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| Hiking | 5.81 Miles |
768 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.81 Miles | | | |
| 768 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | After we hiked the Uncle Jim trail, the plan was to wander out to Cape Royal - taking all the little side-hikes we could fit in - and have a sunset/moonrise picnic out at the point. It was a delightful plan that (for once) went pretty much as expected. Shocking!
We started out by driving out to Point Imperial for lunch. Imperial is the highest point on either rim, and it's lofty vantage gives some real perspective. You can see the flat of the plateau on the South Rim like nowhere else, and it's a straight shot right down the middle of the Little Colorado River Gorge if you have a strong enough camera lens (I don't). The countless spires, temples and points that make up the north rim are all outlined in great relief here, especially when there are summer thunderstorms rolling through the canyon as there were that day. Not a bad spot for lunch!
Then we hiked out to Cape Final. This trail was an unexpected gem, it was easy hiking but had very nice forest, some fantastic views and not many tourists to get in the way (well, except for us). The trail leads out to a point with amazing views of the east portion of the canyon, including the infamous Supergroup formations of the Escalante. We picked up one of our scattered hikers along the way, which added even one more pleasant surprise to the trip. I would definitely do Cape Final again, particularly if I needed a nice place to get away from the crowds of Cape Royal and Point Imperial.
Then we explored the Cape Royal area, including the 'Wedding' site and the picnic area where we had an amazing dinner spread out. There's no denying that the ABC group eats well when they get together, and this was certainly no exception!
By the time the moon was rising, we were tired and ready to head home, so I didn't get to spend much time moonlight gazing. Clouds would have made it difficult anyhow.
Another great night with fun people, and an easy day to get us ready for the big attempt on the old BA in a couple days! |
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Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.- Barack Obama |
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