There were no major injuries on the trip. I have a couple of bruises/blisters on my left foot from the crappy shoes (Croc-like knock-offs) that I wore down to the river on day three. I knew we were going to have to cross the creek numerous times and I did not want to deal with my boots getting wet. I also got stabbed in my left hand by an out-of-place agave. And I have some strange bites on the back of my neck which I think were from spiders. Max ended up with a bloody hand at one point but also was nothing serious.

There was lots of time on the flight home for reflection on the trip. It was a hard trip but I knew it would be. Pam, who did the same trip with me back in 2012, says she still cringes whenever she hears "Marion-Seiber". For me the hardest part is always that brutal descent down the Nankoweap Trail from Tilted Mesa to the creek. I don't even find the hike up the Kolb Natural Bridge that hard. That scramble to get above the pour-offs is the hardest part of it. Once past that there is still about a mile of hiking and smaller scrambles but that's what backcountry hiking in the Grand Canyon is all about. Marion-Seiber is a challenge for sure but a lot of people use it and there is a route there, even if it isn't always obvious or easy to find. And there are some alternatives to the main route which others may find easier.

My cousin John said this was definitely in his top ten of the most difficult things he has ever done. It may even be his #2 following a trip he did on Mount Whitney in California. I was very happy to see how well both Max and Janice accepted and accomplished this challenge. I am sure there were times they were both thinking "WTF am I doing here!?" Heck, I still think that myself some times. But the rewards to me are always worth it. And it sure is something to talk about. Some people may get to do the Nankoweap Trail or the Marion-Seiber Route once, or maybe twice if they are lucky. I've been down the Nankoweap Trail six times now and up the Marion-Seiber Route three times. I still chuckle to myself when I think about that first trip down Nankoweap when I said I would never do it again. Never is not a word that sits well with me apparently. Even now I say six times is enough... but who knows... it would be nice to see the Kolb Natural Bridge surrounded by green again some day. Maybe in another 10 years... for my 70th birthday. 😎

The group that I had on this trip was phenomenal and that's what made it all work. Thank you, John! Thank you, Max! Thank you, Janice! Mission Accomplished!