Kaibab!

In the morning I still had another 10 miles of unpaved road to traverse. It was slow going but beautiful. I eventually came to the Roosevelt dam which was modified between 1989 and 1996 to increase the height by 77 feet. It was determined that the original height wasn't high enough for a possible flood, so that's why the damn was modified. The original dam was built between 1903 and 1911 out of stone cut from the nearby canyon. At the time it was the largest stone dam in the world.

The ride to the grand canyon was beautiful. More mountains, cacti, and high desert. The road brought me to about 8000 feet and it got cold for a few hours. A quick stop in Flagstaff for lunch, and then I continued to the canyon. I wanted make sure I got to the backcountry office before they closed and find a spot try sleep for the night in the national forest just outside the park. On my way out of Flagstaff I had beautiful views of a lightly snow dusted Humphreys peak. A 12,637 foot peak in central Arizona.

I arrived at the backcountry office just after 4 and obtained a permit for two nights at the bright angel camp at the bottom of the canyon just past that Colorado River. I quickly turned around and set up camp in Kaibab national Forest immediately beyond the park boundary to the south. The forest was very inviting with nicely spaced trees and a few established camp spots. I chose one and made camp before the sun started to set. Something I hadn't managed to accomplish in the last couple of days. I got ready for a cold night, as the forecast said it would be in the 20s. I donned all my clothes and climbed into my sleeping bag after dancing around outside my tent to watch the moon and keep warm for a bit.

The night was cold and for whatever reason, I woke up at 2 and couldn't sleep the rest of the night. I tossed and turned till i couldn't take it anymore. I new it was going to be even colder outside my sleeping bag and tent, but I wasn't sleeping so I braved the cold and started a fire in the fire ring. I knew the ring wasn't a legal one (you're not supposed to have a fire in a national forest unless it's in a ring provided by the national forest) but my hands and feet were about to freeze off. The small fire I made was just big enough to warm me up so I wasn't too uncomfortable. Time to make breakfast and break down camp. Every few minutes I would come back and warm my hands and feet. Once everything was packed up, I started the bike after a few tries and went to the visitor center to warm up some more.

Pictures: a bridge just passed the Roosevelt dam. The Roosevelt lake side of the dam. An elevated view towards the canyon. Looking back at Humphreys peak. My campsite in Kaibab. A frosty helmet next to the fire. Not the same as a frosty mug.Read more