Sunday, October 13, 2013 -- Arriving at Marble Canyon

David and I arrived in Arizona on Thursday and drove to Flagstaff for three nights. The area has historical sights and beautiful hikes, so it was a good place to stop on our way to Marble Canyon.  We are planning to take part in Road Scholar Program #6113, Hiking Marble Canyon: Off the Beaten Track, October 13 – 19, 2013.  We will be spending six days in the area, including four days of hiking and hopefully enjoying a float trip on the Colorado River, assuming that at least this part of the national park system opens up, despite the government shutdown. Marble Canyon is located at the east end of the Grand Canyon by Lee's Ferry and is the point where rafters put into the Colorado River for the start of their multi-day raft trips. Just before reaching our destination, we saw the Vermilion Cliffs in the distance.  We would be hiking in this beautiful area all week.  We also stopped at the Navajo Bridge for our first views of the Colorado River.

The Vermilion Cliffs near Marble Canyon

The old bridge, on the left, is used as the pedestrian bridge.

View of the river from the bridge

We checked into the Marble Canyon Lodge and soon met our fellow hikers.  The 16 participants include married couples, single travelers, and those whose non-hiking spouse remained at home, and they come from all over the country -- Hawaii, Alaska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, Ohio, New Hampshire. plus two couples from Canada. Several of us have hiked together on previous RS trips and almost all have had Mike Young as a guide.  We are all excited and ready for what is described by Mike as a very challenging hiking program.

Our 16 hikers, plus guide Mike (top row, red vest)