24 THE STANDARD STYLE / FAMILY /GETAWAY August 3 to 9 2014 Hiking down the Grand Canyon Rosie Mitchell WHILST we had failed to secure an overnight permit to camp down the Grand Canyon, we were determined nonetheless to explore below the rim. As experienced hikers, we are well aware of the many pitfalls and dangers. The Grand Canyon, however, as beautiful as it is, takes these dangers to a whole new level. Several hundred people including children have lost their lives as a result, by not heeding the warnings and not fully grasping the life-threatening dangers. Others, luckier, have been rescued just in the nick of time. 250 people are rescued annually, on average, by National Parks personnel, assisted by helicopters, medical teams and others. When we set off for our day hike, however, we did not know this! Florence, our American friend, however, chose this particular day to immerse herself in her impulse purchase, the book titled ‘Death in the Grand Canyon’! We did not know this either. The previous evening she bade us a relaxed goodnight, a great hike, and told us she would expect us when she saw us….. It was the hottest time of year and warnings are posted at every viewpoint along the rim, about the dangers of heat and dehydration when hiking. Hikers are urged to carry copious amounts of water, and not even to attempt to reach the river and return in one day. Many, however, ignore all the warnings. What led me to be doubly careful for this hike, were the episodes of ‘I Shouldn’t Be Alive’ which I’d accidentally caught on insomniac nights on DSTV over the past couple of years! This programme fascinates me. Our own Greg Rasmussen of Wild Dog championing fame has been featured in an episode, which captured the harrowing story of his near-miraculous survival following his light aircraft crash in Hwange National Park. Several operations and a year of continuous intensive physiotherapy later, he could walk again, albeit, he was now six inches shorter! I had watched three Grand Canyon-related episodes of near death experiences, all of which had involved a lack of proper planning and precautions. Bearing this in mind, I started our preparations, and went on line to choose a trail. Some of the 30 trails down the Canyon are extremely busy, the busiest of all, the Bright Angel Trail, which takes hikers to Phantom Ranch where you can spend the night in chalets, dormitories or camping – if you have an overnight permit. Two thirds of those who apply, fail to get one. We left it too late and it is challenging even from within the USA. As it was, we had battled to secure accommodation near the Grand Canyon at all – so if you have this amazing place in your sights, plan and book a year ahead! We’d enjoyed a two hour evening hike down and back Bright Angel when it was quite quiet, and loved it. I eventually settled on the New Hance Trail, listed amongst the ‘primitive’ trails, and very steep, hoping to avoid the ‘madding crowds’ of Canyon hiking tourists. ‘Primitive’ is US National Parks parlance to describe a rough, unmaintained path, used infrequently, and marked by cairns (little piles of small rocks). The New Hance Trail is named after John Hance, an early Canyon tourist guide who marked the trail in the 1890s. Following every safety precaution we could think of, we bought a good map and carried our GPS, medical kit, whistles, windproof lightweight jackets, survival blankets and a lighter (should the weather change or we get stuck out overnight), torches, and most importantly, over 7 litres of water to which we’d added electrolyte powders, plus additional electrolytes, and lots of salty snacks. Being a ‘primitive’ trail, this one does not have a place to leave a car near the trailhead. We parked at the nearest appointed place (you cannot just leave your car willy-nilly and with 5 million visitors a year to the Canyon, this is fair enough!) and left a note under the windscreen wiper stating names, trail, time, day and leaving Flo’s contact details. Then we walked the 2km+ as per online description and map, searched for the trailhead and found it. The heat was already searing. Over the rim, it steadi- ly increases! We hiked in temperatures in the mid 40s Celsius. There was no breeze and very little shade. When we did find shade, we took a break to enjoy it! The New Hance Trail is the steepest trail down the Canyon. This combined with it being a ‘primitive trail’ led us to expect to meet few others. In fact, we only met one other hardy looking hiker the entire day. In all, we descended, and then ascended, 750 metres. It was absolutely spectacular - almost beyond description; the most fascinating demonstration of geological phenomena and beauty we’d ever experienced. We saw desert bighorn sheep, lizards, turkey buzzards circling overhead, and found bobcat droppings. It was hot as hell, and only got hotter! And like all hikes down the Canyon, the toughest part comes not at the beginning but at the end when, already hot and tired, one must ascend steeply – the inverse of mountaineering, and a fact many hikers here don’t fully comprehend – until they do it! Would we do it again? In a heartbeat! Next time, I will get those ducks in a row and make sure we can camp down there for a few nights, too! Did we plan sufficiently? Well, we thought so. But our water, which we thought we’d over-catered, DID run out an hour before reaching our vehicle – both sobering and surprising to us. When we re-united with our travelling companion, she was beside herself with anxiety! Spending her day reading of countless misadventures of hikers down the rim, most, fatal, she was fully convinced she’d have to call out the rescue team!
THE STANDARD STYLE ARTS & CULTURE In this issue of Arts & Culture (1) Grace (2) Cover to Cover Winners (3) Jay Z & Beyonce 2 WINNERS 3
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