OK, I know these are huge chunks of photos, but hopefully you're hanging in there for all of them! And better yet, hopefully you're enjoying the trip!
Phantom Ranch has two types of lodging - dorms and cabins. There are four dorms - two for women and two for men, each with 5 sets of bunk beds. As you can see, there's a sink in the main room and a little room with a flush(!) toilet and another little room with a shower. The cabins are mostly for the mule-riders, but if they have extra space due to cancellations, hikers (esp. couples and families, I think) can sometimes snag them. I didn't go in a cabin, but they are really cute on the outside! The construction of Phantom Ranch, as it's known now (was called Roosevelt Camp earlier, since Teddy R. camped there on a hunting trip), began in 1922. It was designed by Mary Colter, who was also the main architect for most of Grand Canyon's neatest architecture. Since then, it's pretty much been used as it's always been - as a rustic resort. So many people want to enjoy PR these days that getting a reservation can be pretty hard. You can begin the attempt a year or so in advance, or you can do like I did - decide to do this rather late in the game and keep calling for cancellations! I wound up broken hearted after my first call, but a friend suggested I keep on calling. So I did and succeeded on what was only my second try! I reserved two nights in a dorm, two dinners, two breakfasts, and two sack lunches (yes, you can get a bed, shower, and food!!! What more do you want?! (Well, maybe better A/C and ice cream, but hey, I'm not complaining!!)
I was in the bottom bunk here. There was a lady in the top bunk the first night - part of a group, as most are - but no one there the second night. The people in my dorm switched out completely on the second night, and there were THREE vacant beds that second night! Most people only spend one or two nights, but some stay for a week!
The rooms utilize swamp coolers in the summer. They help, but it was still probably in the 80s in the rooms most of the day and some of the night.
The dorms.
A cabin...with a visitor. Must be a gardener - looks like he's pruning the bushes...
Lots of deer here, wandering around through the ranch.
People hanging out in front of the Canteen, the place that serves up the chow. It's kept the coolest of all the buildings and has a little store where you can buy certain shirts (only sold down there!), postcards (that are then hauled out of the canyon by "mule mail!"), and snacks, so you can guess how popular it is!
The front view. Isn't it a pretty building? Remember, they had to haul in all the building materials except for the rocks, so rock walls make a lot of sense, don't you think?!
In the afternoons and evenings, folks can gather around and listen to a park ranger talk about one of various subjects. One I went to was about the Kolb Brothers, an amazing and slightly crazy family duo who truly lived the "no fear" mentality in their efforts to record all sorts of angles and scenes for still photos and movies of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River in the early 1900s. Another one I went to was on the geology of the GC.
The afternoon talks were held here, under this gorgeous tree.
The evening talks had more (comfortable) seating and were held at a little "amphitheater" area.
Some more of the pretty little cabins.
The Canteen again, with people gathering around before the doors opened for dinner. When you make reservations, you can choose between a 5am or 6:30am breakfast seating (a knock on the cabin or dorm door at 4:30 ensured attendance...). You would pick up your sack lunch after breakfast. And you would need to select either a 5pm or 6:30pm dinner. Earlier dinners meant steak (and later dinners, stew - pick 5pm steak if you can!). Earlier breakfasts are good for getting an early start on the trail and beating the heat somewhat - although they weren't early enough for me! A 5am breakfast would mean a 5:30am start at best - that was sunrise. I don't do well with heat so decided to start earlier (3:30am) and just got an extra lunch instead of breakfast.
Some more of our "deer neighbors," crossing the creek.
Is the grass greener over there?
I only caught the last part of one of the nightly ranger talks, but that gave me the chance to see some cool night critters. One was (we think) a grey fox. Can't be sure because I didn't really see it! It just ran by in front of me and into the bushes! But when I asked the ranger, she said that sounded like fox behavior, and that's who she would expect it to be in the camp like that. I also heard all these frogs/toads? croaking/singing away and so pointed my flashlight in their direction. This is who I found... I think he's a toad, but I'm not sure.
I had heard stories about all the scorpions in the area - and had heard warnings about these little critters getting in stuff left on dorm/cabin floors. So I asked the ranger about them, and she did a "blacklight special" one night for some of us. I guess these bark scorpions are pretty common in parts of AZ during the hotter months. They are one of the most deadly scorpions, even though they are tiny - only 1-3 inches long! Here's one who volunteered for a photo - the only illumination is from her UV light. As a side note, I was shocked when I returned to my dorm afterwards and found the lights out and everyone asleep already - at 8:30pm! But that's what happens after a full day of hiking and anticipation of an early start the next day!!
On my rest day, I changed my time to the early breakfast so that I could explore and hike before it got too hot. The mules were already saddled up and waiting this morning's riders. When the ranger shines her UV light for scorpions at night, she shines it on these rock piles! No scorpions there during the day apparently, but beware at night!
Funny tail haircuts, eh? That's because some of the mules are better for carrying people than others - some are best left with non-living burdens. This way they can be told apart. The friendly ones (at least I'm assuming that's what they meant) have these weird stylings...
This one must have a funny tail cut... The lady seems pretty nice too - does her ponytail look weird?
Sweety face. I got a late start on my day hiking because I spent so much time hugging and kissing mules...
I went through the Bright Angel Campground so I could see what the sites were like. They looked pretty nice!
I was so taken with Bright Angel Creek and all the gorgeous green trees surrounding it! What a beautiful, welcoming oasis in this hot, dry, orange-red-brown area!!
On one side, the creek. On the other, the campground trail (the PR trail is actually on the other side of the creek).
A sweet little doe.
Bright Angel Creek before the sun hits it.
Looking the other direction - the sun is coming!
And so is another mule train!
And here is the "silver bridge."
Looking up at the canyon walls.
Some more of the pretty cactus flowers around PR.
What a cabin, what a setting!
PR on PR? :)
Mas flores!
Working hard at not working! It's obviously these mules' day off! Yay!!
The trees and creek again - can you tell how much I love this part?!
What's in a name...?
Yeah, another creek photo...
And another...
Hmm, who's that??
Whoever it is, here's where she lives!
Another resident (more full-time though!).
Missing mules...!
The inside of the Canteen. They had just shooed us all out post-dinner, but I had to grab a quick photo since this would be my last opportunity!
After dinner, I took one last little hike - to get to a spot that overlooks PR.
Blurry (too low light and too zoomed in for my little P&S!) but cute lizard (desert spiny?).
PR from "above." You can even see the 4 little dorm rooftops.
OK, can you see what this photo is of? It was too dark for my camera to handle, but this is a grey fox! I had turned off the main trail to get to the overlook, but this guy/gal was continuing on (with a curious look at me first!). What a treat to see!!!
Time to go back. Tomorrow will be a super early get-up, and I'm running out of light anyways. Don't want to become mountain lion bait. Can't take photos. What's the point?!
It was amazing how hot it still was - even later in the evening it was still 85 degrees...
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