Getting to the Trailhead - Narrows - 09/25/2010

Rising at 5:15 am we packed up the car (all our gear was outside so we had room to sleep inside), and we made it to the permit office at 6:10 am.  That put us 9th or 10th in line.  When we got to the window we asked if we could go today.  There was only one campsite left for Saturday and it was #1 - all the other sites had been taken already.  This was IDEAL since that meant we would hike the shorter distance when our time was limited  (we would not be able to start our hike until after noon) and hike the longer distance w we could start early.   We came away from the office with the LAST permit to hike that very day.

We packed our gear right outside the shuttle service office.  The permit was only $10 for the campsite - and that included two portable toilets.  It was the shuttle service where they really gouge you.  $60 for the 2 of us.  but it is quite a long drive - about 2 hours.   Our last trip had this covered as we had 2 cars and two people who weren't going on the hike and could drive the cars back. 

Waiting at the Shuttle office for our 9:30 departure.  Below is our shuttlecraft. 

Inside the module.

Long waits for construction one-way road segments allowed roadside pictures on the way up.

And then the start - about a mile and a half of open road with little shade at just after noon.