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Published: July 29th 2010
OK, so it took us 2 years (almost to the day), but Rich and I managed to get another extended hiking trip planned and completed. The trip started as a plan early last year, but busy schedules pushed the trip back to this Summer. Instead of climbing
UP a big rock, then back down, we decided to climb
DOWN a big hole, them climb back out. For so many different reasons, they are so completely different challenges.
Like Mt. Whitney, we started by researching as much about the Grand Canyon as we could. We've both been to the canyon a few times before, but hiking through the canyon was something new to us both. The time of year (July) poses different challenges in that it's the peak of summer heat in the interior of the canyon, and timing the different segments of hike becomes much more critical. We settled on a North to South Rim trip that had a single stop at the canyon floor (
Phantom Ranch / Bright Angel Campground). The plan was to start the 1st day's hike from the Kaibab Trailhead at North Rim (8,200 ft) traveling on the
North Kaibab Trail through Cottonwood Campground and onto the Colorado River
On the Road to Jacob Lake
Travel from Las Vegas to North Rim had us traveling through Nevada into Arizona then into Utah then back into Arizona. That's a lot of time changes to go through!at the Bright Angel Campground (about 14 miles - and about 2,700 ft). The 2nd day of travel was to take us out of the canyon via the South Kaibab trail to Yaki Point (about 7 miles - 7,200 ft). The 1st segment would start early (3:00am or 4:00am) finishing before noon. A rest at the bottom - getting us back on the trail at 3:00am would get us out of the canyon by 10:00am. THAT - was the plan......
We juggled around travel options, but settled on flying into Las Vegas, renting a car, and traveling to North Rim. Sleep overnight, and hit the trail by early morning. After exiting the trail at South Rim the next day, we would catch the only shuttle service that runs from South to North Rim (1:30 pm - a 4 hour van ride), pickup the rental car, and drive back to Vegas (another 3 hours). Spend the night, then fly home the next day. Simple - Quick - Cheap. OK, I guess things rarely go as planned.
I pick my Bro up at 9:45am on Thursday. A quick trip to SMF, and we decided to park in the Economy parking
(remember - trying to keep it cheap - bad decision #1). The lot was packed, which put us at the end of the shuttle bus line. After getting passed up by 3 full shuttle buses we began to sweat the 10:45 check-in time (to avoid the late check-in - a universal constant that your bags won't make your flight at SMF). We also forgot that the late morning flight brought all the "Non-Traveler" crowd to the airport, and we were soon met with the challenge of actually making our flight - much less our baggage. Luck would actually get us on our flight - our bags weren't so lucky.
We landed in Las Vegas about 12:45pm, and after standing around the baggage carosoul for 20 minutes we came to the realization that our bags wouldn't arrive until the next flight - 3:05pm. It was also at this time that we realized that I forgot a what I thought would be a critical part of our hiking tools - my GPS.
We would later come to realize that the GPS wasn't all then necessary - but was a stressful point for me until we actually hit the trail the following
Doug at Supai Tunnel
Supai is about 2 miles into the hike. day (I'm a geek - I need my gadgits).
OK, so a couple hours to burn in Vegas - let's grab the rental car and lunch. An OK lunch at South Point Casino, and after picking up our delayed luggage from LAS on the next flight, we got us on the road to North Rim at 3:30pm. Our drive took us through Mesquite, NV, into the upper northwest corner of Arizona, then into Utah at St. George. We continued on through Hurricane, UT, dropping back into Arizona at Colorado City, through Fredonia then onto Jacob Lake. Jacob Lake is a very small town (ok, not really a town but a Gas Station and Inn) about 45 miles north of the North Rim, and is really the only closest town to our starting point. The campgrounds in and around North Rim fill up early in the year, so we were unable to secure a closer campsite.
We checked into the Jacob Lake Inn about 7:00pm. The "Inn" is what's to be expected from the only hotel within 150 miles of the North Rim. Very simple rooms, only the single cafe to grab some food, and only the single market
Switchback Central
The trail that never seems to end. About 2.5 miles into the hike, and we continue down into Roaring Spring Canyon to grab snacks. We grabbed dinner at the Cafe - an interesting experience given that only one person took and served all the orders and a LOT of extra people running around doing little or nothing. Had some local brew out of Sedona (
Oak Creek Nut Brown Ale - Excellent btw). Watched a quick movie on my laptop (Hot Tub Time Machine - Excellent btw), then off to bed about 11:30pm. The beds and noise in this hotel didn't give us the quality sleep we had hoped for - ok, we didn't sleep at all.... Rich's alarm went off at 3:30am, and we were immediately up and getting ready. Snack breakfast in the room, then out the door by 4:00am, we were traveling the 45 miles down the final road into the North Rim entrance. At this time of the morning it's amazing how much wildlife you see on the road. We saw dozens of deer, elk, and buffalo. We found ourselves having to slow at several points to avoid large animals attempting to dart in front of the rental - challenging the coverage we had on the car. I forgot to check the bumper when we go to the trailhead, but was sure
Canyon switchback view to Roaring Springs
Good shot of the expanding switchback trail to the bottom of Roaring Spring Canyon. The bridge in the distance was our first footbridge - many to come. that there must have been some buffalo hair stuck in the grill.
At the trailhead, we had some discussion as to where the actual trail started (signage wasn't all that clear in the dark). After getting properly prepared, we discovered the appropriate North Kaibab Trail, and began our journey into the early morning darkness.
The initial mile of the the trail was fairly predictable. The trail meandered through forested areas where there was plently evidence of mule traffic and absolutely no evidence of humans anywhere. We knew the actual Canyon was ahead, but we had to work through the initial Rim area first. We broke though the forest area gradually, unfolding a massive canyon and a view of the switchbacked trail that flowed before us. As we emerged more and more from the forested area into the full rock faced cliffs that made up this portion of the canyon, we were faced with a primal feeling that every step downward meant we had to climb that step back out of the canyon later.... This was a very basic mental challenge to overcome later on in the hike - something that we didn't experience on other "uphill" hikes before.
Cactus
We saw many of these plants on the decent. Some with very large sprouts (to 10' or higher). The hike down was very smooth. A quick drop in elevation got us to 6,200 feet within the first 2 miles - to the Roaring Springs area. Wow, 2000 feet is easy going downhill.... This area has a natural spring that flows directly out of the rock face (never seen that before), and a very fast flow at that. This spring helps to feed the Bright Angel Creek (which we would soon discover). This area contains a campground off a side trail (which we didn't explore). We continued down the primary trail, and came upon a helipad location that also had a ranger residence. By this time the sun had risen, but we were so far below the canyon rim that we were still enjoying the "shade" of the canyon walls - soon to go away.
Shortly after this point we met up with the Bright Angel Trail that would follow the Bright Angel Canyon all the way to the Colorado River, and the Canyon bottom. This smaller Canyon is fairly lush near it's bottom due to the large creek that meanders through it's center. The shear rock cliffs (which we've seen from such an extreme distance from
Our First Footbridge
We've dropped almost 2,000ft in elevation by this point, and the switchbacks move us to the southern wall of Roaring Spring Canyon until we exit at the actual Spring (another mile or so). the South Rim before) look so very different up close. This canyon is clearly one of the unique features of Grand Canyon, and so different when up close.
At this point we connected with the Bright Angel Trail. Further down creek, we came upon the Cottonwood campsite about 8:00am. This primitive campsite represents the halfway point between the North Rim Kaibob Trailhead and Phantom Ranch - but a critical stop because you can take on water at this location. We hadn't gone through much water yet, but would later understand the critical placement of this water stop if you were traveling the opposite direction. After a short break we continued south through what was developing into a very narrow canyon following the Bright Angel Creek. By this point the sun was clearing the canyon rim, and the temperature had jumped sharply. By 10:00am (a few miles further down the canyon) the temperature had easily hit 90 degrees, and it was still very early in the day. The trail continued to follow the creek past the Ribbon Falls side trail, and at points it criss-crossed the creek with small bridges. The terrain switched from a lush landscape to more of
Rich at Footbridge
Our first little break. Decent going well at this point, knees and ankles a little sore, but the weather is good, and we are making good time. a desert landscape to an almost completely rocky landscape. Without the GPS we didn't have a clear read on our distance from the campsite, but made some educated guesses based on the topology and our maps. We eventually arrived at Phantom Ranch at about 12:45pm.
Phantom Ranch is basically a stop for the mule riders that come down on pack trains from the South Rim. There are a series of cabins, a dining facility, an amphitheater, full bathrooms, etc, but beyond this site is the Bright Angel Campground - where we had our reservation. Phantom Ranch did have a public phone, so we took advantage of this to call back home - given the limited cell coverage within a hundred miles of North Rim. Campsites at Bright Angel are first come - first serve, so we found a site that worked well, and dropped our equipment. The temperature on the campsite bulletin board read 105, and it sure felt like it... We decided to briefly soak our feet in the Bright Angel Creek before exploring out to see the mighty Colorado River.
The Bright Angel campground is tucked away slightly back into the canyon from which the creek
Rich on the Trail
Started to enter some very interesting canyon features. flows. When we followed the trail out into the wash-out area near river, the temperature rose very sharply. We estimated the temperature near the river as close to 115-120 - definitely the hotest I've ever felt. We went down near the boat landing area, and the flow of the river cooled the beach area slightly. There were a couple large river boats that had landed and their occupants had disembarked for a steak dinner at the ranch - yeah, like is tough I guess. We ate a couple pieces of beef jerkey, sipped our gatoraid, and enjoyed the mighty river before us.
We headed back to our campsite, but held off on setting up tents or sleeping bags. The sun was directly on the site, and soaking in the creek sounded like a better choice. About 4:00pm a few clouds started moving in, and it gave enough shade where setting up equipment made sense. We jumped into gear, but the thunderstorm that followed got the jump on us. We raced to get equipment under cover, but the 20 minute soaking from the storm got most everything wet. Unfortunately, the rain only seemed to create a more humid condition in
Looking back up Roaring Spring Canyon
A good look at where we've come from - near the Roaring Springs turnoff at this point - about 2,800ft drop in elevation from the North Rim. the already sweltering weather, and the early evening air got all the more hot and sticky. Rich decided to abandoned the tent idea altogether (opting to sleep directly on the picnic table in shorts with no shirt), while I gasped for air inside my clostrophibic single man/boy tent. By about 7:20pm it was clear that we were not going to be able to sleep in these sweltering conditions. We made the last minute decision to pack up and hit the trail out - thinking the earlier we got up on the face of the canyon the better.
We hit the Kaibab South Trail about 8:00pm. We headed over the 440ft suspension bridge (built in 1928 - sweet!), through the cool cliff tunnel at the mouth of the bridge, and headed up the first major obstacle of our climb. The climb from the river to the first major checkpoint is a 1,300ft climb to "The Tipoff" The temperature and humidity were still very high, and I struggled a lot through this section. It took about 2 1/2 hours to get to this point in the hike (2.1 miles). We were quickly approaching the Tonto Trail junction which forced us to
Rich on a cool cliff trail
This was the kind of trail we were hoping to NOT hit in the dark. Some nice shear cliffs in this section - several hundred feet of fall, and incredible rock formations. This is what we came to see!!! make a decision. We either stay on the Kaibab South trail (which is the shorter route out - but no water), or divert to the Bright Angel Trail by way of Tonto Trail (which is a few flat miles longer, but had a campground and water). At this point I felt completely exhausted. The lack of sleep, the heat, and the amount of liquid that I was going through all pointed to taking the Tonto trail. My thought was that if we could grab a few hours sleep at Indian Garden Campground (off the Tonto / Bright Angel Trail) we could recharge enough to get out of the canyon. Rich was secure in knowing we should stick to the Kaibab trail. We still had plenty of liquid, and we still had time on our side - "take it slow" - he was ultimately right.
We continued past the Tonto Trail turn-off (which I honestly don't even remember seeing), and continued up South Kaibab toward our next most difficult part of the assent - the switchbacks. This portion of the climb is an additional 1,300ft climb over 1.5 miles. The only advantage is that we are climbing higher out of
Sharp trail drop-off
I think I checked to make sure my shoes were tied like a dozen times. Tried hard to NOT be clumsy in this section of the trail. the canyon, and it's getting later into the night, so the temperature is dropping dramatically at this point. It was at the 2/3 mark of this portion of the climb that I really became overwhelmed by my lack of sleep and energy. We stopped for what was supposed to be a brief "breather" and I told Rich I had to lay down for a minute - yes, climbing along cliff-side trails in the dark while dizzy seemed wrong to me. The ground was shear granite with broken rocks, and I think Rich was in mid-sentence when my head hit my resting backpack and I immediately broke into a snore - I was OUT!
I'll continue to argue that it was a "power nap", but the 10 minutes that I was out was all that I needed to make it to the summit of the switchbacks (Skeleton Point - 5,200ft). It was about 1:00am at this point, but it was also a full moon. There were clouds in the midnight air, but they dispersed the light just enough to where we got a glipse of where we'd been - and where we were going. We felt torn - disappointed knowing
Roaring Springs
Spring Water pouring right out of the cliff wall - Nice! About 3,200ft drop from the rim at this point. Campground in this area - we continue on. that were were missing some spectacular views of the canyon, but also knowing this area was probably impossible for us to travel during this time of the year during heated portions of the day - due to it's direct exposure to the daytime sun.
Convinced that the "power nap" routine was giving me stength, I convinced Rich to let me take another at Skeleton Point. I only intended to nap another 15 minutes or so, but Rich (being such the gentleman) enjoyed the echoing of my snores over the outlaying canyon. Only after 45 minutes of SOLID (and I mean SOLID) sleep did I awake to the voices of other hikers passing by. I was startled to learn that I'd been out that long, and made the conscience decision to not sleep anymore after that point - otherwise we'd never make it out...
We continued up the trail, only resting briefly past other groups of hikers, up past O'Niell Butte and up to Cedar Ridge. A confusing look at the map got us thinking that Cedar Point was only a Hop-Skip-Jump from the final destination - the Rim. This proved to be a point of frustration because only
End of Roaring Springs Canyon
Roaring Springs Canyon opens into Bright Angel Canyon. Notice the Heli-pad near the bottom? after 10-12 switchback (and a mile or better) later did we realize we were still significantly below the rim of the canyon (at Yaki Point - our exit point). At this point were had passed a few groups of people heading down the canyon, and based on the timing we knew we were close, but were completely exhausted. Only after a final set of 6 or so switchbacks did we emerge through the canyon rim, and onto Yaki Point.
WE MADE IT!!!!
OK, much like Whitney, we were too freakin' tired and sore to show any sign of joy. It was 5:05am (yes - 24 hours to the minute from when we started this venture on the other rim), and it was all we could do to waddle down to the shuttle bus station.
The shuttle buses run early at South Rim (they start at 4:15am so people can catch the sunrise over the rim at Yaki and other Points). We couldn't be less interested in the 5:30am sunrise at this point, so we picked up the 5:15am shuttle which took us back to the transfer station (about 8 minutes away, and I think we both napped
Residence at the bottom of Roaring Spring Canyon
Yes, someone lives down here. The heli-pad is right behind the house. That must be the suckiest walk to school in the entire country... on the way - standing up in the packed bus). We took the village transfer bus from that point, and rode it all the way to Mather Campground - we turned down the offer to drop us off early instead choosing to sleep the additional 20 minutes around the loop on the shuttle bus. Showers at the Mather Campground are $2 for 8 minutes. My shower ran out at 8 minutes on the dot, but Rich's continued indefinitely. Only after much ridicule did he decide he was clean enough.
We left Mather Campground, and headed back to Bright Angel Lodge for breakfast - and it was incredible (I think). After breakfast we headed (via shuttle - trying to avoid walking at this point) to the General Store where I could get a pair of flip-flops and some Advil. Back to Bright Angel, had a few beers at the Bar, then waited for the shuttle service to pick us up.
Trans Canyon Shuttle runs the only shuttle service between North and South Rim. We arranged transportation weeks in advance of the trip, but there is only a single shuttle during the day from South to North rim, and it
Footbridge at Bright Angel Canyon
Many more to come - sun starting to creep over the rim now... Here comes the HEAT!!! leaves at 1:30pm (on the dot). This was part of our concern in the timing of getting out of the canyon. If you miss this shuttle, you are stuck at South Rim - period! The trip back to North Rim is a 4 hour drive - very weird because you can actually see where you are being dropped off at from where you are leaving... The drive is pretty interesting. You basically get to to follow the Colorado River back to where the Grand Canyon starts. The drive took us up to Marble Canyon, then back around through Jacob Lake, and back to the Kaibab Trailhead (right to our car).
Packed up, and we were back on the road by 6:00pm. Stopped for gas in Fredonia (yeah, not much else to see there), then continued on through St. George, and back into Las Vegas. Arrived in Las Vegas about 10:30pm, and this is after two nights without sleep..... Tried to check-in to the Golden Nugget, and they had let our reservation go. Complete fiasco at this dump, but we ended up finding a nice quiet place in Henderson (ironically right next to the Progressive Claims Branch), and crashed.....
Up the next day - lunch - airport - HOME!!!!!
Rich and I both agree that we'd do this trip totally different IF we did it again. You always become wiser to the conditions of an area AFTER you've been there. During the summer it doesn't make sense to travel this trail overnight. It makes much more sense to pack light (no tent, sleeping bag, etc) and go straight through - timing your travel to the night hours. You miss the views, but makes the trek much easier. Camping at the bottom probably makes more sense in the Spring and Fall months, and even then you probably need to think about just how much cover/sleeping material you really need.
What's next????
stay tuned...
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Marge Elliott
non-member comment
Awesome!
Awesome commentary and wonderful pictures!