a STEEP hike down into the Black Canyon

Monday, 9/24

We went to the visitor's center to get back-country passes for ourselves to descend off-trail down into the canyon.  It rained a bit in the night, so we were expecting possibly slick and muddy conditions.  We were fully warned of the dangers and of the steepness (45degs in some spots) which sounds all well and good but my GOODNESS, it was steep.  Crazy steep.  Lots of firsts for this hike: black dirt on the path instead of sand or red rock.  Hard granite rock EVERYwhere.  Very, very VERY steep descent.  Oh, and fall colors.

Lisa on the autumnal trail (it wasn't steep yet at this point, as you can see)

At a certain point, I just wasn't having fun anymore on the steep and quite unmaintained trail (the bad footing was a little too reminiscent of when I fell and broke my wrist 8 summers ago).  Nils really wanted to check out "the chain", however, so he forged ahead a few more switchbacks til he found it.  It's 80 feet long, and you hold on for dear life, as the footing is quite difficult due to the steepness.  He LOVED it, and managed, of course, in his expert fashion, to position the camera to take a brief movie of what it was like:

Pretty crazy.  And great exercise!   I sat patiently on a rock waiting for him in the drizzle, and then we headed back up the canyon which was not easy, but at least more fun than coming down.  We were richly rewarded with a GORGEOUS rainbow!

Isn't it beautiful?!

It flashed in and out of focus/instensity....it was actually a double rainbow.

It felt like a very good omen.  We got home and made lunch and then hunkered down while it rained and thundered....we haven't been in a rainstorm for months!  The temps never climbed out of the 50s, it actually felt like November.

The rainstorms cleared away the haze and now we could see snow capped rocky mountains in the far distance....that's where we're headed next!