Day 5 - The Mule Ride

Today we got up at 5:00 AM to get ready for our mule ride along the rim.  We got to the pick-up point at 6:45 AM like the person who checked us in yesterday informed us.  However, when we got there we were informed by one of the stable hands that we didn't need to be there till 7:45 AM since the bus leaves from the pick-up point at 8:00 AM.  This actually makes a lot more sense, so we walked up to Bright Angel Lodge, and walked along the rim trail a little bit before heading back to the pick-up point.   We boarded the bus at 8:00 AM and headed to the historic mule barn.

Once we arrived at the mule barn they gave us the safety and instructional brief, divided us into two groups of seven, and then we got on the mules.   We were in the second group.   I got to ride the mule named Miss Sharp and Jim got to ride the mule named Sheldon. It was a two hour out and back ride along part of the canyon rim.  We did not go down into the canyon.  We stopped at a few mule pull offs to look at the view and for the guide to give us some information about the canyon and its wildlife. Overall it was a good experience, and I don’t need to do the overnight ride down into the canyon. That ride is five hours down, stay overnight at the bottom of the canyon, then five hours back up. That is a lot of time to be on mule back if you aren’t a comfortable rider.   After the ride we boarded the bus and it took us back to the Bright Angel Lodge, where Jim and I had lunch. 

After lunch we went back to our room, and grabbed our packs including hydration bladders (i.e. Camelbaks) and headed over to the official visitor center.  We rode the bus over, because that is the easiest way to get around the park.  After visiting the visitor center and talking to the ranger about suitable trails, we walked over to Mather Point. Mather Point is the viewpoint just behind the visitor center and is one of the common views of the Grand Canyon.  From there we walked along the paved trail for .75-miles stopping at random viewpoints ending at the geological center.  From there we boarded the orange line bus back to the visitor center to pick up the blue line bus back to our hotel.   We got back to our lodge around 2:45 PM.   We cut the day a little short because the sun is strong here and I was starting to get a slight headache. I need to be careful in the sun due to a past bout of sun poisoning.  We will probably walk over to the Bright Angel Lodge a little later to see the sun set.  I’m trying to work out the best way to see the night sky as this is a dark skies park. 

Tomorrow some simple hikes to get used to the altitude, dryness, and sun.