9/13/09: On the previous post you can see a panoramic video of the view from the South Rim. Hiking back down along the rim, the trail ran along the ledge and then cut back east to the trailhead. I stopped along the way to take a couple of pictures. I've also included on picture here taken at campsite #2. Of note is all the gooey, gloppy mud caked on the tires of the truck. It was like a wet clay that hardened during the heat of the day. The following idea came up for me on returning to my campsite. Evening was approaching, and I started preparing for the evening. I found that the desert does funny things to the mind. Some combination of the elevation and the dry heat of the sun gave me some immediate sense of urgency. For some reason I thought it was very important to get the camp area and my things organized before the sun set. I knew the temperature would drop at least 30 degrees, but I was still scurrying around thinking I had to get everything done. One task I wrestled with feverishly was folding the tarp. I'd tried to pitch the tarp with no success. It was larger than the four tent poles could handle in the steady breeze. I gave up trying to create shade with it and spread it out on the ground for folding. It's such a large tarp. Some 18 by 15 feet. I'd hoped it would supply a large amount of shade, but was disappointed. Although I thought that creating shade was urgent, the heat was getting to me. There really wasn't any hurry. The temperature changed gradually. I wasn't in any danger. Not from the cold I anticipated, nor the sun. But the thought that there was a lot to do kept returning until after I slowed down enough to make supper. The was an easy, meandering hike.
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