Hermit's Rest and Condor Talk

We packed up this morning and headed out on our bikes to the Hermit's Rest shuttle stop.

We took the shuttle to Trailview Overlook. The trail in question is the Bright Angel Trail which leads from the rim to the inner canyon. It's the trail we're planning to take tomorrow, so we were especially interested to see it zig-zagging down the steep canyon sides.

Bright Angel Trail from Trailview Overlook

We walked to Maricopa Point, then Powell Point, then Hopi Point, and finally to Mohave Point before reboarding the shuttle to ride to the Abyss and then to Monument Creek Vista.

View from Hopi Point (?)

We skipped getting off at Pima Point until our return trip.  By this point we were ready for water and restrooms and lunch and a bit of a rest, so we rode on to Hermits Rest. The building there is one designed by renowned Southwest architect Mary Jane Colter. It is rustic and perches on the rim of the canyon as if it had grown there.

Arch at Approach to Hermit's Rest

Fireplace at Hermit's Rest

On the way back we made our final stop at Pima Point and then rode back to the terminus at the Village Route Transfer stop, where we had left our bikes. We decided to bike home, get a brief rest, and shed our heavy packs.

After a bit we caught the shuttle at the campground and took it (with a transfer) to Bright Angel Lodge, another historic structure designed by Mary Colter, who designed other structures for the Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. The lodge includes a history room, with many artifacts from the early days when affluent east coast travelers came to lodge in luxury and be served by the famed Harvey Girls.

Bright Angel Lodge Registration Desk

We went to the Lookout Studio and the Kolb Brothers Studio before attending a ranger talk on the California Condor held on a rustic patio below the Lookout Studio, overlooking the canyon. Ranger Ty was enthusiastic, and his talk was informative. The only thing that would have made it better would have been the appearance of an actual condor, but all we saw soaring over the canyon were turkey vultures and ravens. Maybe tomorrow....

Ranger Ty