He prepares those who want to take the trip for a tough, hard trip, and an exhilarating experience. The second is an overnight ride that ends at Phantom Ranch, where riders can spend one or two nights exploring the bottom of the Canyon.
Mules are well-suited for traversing the Grand Canyon.
They are three times as strong as a horse, more sure-footed, intelligent, and trainable. Their supposed stubborn nature is due to their strong sense of self-preservation. One of the first sights that current day mule riders see is the Kolb Studio, built in 1904 by brothers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, who took the first photos of early-day riders. They operated their photography business for 70 years, and shot photos of almost 70,000 mule trains. Once past Kolb Studio, the mule train begins its first series of descending switchbacks.