North Rim of the Grand Canyon

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Our destination was the North Rim of the Grand Canyon , since we will have just a few days before they close for the winter. We stopped at Pipe Springs and Jacob’s Lake. We spent the night on Forestland but got the scoop about how to obtain a campsite (as they are getting ready to close the North Rim the process if different) and secure a backcountry permit and also make reservations for the campground, Cottonwood, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

October 10, Sunday.

North Rim of the Grand Canyon

We were up bright and early and accomplished our objectives. We were set with a campsite at the North Rim of the GC, had the necessary permits and reservations made for Cottonwood Campground at the bottom of the canyon. Made a few phone calls and off we went to the Lodge for breakfast.
Would you believe we ran into Walt, one of our in-mates from Calf Creek? He was in the process of getting his plans organized for a trip down to the bottom of the canyon. We invited him for dinner to discuss our mutual plans. The day was dreary so we drove out to the various overlooks—however, because of rain and thunder there wasn’t much to we could see today. With the rain coming down, the three of us had a nice Italian meal in the cozy Bothan.
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October 11, Monday.
North Rim of the Grand Canyon,

" Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. "- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The alarm was set for 5:45, however Arizona doesn’t do daylight savings time, so we were up at 4:45! It took a while to pack gear, food, and water, have breakfast and drive to the trailhead. Our first stop was the Supi Tunnel and the first bridge. Here we stopped and took off the backpacks, had a snack and chatted with some folks. As we approached Roaring Springs, I reached for my camera. No camera! I had to be back at the bridge, at least 2 miles back. Well…..I started back up and up and up -with the adrenaline flowing. There was no backpack to carry, Bob had it at the springs. Finally back at the bridge, I scanned beneath the logs looking for a hint of the red case. There it was! With the help of some guys, we moved the logs and retrieved the Sony. Now I had to travel back to Roaring Springs and continue our hike. So I added an extra 4 miles or so, but it was worth it. Bob and I rejoiced briefly.
The day was getting hotter as we continued. It was just before the campground that I spotted something slithering in the sand. A rattlesnake! What with my scream, the poor creature was moving away, but Bob calmly got a picture.
Around 2PM we set up camp and then went down to the creek to soak our “feets”---cold and numbing. Cottonwood has drinking water and “pit” toilets—that’s it.
The hike wasn’t so bad but the backpack is heavy, hot and uncomfortable. Sleeping in a tent on the ground proved to be futile.

October 13, Tuesday.
Bottom Grand Canyon

Today we hiked from Cottonwood to Phantom Ranch- 7 miles had lemonade, Advil, herbal ointment for aches and headed back to Cottonwood. The trip in the AM was cool and shady. We stopped at Ribbon Falls and then had to ford a rapid stream with boots and socks off to get back on the main trail.
The hike in the PM was more difficult. We must keep in mind this is the desert. In the sun, hot and sweaty we needed to walk 7 miles back to “our tent” home. The final mile or so, I thought I was seeing a mirage. A man carrying a big black umbrella was walking toward us. It wasn’t until I heard; “Hi Maureen!” that I realized it was our friend Walt.
Well it was a challenge, but we made it. The cool water in the creek was welcoming. We shared a dinner with Walt; the dear soul carried two beers for us all the way down.
Bob was so stiff. He actually scared me. During the night he couldn’t move without cramping and crying out. I thought of how to helicopter him out of the canyon!? Finally the Advil and the ointment seemed to make a difference. He managed to finally get up and out of the tent. It was another restless night.


October 13, Wednesday.
Bottom Grand Canyon,
Morning began early as we packed our gear and prepared for the arduous hike up 4,000 feet and 7 miles to the top of the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It was another clear day, so after our oatmeal, we harnessed up our backpacks and started. Bob is still stiff today, but not cramping in pain. The walk from Cottonwood follows the stream Bright Angel and includes four bridges. Even though it was early, we were starting to seek shade. 1.7 miles and we were at Roaring Springs, a private residence with drinking water. We continued our trek upward, now tracking our elevation with Bob’s altimeter. This was my second time ever backpacking, and as we moved into the third hour of our hike, the pack began to feel heavy and my legs and feet ached, as I know Bob was dragging a bit too. We took delight in ticking off familiar spots, the trail workers, the bridge, and finally the Supi?? Tunnel. We took another 10-minute break ……. The toilets were available, but the drinking water was shut off for the season. We began the last two miles up, and we both noticed a bit of shortness of breath. It is hard to drink when one’s body is struggling to get oxygen. We were over 6,000 feet and climbing. We met a crazy runner going rim to rim, twice in one day. As we got closer, more hikers were evident. Many were out for a day’s hike. Now the last mile of switchbacks included a stop for breathing. It seems to be necessary almost every 20 or 30 steps. We passed our final familiar marker and walked out of the canyon congratulating each other - and a kiss for success. We left at 8:00 a.m. and arrived at about 1:30 p.m., just about 5-1/2 hours. Our camper was waiting, and so was the north rim of the Grand Canyon, the camping area. We lucked out again. This was the last day for showers to be open and also the last night for camping. A hot shower was grand, we did some laundry, tried to get to the lodge for dinner, but it was full; so we had a quick bite to eat and headed to bed to listen to the last Presidential debate. The bed felt ever so good.

October 14, Thursday
North Rim of Grand Canyon
Up early and on the road out of the Grand Canyon onto Rt. 67. Bob seems to be having some dental problems, so our focus will be a dentist today. This is news to me, but obviously he was having some pain while at the bottom of the canyon. Out focus today will be to locate a dentist. An appointment is made in Kanab and we were on our way.
We did some computer work, post office, phone calls, and of course, the dentist.
We drove on to Tuba City - quite a depressed area. The only RV Park was full, so we spent the night in a Navajo police parking lot - really quite comfortable.

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Photos

Kelly and Bob
ready to hike at top of North Rim

Kelly
This bridge is located on the Kabab Trail