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Grandiose

The Kaibab Trail begins its studied, winding descent from the South Rim to the inner benches and finally into the depths of the basement rock of the Inner Gorge, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona.

 

Down at the bottom of the Canyon, the Trail reaches Phantom Ranch and the Bright Angel campground, and the Park Service has elected to provision these outposts and remove their trash via the only feasible means of transport that doesn’t destroy the peace and quiet - mules. As such, there are sections of the Kaibab Trail that waft something of mule latrine, but it is also true that watching a train of mules sweat to emerge from the Canyon’s bowels is something of a wonder. It strikes me that the art of packing and balancing a load onto mules, and then tying it down properly for a journey is something of a niche skillset these days, and I imagine that for those thus specially trained, obtaining this job at the Park Service and arriving at work in the Canyon every day must be nothing short of miraculous.

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Uploaded on July 23, 2025
Taken on January 2, 2025