A big, huge thank you to Dan and Mosie from Ohio. My campground neighbors at the Grand Canyon. They were kind enough to let me borrow their power inverter. That little thing you plug into your car cigarette lighter to charge your cell phone, batteries or laptop. My inverter broke just as I arrived at the Grand Canyon North Rim campground. And of course my camera batteries were on the brink, never mind a dead computer. Thank you!
Congrats to Christie, Mike and Jim-Bob for hiking the Grand Canyon rim to rim to rim. That’s 46 miles with roughly 6,000’ in elevation change. Way to go!
Dealing with adversity is never easy, but sometimes confronting it head on works best. I had said that I don’t want to spend any time in freezing cold weather. Sometimes things just happen and I ended up at the Grand Canyon North Rim, it wasn’t planned, but who can just drive past the exit. Night temperatures were in the mid to upper 20s F. That wouldn’t be so bad if you had heat. Well, I had been dry camping for four nights before I arrived at the North Rim and my camper batteries did not charge as well as they used to in the summer time, I am using a solar panel.
Only until you have little battery power do you realize how much runs off it. The water pump uses power, so no matter how much water you have in the tank, you can’t get to it. The fridge runs off propane, but the control panel needs electricity, same with the heater, needs propane, but electricity to blow the air around. What to do with limited amps? For starters you put on three warm layers and a wool hat, turn off the fridge overnight, don’t take a shower (good thing I travel on my own) and have only one little light on. Waking up to 42 F is not a whole lot of fun, but it is not 32 F. I have to say sleeping with a hot water bottle and a wool hat can really make a difference. Trust me; I don’t like to live in a cold room. In NYC I was on the phone with the super when the temperatures dropped below 68 F.
Last but not least, the motor for my camper legs also run off the battery. Guess what I had to use to put the camper back on the truck; the good old hand crank. I could have just stood there and be mad and kick the tire, but I chose to just deal with what was put in front of me. It took me three times longer to put the camper back on than it usually does, but it got done.
The great thing about visiting the North Rim around this time of year is that nobody is there. The Lodge closed a week ago and the campground was officially closed as well. No flushing toilets or running water, except at the backcountry office. There were only five campers at the campground which has 80 sites. The Grand Canyon is spectacular, but more about that in another post.
I am now parked at a campground with electric and water hook-up. Taking a nice hot shower was bliss and only wearing a sweat shirt is wonderful. My little electric space heater is humming away. The only draw back, I am 200 yards from I-15, a busy interstate to California. But you know what, I don’t even care, having electricity is worth it.
So many exciting and exhilarating things happened in October. I hope that I will have time, when I am not hiking, to write about them.
Have to go now, lost an hour driving from Arizona to Utah. Arizona does not have day light saving time.
Please don’t forget, God’s Love’s Race to Deliver is in just a couple of weeks and I am falling way behind in my fundraising efforts. Please go to my personal webpage to make a donation online or send a check payable to God’s Love We Deliver to:
God’s Love We Deliver
166 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10013
Attn.: Jicky
Thank you!