December 2008 Fishing Report

Hello from Jim Brungardt Fishing Coordinator here at 3 Creek Ranch. Now that the fishing season is over here at 3 Creek I recently took a couple of days off and headed to the Grand Canyon. I hate to admit this but I lived in Phoenix for close to 15 years and had never visited the Grand Canyon. Like many others I have flown over many times and have always wanted to check it out but never did...until recently.

Several months ago a group of my buddies and I decided we wanted to attempt the Grand Canyon "Rim to Rim" hike. This involves hiking from the North Rim down to the bottom of the canyon and back up to the South Rim in one day...over 9000 vertical feet and over 21 miles! For months we all prepared for this adventure and on October 31st we drove from Jackson to Kanab, UT. We spent the night at the world famous Bob Bon Motel and even managed to make the short drive to Fredonia, AZ, to sample a cold one at the Buckskin Tavern—famous for having the longest bar in Arizona. To many that would be reason enough to make the 9-hour drive from Jackson but we had bigger plans and the next morning we drove 2 hours farther south to the North Kaibab Trailhead to begin of our Grand Canyon adventure.

We made it to the trailhead at 6:30am and within a few minutes, right at daybreak, we started down the trail. The North Kaibab Trailhead begins at about 8200 feet and over the next 13½ miles drops over 5400 vertical feet at an average of about a 21% grade. I gotta tell you parts of this trail are flat out amazing. I can only imagine how parts of this trail were originally built. Many times the trail is chiseled out of a shear cliff with 500 vertical feet of cliff above and below you. The change in geology is also amazing and humbling. When we started the temperature was 28° and when we reached Phantom Ranch and the canyon bottom 5 hours later the temperature was close to 90°! After a quick lunch we refilled our Camelbaks and started our climb up the South Kaibab Trail. The next 7½ miles and 4500 vertical feet are all uphill and there's not a drop of water anywhere. This part of the hike is also amazing. It tends to be more exposed and can be quite hot. We plugged along stopping briefly to rest and take in the awesome scenery and about 6 hours later we reached the top and the end of our Rim to Rim hike. Reaching the top was one of the greatest feelings I've had in my life...the sense of accomplishment was wonderful...and so was NOT CLIMBING anymore!

We had someone move our car from the North Rim to the South Rim so we hopped into our car and made the short drive to the El Tovar Lodge. This is a beautiful hotel situated on the South Rim. We checked in and after a long shower we all met at the El Tovar dining room for dinner and celebration. What a great way to end a truly memorable day. The next morning we got up and watched the sunrise over the Grand Canyon and then hopped into the car and drove 13 hours back to Jackson. Needless to say we got a lot done in 3 days!

I want to wish everyone very Happy Holidays! Enjoy the time with your friends and family. I look forward to seeing all of you in 2009.

Jim Brungardt

3 Creek Ranch Fishing Coordinator