This would be an easy day, I knew that pretty much for sure. The hike down the South Kaibab to the Tonto junction was only 4.4 miles and from there all I had to do was head a couple of miles east along the Tonto and find a nice place to camp. I knew where I wanted to camp because I had hiked past the spot a few years earlier on my way from Lonetree Canyon to Phantom Ranch, on my first trip over to Clear Creek. I remember noting the view from the location and knew that this was where I had to stay on this trip - if no one else was camped there and it was available. I was pretty sure that 3-4 hours would do it, with plenty of time for rests and stops to gawk at the views. I wanted to make camp before noon and so planned start time between 7:30 and 8:00 - I was on the trail at 7:30.

The hike down the South Kaibab to Cedar Ridge was a breeze. The morning was cool with a light breeze (5 mph) and overcast and I wondered if it be raining again today? I hoped not but the coolness was very refreshing and made hiking with a heavy pack much more enjoyable. I ran into Ranger Rod on the trail, who was leading the 7 am guided walk to Cedar Ridge. I reached Cedar Ridge in about 45 minutes and took a long rest while I waited for Ranger Rod to catch up with his horde. While waiting for Rod I enjoyed talking with a very nice couple from Ohio, from Clevland I believe, who were headed to Phantom Ranch for a couple of days. I gave them some suggestions as to nice day hikes in the area and told them to stay out of Phantom Canyon. When Rodd finally did show up I asked about places to camp in the Cremation area and he mentioned a site that sounded somewhat like the one I had been thinking of. He mentioned an overhanging rock or ledge, which sounded familiar, but he also said that it was in a drainage and I didn't think the spot I had in mind was in a drainage. At least I hoped it wasn't in a drainage or giving the freaky weather I would not be camping there. He also mentioned that a body had been found about 50 miles downriver from Phantom, in the Tapeats area that they believed was the woman from the Phantom Canyon incident. He could not say for sure as the body had not been identified yet.

I left Cedar Ridge around 8:55 and took another short rest around 9:30 at a nice spot overlooking Plateau Point and the Tonto Trail as it headed west towards Indian Gardens. At around 9:55 I reached the top of the Redwall break and at 10:30 I finished with the switchbacks and was at the bottom of the Redwall. The clouds were now breaking up and it was starting to get very hot already. I found one patch of shade to rest in on the way to the Tonto Trail junction and reached the junction at 10:55. I rested there, in the shade of the resthouse, with the same couple from Ohio that I met at Cedar Ridge. Shade is hard to come by down there and I was really hoping that I would be able to find this campsite in Cremation or at least something with some shade that wasn't in a creek bed.

At 11:10 I began my trek eastward on the Tonto and crossed my fingers. It took longer than I expected as the campsite was further east than I originally thought it would be, but I finally found it. I arrived at 11:45 and I knew it was the right place as soon as I saw it. Looking north across the river towards Zoroaster Temple confirmed the view that I had hoped for. Sunset and sunrise from here would be marvelous - simply marvelous.

I did not setup camp right away but rather just dumped the pack and grabbed what I would need for the afternoon and took refuge beneath the ledge. It was baking out on the Tonto but it was shady and cool beneath the ledge and there was even the occasional slightly cool breeze to be felt. I had lunch and then I read for a while, with pauses from time to time to enjoy the play of the clouds and the shadows on the Canyon's features. I had a brief visit from a hummingbird which just appeared under the ledge briefly, hovered about for a bit and then darted back out into the inferno. There was also a lizard in the area and I noticed him or her darting about the site all afternoon. There were also plenty of ants around but they were not of the biting variety and neither did they appear to have any interest in my food. It was a very relaxing afternoon.

By around 4 pm the sun was starting to get low in the sky and so I decided to go for a little walk to explore some of the drainages in the Cremation Canyon system. I headed east along the Tonto and almost immediately descended into a very large drainage. I followed this south for a short distance until it dead-ended at a high dry falls. I then retraced my route and followed it to the north. To my surprise the route north through the drainage was cairned and I wondered if it was possible to get down to the Colorado if I kept following it. After a reasonable distance the drainage joined with another even larger drainage entering from the east and I had no desire to follow it any further. I returned to camp and started dinner.

Following dinner I was treated to the most magnificent light show that I have ever seen in the Canyon. The setting sun playing on Zoroster and some of the other temples and buttes was magnificent. A few drops of rain fell as a cloud passed overhead and shortly after this a small rainbow appeared on the other side of the river, just east of Zoroaster Temple. As I watched the rainbow moved slowly towards the north and was soon directly over Zoroaster. I decide to take this as a positive sign that I had choosen the correct backup trip and that the trip was now "blessed" by the powers that be. After the sun finally set I watched the moon come up and the stars come out and then took refuge in my tent and broke out my book for a little while before going to sleep. It was a very pleasant night and started to get very cool towards morning. I originally did not unroll my sleeping bag but when it started to cool off I was glad to have it.