We had some rain overnight but I have no idea how much, everything still looks pretty dry. All of my stuff is under the awning so I didn't even use the rain fly for the tent. we also had a bit of a wind storm for a while before the rain started. Luckily the wind and the rain did not come together. I am heading down to Phantom Ranch today and maybe I will put the rain fly on before I leave, just in case.

I was awake around 400am because it was raining again, or perhaps it was just dripping from the trees. I saw a group already starting the hike out with red headlamps and decided to just get up myself and start to get ready for the day. I had an everything bagel with cream cheese for breakfast and I am on my second cup of mocha now.

The pack will be a lot lighter today as I am just bringing what I need for the day at Phantom Ranch: lunch, rain gear, my book and some other miscellaneous stuff. I will be hitting the trail soon. Five miles down and then five mails back up to here.

Phantom Ranch - 930am

I left Indian Garden at 625am and arrived at the Colorado Rover at 805am. It was overcast with a few drops of rain along the way. There were some nice cool breezes in the Devil's Corkscrew and also along the river trail. There are a few drops of rain coming down now here at Phantom Ranch. I had a bagel with cream cheese and jelly from the cantina for second breakfast. I also bought a t-shirt (special Phantom Ranch 100th anniversary, 1922-2022) and two packages of peanut M&Ms. The cantina is still closed because of Covid restrictions so I will not stay here long. The flies are being very annoying. I need to find a good place to have some lunch later on, perhaps at the group site down at Bright Angel Campground. There is a nice rock shelter there and when I walked by earlier on the way here the site was empty. There are not many campers at all and only a few sites are taken.

Bright Angel Campground group site - 1150am

I got rained on a little going from Phantom Ranch to Bright Angel campground. It started to rain just as I was leaving Phantom Ranch, a little after 10am, but I made it down here before it got really heavy. It did get pretty heavy and rained for about 20 minutes before finally starting to let up. It got pretty windy there for a while as well. After it ended I popped a can of beer into Bright Angel Creek to chill for lunch. I started lunch at 1130am and had tuna with mayo on some wraps made with sun-dried tomato and basil, some Pringles cheddar chips and a Mother Road Tower Station beer. A very nice lunch but not high on the calories I have two Kind bars to eat on the way back up to Indian Garden, and another mac & cheese with hot dogs dinner to look forward to. I have the peanut M&Ms from Phantom for a snack after dinner. The sky is getting brighter now but it is still very cloudy. It took me three hours to get down here and will probably take about the same going back up. I will probably take a short rest break at the river rest-house, which is about halfway, and then another again above the Devil's Corkscrew.

Indian Garden Campground - 4pm

I left Bright Angel Campground a little after 1230pm and got to the river rest house around 120pm. I rested there for a little while, ate a Kind bar, and then started up the Bright Angel Trail around 145pm. I got caught in some more rain on the way up to the Devil's Corkscrew but it did not last long. I put the rain cover on my camera case to protect the camera but did not even bother to get out my rain racket. I started up the Devil's Corkscrew around 155pm and was above that and at my next rest break at 3pm. I got back to camp and was visited by a mule deer doe with her fawn which was a nice surprise. No fear at all in these animals as they were browsing on the foliage around my campsite.

I had a little sponge bath to get rid of a little of the past two days sweat and grime. Will be starting dinner soon. I have two more beers left, one to have with dinner and then the last for later tonight while reading my book for a while before sack time.