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It's now been a full month since we've been supplied from the outside. Hell, we haven't even seen a car in a month! (We meet our supply guy in a couple days, he'll be forwarding this letter).

"The experience here has truly been one of the most profound of my life. The sense of accomplishment is incredibly satisfying...."

Since I last communicated (from Phantom Ranch), things have been quite a bit less demanding, though we've still had some adventures. The weather has been mercifully cool, we even saw a storm leave snow on both rims of the Canyon (in April? In Arizona?). But the big difference: There are trails to follow, instead of merely "routes." That's not to say that they're easy, just generally a lot less painful. The trail we use to exit the park tomorrow is considered the park's most difficult: a 5,600-foot climb over very steep and very loose, highly exposed terrain. But how bad can it be? There's a trail!

Anyway, we left the totally awesome people at the Phantom Ranch (say 'hi' to them) on the first real trail we had seen in a while. Soon after, we experienced a scary equipment failure: our water filter broke. We're getting by with iodine tablets that we've been bagging from other backpackers and by pumping water with other hikers'/boaters' filters. Hopefully, our replacement pump is coming to our supply site.

We've had food cached at Horseshoe Mesa since October so we were concerned as to its condition, but all was well. Not only was the cache intact, we found it easily and also found some folks with the Grand Canyon Field Institute who were willing to pack out the cache buckets and our garbage from the previous section. That all was one huge relief! The trip continues after all!

After following the East Tonto Trail for a while, we dropped to river level and the Escalante Route then onto the very cool Beamer Trail, which brought us to the warm Little Colorado River. Overnight rain (and snow up top) unfortunately clouded the usually crystal clear, turquoise water, but at least we could still wade across it. The next day, after hoping to encounter some boaters, we found what we needed: a ferry across the frigid Colorado River.

A Colorado River and Trail Expeditions trip, led by Bill Trevithick, was gracious enough to give us a lift. Back on the other side we then had to hike eight miles or so up river, now Marble Canyon, to Nankoweep Canyon which is where we are now. The climb out has zero shade so we'll be leaving our camp to begin at 5am, hoping to beat the heat.

After taking such a beating in the first two weeks here, I'm surprised to find myself bummed out to be leaving the GC (Grand Canyon). The experience here has truly been one of the most profound of my life. The sense of accomplishment is incredibly satisfying, to know that we not only made it through what has got to be some of the country's biggest backcountry alive but we're healthy and on schedule! We made it!

The Grand Canyon itself is amazing. The huge walls, the colors, the vast area, the incredible vertical everywhere, the river. And it's so diverse; the ponderosa pines, cactus, yucca and agave, cougars, coyotes, scorpions, birds, deer, even fish. Oh yeah, and the rattlesnakes. They seem to be out now. I almost got myself bit the other evening, taking that one last pee of the day by the river, I look down and am practically standing on a rattler. He didn't even rattle, preferring instead to allow me to have a heart attack by myself.

After being in the canyon for virtually a month, it's going to be strange going up top. It'll be cold at night. There's even snow still on the ground (on the North Rim anyway). It'll be open, no walls to block out the whole of the nighttime sky. At least we'll only be on the Arizona Strip for a few days, maybe a week. Then it's into another river canyon: the wildly colorful Paria River Wilderness.

I guess the next time you'll hear from us we'll be back in Utah! Until then, take care!

— Mike Coronella with Joe "Mitch" Mitchell, MountainZone.com Correspondents

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