We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon about 8 a.m. on Friday, April 11.  The weather was perfect for a hike into the canyon with clear skies and a temperature of about 50 degrees.  It would warm up as the day progressed, and it also generally gets warmer as you descend into the canyon, but April is a much better time of year to hike into the canyon than later in the season.     It's 8:00 a.m. at a South Rim parking lot.  A sunny, dry day was before us.  We readied ourselves for the strenuous hike ahead by practicing our balance on railroad tracks. Peering over the rim.  We're going down there?  DOWN THERE?!?!     Yes, down there!  In the right center of this photo you can see the trail out to Plateau Point, which is 6.1 miles and a 3000 foot vertical drop from the South Rim.  In the left center is the "battleship" rock formation.  It looks more like a battleship (or, at least, the top of one) as you get lower into the canyon.   This little fellow was sure friendly!. We didn't feed him, but he sure acted like many others have.  He's no dummy!