It was a cold night and I woke up shivering a couple of times. I had taken most of my clothes off because I don't really like sleeping in them but I ended up putting most of them back on. OK, one thing I would need to do if I was going to do anymore winter hikes would be to get a decent sleeping bag.

I got up around 6:30 and it was still quite cold. I made myself some oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, packed up camp and was on the trail a little before 8 am.

I got nice and warm after just a few minutes of hiking and got a lot warmer as I went up Jacobs Ladder. I got through the Redwall and up to the three-mile rest house around 8:45. I didn't really need a rest, not yet anyway, but I did want to get some pictures and so I went out to the cliff behind the rest house to check out the view. There are the remains of an old cable car tower back there which was at one time used to send supplies from the rim down to Indian Garden.

Between three-mile rest house and mile-and-a-half rest house I passed a mule party on its way down to Plateau Point for a day trip. I didn't stop at mile-and-a-half rest house and instead just kept heading for the rim.

I was back on the rim around 11 and the first thing I did was go get a nice hot cup of coffee. I then sat on the rim wall at the patio of the Bright Angel Lodge and drank it while gazing back down into the Canyon. The trip had been fantastic and I was very pleased with myself. I had a couple of blisters to show for it but that was about it for the downside. What was I going to do for the next hike... that was the only real question?

After finishing my coffee I got a taxi to drive me back out to Hermit's Rest to pick up my car. I then came back to the village and checked into my room at the Bright Angel Lodge, took a nice hot shower and then went to get some lunch. Later in the afternoon I took a drive out along the West Rim Drive and stopped at a couple of places just to look where I had been.

I ended up going back out to Hopi Point to gaze into the Canyon some home and also to watch the sunset. It was a sort of overcast and cloudy day but there was a break along the western horizon that lit up pretty nicely.