Well, the couple next to us is still here joined today by a group of people.  The signs on their car say that they belong to an astronomy club.  I wish that Bob were here to join them tonight since he has an interest in astronomy.  We thought about buying a telescope for this trip.  I wish that we had because you can see so many stars here because there are no city lights.  The sky is filled with stars, stars, and more stars.

After I finished writing this entry, I heard a knock on the door.  Since I do not know anyone in Arizona, I was wondering who could be knocking at my door.  When I opened the door, there stood a dirty grungy man-Bob!  The first words out of Bob’s mouth was, “If I ever want to do this again, tell me no.”

Bob wrote:

The first light immediately awoke me . I quickly packed and started up the Cathedral Stairs. I was fresh and rested and the ascent went well. From the stairs, the trail gradually rises on the east face and is nearly all in shade in the morning. There were several areas of switchbacks that the sun hit, but the hike was uneventful. Since I knew what was in store for me at the rock slides, I was able to manage without any real trouble. Now, the only problem was fatigue and water supply.  When David and I parted the night before, he graciously gave me a one liter platypus bag of water from his own supply.  On the hike down, I had too much water early in the day. This time, I would do a better job of rationing and I added electrolytes to the platypus bag. As I ascended, and before I reached Santa Maria Springs, I added the water in David's bag to mine and mixed in  more electrolytes. When I reached Santa Maria Springs, I replenished my water supply. Now the only obstacle was the 1,700 foot ascent to the trailhead. Here, fatigue would prove to be the enemy. I stopped to eat at the junction to Dripping Springs. As I hiked the remaining trail, I would stop frequently, drink and continue on. Eventually I reached the trailhead. I estimate that I started hiking this morning around 4:00AM and reached Hermit trailhead at 2:00 PM.

When I reached the trailhead, there was a man and woman reading the warning signs. Apparently there was a young woman that ran the Boston Marathon in 3:00 hours. She and a friend took a hike in the canyon but were unprepared for the hike. She died because she did not take enough water and was unfamiliar with the difficulties of hiking the canyon. The couple was astonished that anyone could hike down the canyon and back. They congratulated me on my "successful" hike. I thanked them and continued to the bus stop to return to the campground. I stopped to rest at Hermit's Rest, a concession area. They followed me and asked if they could get me anything. I had forgotten to bring money with me for refreshments. I thanked them and they bought me an ice cream and two waters, which I consumed greedily. They carried my bag to the bus and helped me on. I rode the bus to the end of the line and got on another bus to the campground. I walked to the trailer, knocked on the door and asked Sue if I was late for dinner.