Down, down, down

To segue from yesterday's blog posting, April in Seattle is not necessarily a "cruel" month, but it is a confusing one. The flowers are out, the leaves are budding, the air is perfumed. It can be beautiful. But the fragrant perfume is borne through the soft air by the soft moisture in the air -- the chilly high humidity, the dripping trees, the drizzle.

It's an enjoyable month, for those of us who are used to wetness, and a nice contrast with, say, February. But the heart sometimes cries out for something both warmer and drier.

Hence, my decision back in mid-January to reserve three April nights at the Yavapai Lodge (more a government-operated motel than a "lodge"), on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I've been to the canyon three times in the past, always in April, and each time encountered wonderful hiking weather -- sun, dryness, and temperatures that were warm but not too warm for comfortable hiking.

And so -- I'm flying down on Friday, enjoying the canyon over the weekend, and returning on Monday. I've hiked at least three-fourths of the way (by elevation) down into the canyon -- as far as the Tonto Plateau -- a couple of times. This time, I decided to get up early on Sunday, pack plenty of water, and hike all the way down to the river -- and, of course, back up again. The Park Service strongly recommends not doing the round trip in one day, but their advice is clearly intended for the usual summer visitors, innocents choosing to hike down during months when the temperature can easily reach 120 degrees by the time one reaches the river.

Imagine my surprise -- my unpleasant surprise -- when I noted about a week ago that the weatherman was forecasting two days of rain and much lower than average temperatures for this coming Saturday and Sunday. You may recall my foreboding about the rain in Scotland last summer. This appeared to be a bit of a repeat.

Fortunately, the most recent weather prediction has shown a slight improvement. Rain still on Saturday, but "mostly sunny" on Sunday, the date of my anticipated long hike. The temperatures will still be chilly -- a high of 48 and a low of 23 on Sunday -- but I much prefer hiking in unusually cold weather than in unusually hot.

So, I'll arrive at the Park Friday evening, and play it by ear. It is 9.3 miles down the Bright Angel Trail from the South Rim to the Colorado River (and, of course, another 9.3 miles back up -- a return on tired legs that's mandatory and not negotiable!). The change in elevation is 4,380 feet, which is certainly manageable, based on my past experiences.

I'm a cautious sort, and not given to taking wild chances. I'll be monitoring my physical condition all the way down. I will definitely turn around before reaching the river if I feel that I'm overextending myself, but -- so long as the weather is decent -- this should be a day's hike that I'll complete successfully.

Stay tuned for post-hike comments.