f all the myriad places people considered to witness the birth of the new millennium, perhaps no other could put this mere “tick” of time into clearer perspective than our own Grand Canyon. This planet's most awesome tribute to the insignificance of human time has witnessed the passing of at least 5,000 millenniums, and that's just counting the time since it's been a hole in the ground! Grand Canyon simultaneously inspires feelings of spiritual grandeur and mocks such trivial time passages. You couldn't conceive of a more intellectually contrary place to watch the dawn of this great moment in time, than this, the ultimate expression of timelessness. It comes as no surprise then, that within the depths of this great gorge, a unique branch of the Grand Canyon family—the Phantom Ranch Family—recently gathered for a historic reunion.
Family you say? Isn't that like a father and mother and their children? Well, if the Colorado River is the “father” of the “mother-of-all-canyons”, indeed it follows that this splendid landform can engender her own children. It all comes down to place, particularly this place and how it transforms those lucky enough to call it home at some point in their lives. The Phantom family shares a unique and colorful history that is little known to those whose only impression of the place is something akin to “that lemonade stand”. As the now far-flung members of the Phantom family took to the trail, returning in a very real sense to the place of their “birth”, they began to understand their rightful place within the larger expanse of Grand Canyon's human history. Far from the limelight of Grand Canyon Village, Phantom Rancher's have evolved a way of life that would seem familiar to the likes of the ancestral Pai, John Hance, or W. W. Bass.

Not to mention one helluva New Year's Eve party! And if some people out there in “outer space” (contrasted against those who live down here in “inner space”) hold one mistaken impression of Phantom Ranchers, it's that they are simply unruly rouges. This distorted and ill-founded reputation created a minor scare during the planning stage of the reunion when certain bureaucrats sent a letter to all invitees stating that they had become “extremely apprehensive about the potential for uncontrolled behavior and resource damage”. In truth, the likelihood of the Ranchers trashing their cherished old stomping grounds was about as real as Pink Floyd coming down to play for the event (an honest-to-God nationwide rumor).

And so on the last day of the old millennium, Phantom Ranch welcomed back close to ninety ex-employees and their guests, some dating back as far as 1971 and darn near worthy of the title “Grand Canyon Pioneer” (some of them looked it too!). Never before have so many illustrious “All-Stars” of this unique resort ever assembled in one place and the fact that it happened at the Ranch made it all the more special for everyone involved. Many people traveled from across the country to be here and one person even changed their millennium destination from Antarctica to the Ranch! The story of how this remarkable reunion came to be is a perfect example of how deeply the Phantom experience touches the lives of all who experience it.

It started in June, 1992, long before the word y2k had been invented, when manager Warren Tracy got the idea for a Phantom Ranch get-together, to be held at what then seemed a very long time in the future—the year 2000. Warren and his staff ultimately agreed to host a big millennium bash that would be open to those who used to live and work at the Ranch. The real display of commitment by Warren and his staff however, was the decision to pay for the whole thing! This would be accomplished by investing a portion of their tip money into a dedicated mutual fund account, which started with nothing more than a $250 initial investment, followed by $100 monthly investments thereafter. The fund grew to the point that every single bed, every meal, and every mule for two consecutive nights was reserved and paid for in full for those ex-Ranchers who wanted to celebrate the millennium at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. (By the way, the Ranch currently costs about $6,000 per night to completely charter).
And so the reunion became a reality. Warren sent his first “newsletter” in April, 1996 asking those who received it if they knew the whereabouts of any “lost” members of the family. Eventually about 130 ex-Ranchers were located, with the majority of them having worked at the Ranch from the early 1970s onward. Perhaps many of the real old-timers were just too far removed from the experience to be located but Warren also suggested that a big change may have occurred in what kind of person worked at the Ranch prior to the 1970s. He wondered if perhaps before that time employment at the Ranch was considered undesirable or even a hardship. This completely changed in the early 1970s when outdoor sports were popularized and the opportunity to live and work inside the Grand Canyon became a highly sought after option for recent graduates of the late sixties college scene.

In any case, close to half of those contacted by the Ranch made it down for the millennium. The reunion had the air of a larger-than-life event. In fact, it seemed as if the millennium became secondary to the camaraderie and sense of history that was all too evident as the real reason for coming back to the Ranch.

Golden leaves could still be found high in Phantom's cottonwood trees, but just five hours into the new millennium a fresh snow started to fall in the Canyon as low as the Muav Limestone. It was the first moisture Arizona had seen since September 22 and was not even visible on the radar of any forecasts for the millennium weekend. This led everyone to agree that the storm must have been the work of Vishnu or Zoroaster, who obviously were greatly placated by the presence of such renown personalities, and tried to keep everyone inside Grand Canyon once and for all. No one would have minded and the welcomed moisture boded well for the new millennium.
It became evident to all attendees at the Millennium Reunion that the Phantom Ranch experience is unique and that it continues to positively influence the ex-Ranchers in their present lives. They agreed that the experience was profound and transcends time. Skills that were learned here years ago continue to be used in diverse places.

As the many personalities made their way back up to “outer space”, the current Ranch staff gradually settled back into their “normal routine”. I was amazed at how little had changed in the overall character of Phantom Ranch employees since the day I stumbled into this little slice of heaven 25 years ago. Exactly as it was then, there was talk in the bunkhouse late at night of the Colorado River, Ribbon Falls, and all things Grand Canyon.
Phantom Ranch is indeed a very special place. It combines both the raw and rugged beauty of the Grand Canyon with a modicum of 20th (now 21st) century amenities such as good food, a hot shower, and most important—family. No one is aware yet of any plans for a reunion during the next change of millennium but two things are for sure—the mutual fund account for that one will grow quite large and the Grand Canyon will still be a great place to grow a family.

Wayne Ranney