Today's route stats: 

We had to get up very early because our breakfast was scheduled for 5:30 (before sunrise).   The breakfast was wonderful, so it definitely was worth it.   After breakfast we walked back to camp, packed up, and headed for Indian Garden.   Since Brianna had been on the Silver Bridge on a previous trip, we decided to go back across the Black Bridge and follow the River Trail to the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail.   We made good time and stopped for only a few photos.

I had read in Wayne Tomasi's book about a route that takes you below Plateau Point at the base of the Tapeats.   I thought this might make a fun day hike.   So after setting up camp we headed for Lone Pine Canyon, an small, unnamed canyon between Horn Creek and Plateau Point.   Finding a route down to the canyon bottom that Brianna would be willing to do was a challenge.   But eventually, with a lot of coaxing, we found ourselves at the bottom of Lone Pine Canyon.   Now it was just a mater of hiking down the canyon for a short distance and contouring East along the base of the Tapeats.   But Brianna decided she had had enough of the brush (she only had on shorts), so we climbed back out of the canyon and then made a beeline for Plateau Point.   I also think hiking off-trail kind of spooked her, even though we were barely off-trail.