The following day we reached Lee's Ferry and were met by Bob Cree's parents. They listened to our stories while feeding us and then drove us to civilization. Both of us were happy that we had achieved what we set out to do without doing ourselves serious injury. Our mishaps had always worked themselves out either due to our own ingenuity or the kindness of the people we met along the river highway. Arriving in Phoenix, we were both surprised to learn that we had lost nearly a half pound of body weight per day. By the end of the trip, I think that Bob was burning muscle mass. He seemed to be getting progressively weaker, while I was approaching fitness levels which I had not seen since I was 16 years old. The bathroom scales confirmed our frequently-voiced suspicions that we had been starving for 56 days. Since my higher body fat levels had acted as a reserve against the prodigious caloric requirements of our trip, I felt justified in indulging in several days of frequent refrigerator visits. Within a month or so, I returned to my normal, slightly-fleshy body weight of 195 pounds.

As I finish documenting this trip, I realize my Canyon experience was not a completion but perhaps simply a beginning. While I may never attempt another foot trip of this length within Grand Canyon, I will certainly continue shorter duration explorations. The essence of Grand Canyon creeps into your blood as the professional boatmen, NPS staff, and dedicated backcountry hikers know. Total withdrawal from future Grand Canyon adventures seems unthinkable. Each new experience there makes me feel that in this place and at this time I am living life to its fullest. After leaving for awhile, my inner self yearns for another Grand Canyon fix with the resultant increased sensitivity and awareness achieved both during and after the trip. However, I find that my attitude towards the Canyon has changed. Like many before me, and many who will follow, I challenged the Grand Canyon with frequent trips and lines drawn on maps for close to ten years. Eventually I realized the absurdity of knowing the unknowable and ended up accepting my relative insignificance on the Grand Canyon's timeless stage.

In the close to thirty years period since this trek, Bob Marley has become a private river rafter, organizing many river trips with his family and friends through Grand Canyon. While he continued to backpack in the remote areas of Grand Canyon, frequently for periods as long as a week, he never attempted another Grand Canyon adventure of this length or duration. Bob Cree took up river rafting for a few years, eventually we rowed a two raft trip on the Colorado through Grand Canyon in the 1983 flood year. Needing to make a living, Bob returned to college and joined the full-time work force. With jointly pursued business and reserve military careers, he has had little time in the intervening years for outdoor expeditions.

The B&W 35 mm photographs on page 6 were published in the fall of 1980 as part of a Phoenix Republic and Gazette story about our adventure. Each of us took close to a 1000 kodachrome slides during the trip and a few of these have been reproduced here for your enjoyment.

Updated on Thursday, November 3, 2011 @ 4:30 MST © 1995-2011 by Robert R. Marley