Today's route stats: 

Bert and Mark had to get going early because they had a plane to catch in Las Vegas later today.  I am always slow hiking out, so they took off without me.  I told them I would text them when I got out.  I hung around camp a bit, drinking another cup of coffee.  

The weather had turned colder and I was concerned that I would have trouble controlling my temperature while hiking out.  You heat up as you exert yourself hiking uphill, then sweat, and then often get chilled.  I hiked slowly without working up much of a sweat. 

Near the top I ran into a group of backpackers from Flagstaff.  Usually I don't see anyone hiking in this area, so this trip was very unusual.  Seems like this area is getting more popular -- probably because of the wonderful scenery and the fact that you don't need a permit from the NPS, which can sometimes be hard to get.  Only my car and a van from NAU were parked at the trailhead. 

I drove back to Kanab where I had lunch, then continued on to Page where I had hotel reservations.  The next day I headed back to New Mexico.