My feet started bothering me again about the time that I reached Cremation Canyon. The problem with Cremation is that not so much that it is wide, it is not the same kind of canyon as Hance or Grapevine, but rather that it has numerous, sizable drainages, and the trail goes through all of these rather than around them. Cremation does appear to have some very fine camping areas though and I look forward to coming back to spend the night sometime. The view of Zoroaster Temple across the river was awesome. The first drainage wasn't too bad but the second was rather hellish and at this point I knew I was in for trouble. One foot had developed a serious hot spot and it was time to take action. I got out my moleskin, took off the boot and did some preventive maintenance. The rest felt good but by the time I got started I noticed that the cloud front was directly overhead and I could see rain in the distance. The race continued.

The trail does some funny stuff after you climb out of that last drainage in Cremation. It follows a contour line and heads out towards the river which is a little disorienting because you can now see where the South Kaibab trail comes down and you are heading away from it. Not a good feeling when you're in a hurry. At this point I gave up and stopped racing. The clouds were moving in fast and I knew I was going to get caught in whatever was coming anyway. I enjoyed the scenery and watched as a mule train worked its way down some switchbacks on the South Kaibab. It is weird when you start of think of a mule train as a sign of civilization.

I finally reached the Tipoff around 11:30 or so. I had made excellent time and knew that I was only about an hour away from Phantom. I took a little rest before starting the descent down to the river. Shortly after I start moving again it started to drizzle. I lucked out again as that was all it did all the way to Phantom. By the time I got there it had stopped actually and the western sky was starting to brighten. The Black Suspension Bridge was a welcome sight. I trudged across and back into civilization. On the other side I headed for Bright Angel Campground and home for the night. My feet were sore and I had developed one blister that would bother me for the rest of the trip but that was all.

After setting up camp and having a late lunch I took a little stroll up to the Phantom Ranch Cantina / Hotel / Post Office / ... to take a shower. I was shocked to discover that they don't let campers at Bright Angel Campground use the showers anymore. You have to be staying in either the dorms or a cabin. Thank you very much! It was still fairly early in the day so I went for a stroll along the North Kaibab Trail to I could work up a good appetite for dinner. I had reserved a spot at the Phantom Canteen for the Steak Dinner tonight and was looking forward to it. The meal was awesome as usual and I slept very well that night.