maeve starts slicing the sausage, or whatever it is, included in the sack lunch picked up 
from Phantom Ranch every day.  Others are focused on a card game.  CPG is focused on photo-bombing.  

Now the afternoon "canteen" group has moved into "Sequence" battles (these were repeated after dinner).  
Dave has arrayed the fruits of their drinking labors into something that, I think, was intended
to resemble the Canyon itself.  An appropriate homage', I 'd say.

Sportsmanship display.  L-R Dave, EPG, K, CPG, Pat Herrarrarrarraa, N, Luis, Mike.
CPG apparently on green-loser team.

Cooling off in Bright Angel Creek, late afternoon.  Including dam-building efforts.

Hiker's stew!!  With cornbread!  Best meal at Phantom Ranch.  Going around the table:  N, C, Marlene, Pat 
Herrarrarrarraa, Jon, Theresa, PJr (whose pose is a shout-out to absent POC), PJ, EPG, Luis, K.  

Table 2:  Jim, Dave, unknown photo-bombers, Nick, Maeve, Charlie, Mike.
Note eager anticipation, by all, for the famed stew.

The same group - with right side of the table providing expressions charmingly similar to
their expressions in the photo immediately above.  All are celebrating Phantom Ranch's 
chocolate cake - to repeat, it's been served as the dessert at every single dinner served in the 
canteen since it switched from a resort to a place accommodating hikers.

Eighteen of our group of 20 - posing on canteen steps right after being kicked 
out at conclusion of dinner time.  (We would return later for cards, Sequence, beers, etc.)

Mike, Nick, etc. eagerly soaking up ranger-knowledge about the fabulous Kolb Bros.

One of our final steps as the evening wore on:  Charlie stamps three postcards, signed by most 
of the group, addressed to Ernest and Helen Gales, Bode, Iowa 50519.