THE SOUTH KAIBAB TRAIL

A few days ago, before starting work, I drove out to the South Kaibab Trailhead, and took these pictures. There are two major trails down into the canyon from the South Rim, the Kaibab, and the Bright Angel. For those folks who are hiking all the way down to the river, and more specifically to the Phantom Ranch, the Kaibab Trail at 7.1 miles from rim to the ranch, is about 2 1/2 miles shorter than the Bright Angel. Both of these trails offer unbelievable views of the canyon, and the famous Grand Canyon Mules use both trails. Because the Kaibab is shorter, the mules use this route to take all of the supplies down to the ranch.

Last year, just before Patty and Nancy did a hike down part of the Kaibab, one of the pack mules had fallen, and subsequently died. They saw the animal before the park service helicopter was utilized to remove it from the trail. Fortunately, there has never been any injuries to people, in all of the years that the mules have transported folks down to the river.

This morning, about half of the drivers, including myself, have some training, and then later, I'll be driving the orange (Kaibab) route. Not much time this morning, so, more later...........