Down is Optional. Up is Mandatory.

We reached the Grand Canyon shortly before sunset on day 3 of our westward exploration. Not sure what restaurants or food was available on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, we had stopped for an early dinner in Flagstaff. Joe and Terry, our Aussie travel companions, recommended an Indian restaurant they had visited before. The buffet line at the Delhi Palace was still open and well-stocked when we arrived mid-afternoon.

Grabbing a plate and a bowl, I first added a green salad and some mango pudding to my plate. Looking at me somewhat like a parent might look at a small child, the lady in line behind me dourly said, "the mango pudding is actually for dessert." That was news to me. An hour later I thought of a snappy comeback. “Life is short. I ALWAYS eat dessert first!”

As I surveyed the large variety of unfamiliar dishes, I was concerned about the effect on my digestive system of introducing spicy foods the likes of which my intestines had never experienced. My plan was to hike down the Bright Angel trail into the Grand Canyon early the next morning. Any trip to the restroom inside the Canyon involves a 1 1/2 mile hike on rugged terrain. Nevertheless, I filled my plate with various portions of chicken and beef with words like “curry” and “pandoori” preceding their name.

The mango chicken and mango pudding were my favorites and I returned to the buffet line a couple of times to restock my plate. The mango pudding was more like chunks of mango floating in a melted orange milkshake.

As we neared the Grand Canyon a large plume of smoke was visible in the distance. Uh oh. Would a forest fire affect our visit? Tuning to the Grand Canyon AM info station, we learned the smoke was from a controlled burn on the north side of the canyon. Later I learned the plan was to send 2300 acres up in smoke.

After reaching our motel, about 6 miles from the rim, any concern about the availability of food evaporated. Within a block of our room was a McDonald’s, a Wendy’s and a Pizza Hut.

Scrambling to reach the Canyon in time to witness the sunset, I dropped my wife and Joe and Terry off near the El Tovar Lodge to search for a parking place. After a 30 minute search, I found one a half-mile away. The bad news is that, by the time I hiked back to the El Tovar Lodge, the sun had already set. The good news is that I was just in time to witness a full moon rising above the Canyon wall.

Back at our room, I arranged my hiking gear in preparation for the next day’s trek down into the Canyon. I was as excited as a kid on Halloween. Sleep was evasive. After I finally drifted off, I awoke every couple of hours to check the alarm clock.

The question facing me was “how far down into the Canyon could I hike and still have sufficient energy and time to get back to the top before dark?” Time would tell, but the Park Rangers offered the following cautionary advice:

“Down is optional. Up is mandatory.”