Grand Canyon, Day 3

Saturday was our "play day" in the canyon. Too stupid to take a day to rest, we decided to hike up to Ribbon Falls. The trail was described as "not steep, but tedious" or something like that. 12 or 13 mile round trip.

We saw the most amazing waterfall. The water comes shooting off a cliff and splashes down on a giant moss-covered rock. You can hike up around behind the falls and also to another elevated viewpoint called The Alcove.

We got back to camp exhausted but determined to stay up late enough to hang out at the Phantom Ranch canteen for a little while (it didn't open until 8 PM). We had a good time talking with a few people but headed back to camp a bit after 9. It was a very starry night -- no clouds, a new moon, and no light pollution.

Our plan for the morning was to be packed up and on the trail by sunrise, since we didn't know how long to expect the trip out to take. There's only 10 hours of daylight this time of year and we thought there was a chance we'd need all of it.

P.S. That "giant rock" is actually a stalagmite!!