[This is an edited version of a log I kept during a Grand Canyon Hike taken with Steve Anthony, Bill Griffin, Andrew Mecom, Jeff Tesney written on the evening of July 19, 2010]
It is amazing how physical state influences perception. Our morning of suffering & physical decline were met with rest and refreshment but our hunger was very real. The GORP (good old raisin and peanuts), pumpkin seeds, diced banana slices, power bars and electrolyte solutions failed to satisfy bodies screaming for protein and the chemical constituents needed to repair all the damage inflicted on our muscles, cartilage & joints during the trip down.
Once the bell rings and you enter the Phantom Ranch Canteen. The meal is a throw back to the days of feeding workers in the Conservation Corps of the 1930's). We said a quick blessing and then dug in. The server brings out all you can eat. There is so much to eat. Cold and crisp salad, cornbread, peas, tea, chocolate cake and coffee. The only hitch is a 45 minute time limit but it is the 45 minutes of the finest meal you would ever want. I particularly enjoyed the stew and salad. You get to eat meals with otherrs from around the country and the world! The stew dinner at Phantom Ranch seems, after a morning on the Kaibab, like the meal of the century (or maybe the millennium) straight from paradise.
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Please note that the views expressed here by me do not represent the views of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Archdiocese of Mobile or any part of the Universal Catholic Church.
