When you’re in AZ where do you visit? The Grand Canyon of course! My plan was to hike Rim-to-Rim (North to South) to get away from some of the people and to have a chance to camp down in the Canyon. There was one small problem. We didn’t have a permit to camp in the Canyon and they are extremely hard to come by.
When we arrived, the Backcountry Information Center gave us good news and bad news. First the good. We were group number 3 on the wait list and would be issued a permit the next morning! The bad? There was no way we’d get a permit for Cottonwood Campground. Cottonwood is the only campground in the Canyon on the North side and was key to my plan to hike from North to South in 3 days/2 nights. That night we mulled over what to do.
The next morning the ranger told us that Cottonwood was still a no go. So we took what we could get, Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the South Rim. This meant we’d have to do the hike in 2 days instead of 3. We’d hike from the North Rim Campground to Bright Angel Campground, 15 miles and 5,800 ft down, on day one! Day two would be shorter at 9.5 miles, but tough because of the climb out!
North Rim at sunset
Our first morning on the trail we began hiking at 5:45 AM. All morning long the North Kaibab trail went down, down, and down some more. My knees were shattered!
As the day started getting hot we reached the trail junction for Ribbon Falls. We debated about taking the side trail because it was going to add another mile to our day. An additional mile when you’re already doing 15 in the heat is a lot! But we opted to go because it was supposed to be gorgeous. Plus it would give us a chance to cool off and soak our feet over lunch.
Boy are we glad we did! The falls were amazing! And that’s saying a lot, as we’re Oregonians and have seen our fare share of falls.
Ribbon Falls
After lunch the heat was on! It was intensified by the lower elevation and the narrow canyon walls which were trapping the heat in and reflecting it back out at us. Around 3:30 PM we walked into camp. We were pooped! As we began setting up camp the wind picked-up. We had gusts up to 40 mph. Trying to set up a tent in heavy winds wasn’t easy. But the real kicker was the sand, it was being blown everywhere! We had sand all over and inside everything.
That night we ate dinner at Phantom Ranch which is a little “resort” at the bottom of the Canyon. We had a great time talking and making friends with other hikers and stuffing ourselves with salad, chili, corn bread and chocolate cake.
After dinner we walked back to camp and tried to get the sand off our sleeping pads and bags, but the wind decided to have another go at it and sent sand swirling in the tent. We were too exhausted to care. We passed out and slept like babies in the sand until the morning.
We woke up refreshed (ok, at least better than the night before). As we walked out of camp on the Bright Angel trail we had our first look at the Colorado River. The green water was glassy and the suspension bridge hanging over it was majestic.
Bright Angel trail, suspension bridge across the Colorado River
The morning was beautiful as we hiked along the Colorado. Then we slowly started climbing up and out of the Canyon. We meandered through Indian Garden. It’s a cool little oasis in the Canyon with trees and brush shading the trail as you parallel a creek bed. We were feeling good. We were half way up and still had energy.
That quickly came to an end! The trail from Indian Garden up to the South Rim is the steepest part of the 4,400 foot climb out of the Canyon. We knew we were getting close to the top but our pace was slowing. Our legs were tired!
The main thing that kept spirits high was the view. It was amazing. They are panoramic as you make your way up the trail. You can see the trail we came up zig-zagging it’s way down into the Canyon. And the colors – reds, oranges, browns, greens and the blue sky.
Looking back down Bright Angel trail
When we hit the top of the trail we stood and stared out. Taking in the vastness of it. Then we made a beeline for the car so that we could take our packs off and get our feet out of our shoes. In the parking lot, a man passing us said “Looks like you could use a beer or two.” Yes, by this point we were hobbling!
View from the top of Bright Angel trail
As we drove towards Flagstaff in search of a shower and celebration dinner (which was to include those drinks!), we talked about the experience. It was great. But if I had it to do again, I would do it differently. Rim-to-Rim with only a single night down in the Canyon is too fast. It doesn’t allow enough time to pause and take in the scenery.
Sometimes you push and do something that you know doesn’t fit you. And that’s what happened with the 25 miles and 10,000 ft in 2 days. It’s not the way I want to do it. I need to remember that checking things off the list isn’t the point of it. Otherwise this next year of travels is going to have me feeling exhausted. I prefer to take it slow and let my surroundings sink in. It’s the beauty of the experience that I want.
You can see more pictures from our Grand Canyon trip here.
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