Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim (Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona)

A couple of years ago, my friend Nick suggested that we should do a Grand Canyon trip to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our trek along the New Hance Trail. All of the original group were excited to complete this new trip, but after some discussion, we decided to make it a rim-to-rim-to-rim instead of retracing the original route. We each entered the lottery and were able to get our permit for the third week of May 2020. In March, a couple of months before the trip, the world began shutting down as the COVID-19 pandemic cast a dark shadow on humanity and travel was brought to a near halt. Our permit was cancelled by the National Park Service and our trip had to be postponed.

Luckily, we were given an advantage in the 2021 lottery drawing and were able to secure a similar permit for May 2021. However, two of the original members of our group decided they were not physically up to the challenge this time around and had to be replaced. Nick's brother Chris and my friend Gen happily agreed to join our little adventure. As the date or our departure approached, we finalized all of our plans and packed our gear in preparation. We had all been training pretty hard for the hike, knowing full well what we were getting ourselves into. I had decided to fly into Reno late Friday night and then drive down to the park with the rest of the crew. Gen picked me up at my hotel bright and early and we met up with Nick and Chris a short time later. After stuff all of our gear into Nick's truck, we hit the road - Grand Canyon or bust!

It's a long 11 or so hour drive from Reno to the North Rim and we passed the time by catching up with each other and discussing the adventure to come. When we finally reached our accommodations for the evening, we were all road-weary and ready for a good night's sleep. Unfortunately, that good night's sleep would be at a Demotte Campground just a few miles from our trailhead and the temperatures were expected to drop into the mid-20's overnight. While this was a chilling prospect, we had prepared for it and after changing into my Under Armour Cold Gear and slipping between my sleeping pad and backpacking quilt, I felt pretty warm. Nick had brought along some additional blankets for all of us to use tonight and I took advantage. That said though, it didn't seem to get all that cold overnight or perhaps, I was just well geared for it.

Day 1: North Kaibab Trail

We awoke, made breakfast, broke camp, and drove the ten or so miles to the North Kaibab Trailhead. The parking lot was full and we were forced to park on the side of the road. We arrived quite early (7:15 if I recall correctly), but with lots of over-nighters in canyon, it's really not all that surprising that available parking was limited.

After some final prep and gear checks, we hit the trail. This route would take us from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, through the side canyon cut by Bright Angel Creek, and eventually to Phantom Ranch and tonight's planned lodging at Bright Angel Campground. The temperature is great for hiking this morning, sitting around sixty degrees. However, as soon as we hit the open sun, it begins to get hot. I picked up a veiled ball cap to help prevent getting sunburn on my neck and ears and while it serves that purpose well, it does cause some odd hearing issues as the sound waves bounce in unexpected directions off of the veil before entering my ear.

The Trail here is steep - very steep - as we descend into the grandest canyon in all the world. The surface is a combination of red sand packed to varying degrees with the occasional baseball or football sized rock buried for variety. I do note that my toes are hitting the inside of my hiking shoe and becoming pretty sensitive already. I had expected this, but was hoping it wouldn't begin so early. As a precaution, I put some tape on my right big toe, which seems to help a little bit.

As we make our way down the gigantic cliff wall, we encounter a few unexpected sites, including a waterfall pouring from a hole in the adjacent cliff side. I knew there were some water sources in the canyon, but this is unexpected. The powerful stream simply comes out of a hole in the canyon wall and proceeds to tumble down the multi-colored layers of the cliff before forming a creek towards the bottom.

After about six miles of this grueling downhill, we arrive at the Manzanita Creek Water Hole and Rest Stop. Here, we decide to take a short break for lunch, restrooms, and water refills. It's nice getting the pack off of my shoulders for a bit. I packed a bit heavy for this trip and brought a couple of luxury items, including a second sleeping pad and camp chair. While not completely necessary, they do make camping a bit more comfortable. With three liters of water and six days of food, I weighed in at around 41 pounds. Again, a little heavy, but not atrocious. Still, my body appreciated loosing that added weight if only for the few minutes we rest here. Once everyone has finished their snack and refreshed themselves, we continue on towards Cottonwood Campground.

Along the way, we cross a small suspension bridge that spans this side canyon. It's pretty cool to see this kind of thing here, as some of this would be impassable without some minor help from the civil engineers. I know I usually complain about "improvements" like this, but sometimes they are necessary. After just another mile-and-a-half or so, we reach Cottonwood Campground, which is our planned lodging for night four of this trip. The idea is that we'll do the entire North Kaibab Trail going down today, but on the back up, break it into a two day affair. As we pass through the campground, we note how small the designated campsites are. There is some concern that we wouldn't be able to fit all four tents in one campsite, but after looking them over, I assure the group that we can fit. Anyway, that's a problem for a different day. For now, we still have many miles to go before we bed down for the night.

From here, the trail flattens out for the most part. We are still descending towards the Colorado River, but at a much more shallow slope than before. Which means my toes get a chance to rest . . . just as I think that I end up accidentally kicking one of the large rocks in the trail . . . OUCH!!

Though flat and easy hike for these next eight or so miles, they never seem to end. The trail runs beside the creek as it snakes through and around this winding canyon. I suspect that my GPS reading is also getting thrown off a bit by the narrow walls of this canyon. That said, I can't fully trust my distances from this point. One bend after another has us thinking that Phantom Ranch will be right there. And time after time, we are disappointed to only find the next bend. 

Finally, we see the sign indicating that Phantom Ranch, which includes our campground, is only half-a-mile further. With all of us exhausted from many miles of steep downhill followed by many more miles under the baking sun, our pace quickens a bit and we begin to look for signage indicating where exactly our campground is within Phantom Ranch. The signs are not all that helpful and we are forced to guess at a couple of junctions. Fortunately, we guess well and soon find Bright Angel Campground. After looking at a couple of different options, we choose our campsite from the many unoccupied ones. The choice was based as much on how tired we were and our desire to not walk much further as much as the actual site itself. Still, it will serve our purposes.

We spend the next hour or so erecting our tents and preparing some dinner - vegetarian pad thai for me. . . yummy. After dinner and as the sun sinks behind the canyon wall, we admire the small bats swarming overhead. We watch as the jerk to and fro in mid-air as they gobble up any would be pests that might have designs on feasting on our blood tonight. The bats are a welcomed site. Temperatures are looking to be in the mid-to-high fifties overnight . . . great sleeping weather. While I decide to leave my rain fly off and admire the view, my comrades put theirs on to afford themselves a little privacy. By 8:30 or so, we have all turned in for the night and while I do rise once to use the bathroom and a couple of other times to turn over, admiring the stars above me while doing so, I get a pretty good night's sleep.

Day 2: Bright Angel Trail

I rise a bit before the sun and I think I'm the first to wake. I meander down to the bathroom to deal with morning business and when I return, Nick has begun stirring in his tent. As we know it's going to be exceedingly hot today, I really want to get an early start and begin taking down my tent while my breakfast cooks. The others begin to stir and soon, we are all packed, fed, and ready to hit the trail for our second day.

Today's route will take us across the Colorado River and up the Bright Angel Trail to the top of the South Rim. The crossing of the Colorado is the first thing of note this morning as our hike begins. At the bottom of the Grand Canyon, two long suspension bridges span the great river - the Silver Bridge and the Kaibab Suspension Bridge. We'll be crossing the Silver this morning and the Kaibab tomorrow on our way back across the canyon. The fast-flowing water of the river is unexpectedly blue today. The last time I was here, the waters were as red as the sandstone forming the canyon which they carved. They were also full of sediment, so much sediment that we jammed a water filter after only three or four pumps. While I wasn't planning on making that mistake this time, the river looks beautifully clear today. Perhaps a storm has recently come through last time I was here. 

As we approach the bridge, I'm in awe of the engineering here. This bridge spans approximately 450 feet across the Colorado River and connects the Bright Angel and North Kaibab Trails to complete a full corridor across the Grand Canyon. The bridge is designed to support hikers, as well as mule trains. Seeing it over the blue waters of the river with the rising sun as a backdrop is mesmerizing. I cross holding my hiking poles up so as not to snag the tips on the pathway. The bridge is very secure, but that doesn't mean I don't feel a little tinge of anxiousness as I make my way across.

Finally, reaching the other side, I look back and admire the ingenuity one last time. From there, the trail follows along the river for a little over a mile before turning south and heading up the next side canyon along the Bright Angel Trail. Far below us, we can see some rafters taking a rest along the river banks at one of the sandy sections. I'd kind of like to do that adventure someday, but not today, though I bet the cold water would feel very nice.

As we begin the brutal climb up the canyon wall, the sun rises overhead and begins to beat down on us without remorse. Switchback after switchback sees us rising further and further up the canyon wall. On the approach to Indian Garden, we pass above and by a small double waterfall in a tiny canyon below us. It seems out of place in this desert environment, but something has to water the sagebrush and yucca plants. It does provide some cooling effect and it's very welcomed.

About five miles from the bridge, we come to Indian Gardens. This area serves as a rest stop for both humans mules alike. There are restrooms, benches, water fountains, and much needed shade. As we pause for ten or so minutes, we admire the mule train that has also decided to rest here. There are approximately a dozen people in the train and as they relax in the shade, their mounts enjoy some nice cool water. It's a short stop for us though and after we refill our water, we're back at it and once again climbing the steep cliff side.

I lived in Reno, NV at about 4,200' for almost 17 years before moving to the Atlanta, GA area at 1,100' about a year and a half ago. When I lived in Reno, hiking here in the Grand Canyon wouldn't have phased me, but now, as we make our way up towards the 7,000' foot south rim, I can feel the early effects of acute mountain sickness or altitude sickness. Even sitting at rest for a couple of minutes, I have a difficult time catching my breath. It's worsened by the exertion of climbing this steep trail with forty or so pounds on my back. Meanwhile, Nick is beginning to get overheated. We encourage him to rest in the shade and drink plenty of water, but it doesn't seem to be enough. 

We stop several times on the last three miles of the climb, and for extended stops at both the 3 Mile and 1.5 Mile Resthouses. This last section is brutal for anyone, not just those experiencing heat exhaustion or altitude sickness. Endless switchbacks twist and turn as the trail makes it's way up the vertical wall of the South Rim. It reminds me of that scene in Return of the King, when Elrond is making his way to Theodan's camp to speak with Aragorn, though the trail here has many more switchbacks and is in shades of yellow and red, instead of the lush green hillsides in the film.

Finally, we reach the top.and rejoice. After resting for a bit, we start trying to figure out if a shuttle is available to get to our campground for the night, some two miles distant. When we approach the shuttle stop, we notice a sign indicating that the blue shuttle (the one that we would need to take) is not operating due to the pandemic. It looks like we have further to walk. Luckily, this is easy walking on nearly flat, paved bike trails. 

Before finding our campsite, we take a detour through the village market and pick up a few items for dinner, including some beer. It's not supposed to be nearly as cold here as it was on the North Rim two nights ago and a cold beer certainly sounds good after the physically exhausting day that we've just had. With our packs load back on our backs, we walk back to our campsite and begin to relax a bit before setting up our tents. As we prepare some dinner and chat, it becomes clear that Nick isn't sure if he can complete the trip. Temperatures at Phantom Ranch, which will pass through again tomorrow, are expected to be in the triple digits the next two days. While the elevation is still a minor concern for me, the longer I'm here, the more acclimated I get and even if I weren't acclimated, the symptoms were not severe enough to prevent me from making the return trip to the North Rim. I remind Nick that he has two young children and a wife at home to think about and to sleep on it. We can decide in the morning.

We pitch our tents and turn in around 9:00 PM. I sleep really well and only awaken once about 2:30 AM to walk to over to the nearby campground restroom. It's a little cold out, but very manageable. After returning to my tent, I quickly fall back to sleep and only awaken to the chirping of birds at sunrise. It was a pretty good night.

As we prepare some breakfast, Nick announces that he's going to see about getting a shuttle to take him or us back to the Truck on the North Rim. There are no bridges across this section of the Grand Canyon (thankfully) and the shuttle trip to drive around will take 4-5 hours. He explains that he would be happy to stay in the area of the North Rim and pick anyone up that wants to complete the rim-to-rim-to-rim on the scheduled day of our return. I'm not going to put that on him and while it's disappointing to all of us, we agree to take the shuttle. Nick offers to pay for the shuttle for everyone, which is very generous.

While this is not the end we were hoping and planning for, we still had a great adventure and completed a Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim, totaling somewhere around 29.5 miles (including the walk to the campground). We descended a total of 8,200' and ascended approximately 7,100'. The difference is due to the North Rim being about a thousand feet higher than the South Rim. All in all, it was quite an accomplishment and while I share the group's disappointment, I believe we made the correct decision. With those 100+ degree temperatures, we likely would have all experienced some form of heat exhaustion or even a heat stroke crossing back over.