Rim-to-Rim

Well we did it, went rim-to-rim Monday and Tuesday. We got up at 4:30a on Monday and we were on the trail by 6:30 in 25deg. temps. As we hiked into the canyon it quickly warmed up. The above picture shows the sun coming up behind us on the North Rim. A friend and co-worker from the gift shop, Anthony, hiked down with us to Cottonwood Campground, he turned around and hiked up from there. At the eight mile mark we took a short detour to a beautiful spot, Ribbon Falls.

Just after Ribbon Falls North Kaibab Trail enters a section called the box. It is a beautiful stretch where the trail winds along Bright Angel Creek through narrow cliffs.

We reached Phantom Ranch by 2:30p and stopped for a cool beverage in the Cantina. It was 80deg when we reached Phantom. We had hiked 14 miles down from 8,250' to 2,400'. We then set up our campsite in Bright Angel Campground.

We were up at 4:00a and anxious to hit the trail. By 6:00 we were off and crossing the Colorado River before sunrise.

The hike from Phantom Ranch to the South Rim is 9 miles and the elevation gain is 4,600'. The first half is a geourgeous hike again along Bright Angel Creek.

At the half-way point is Indian Gardens a nice place for camping or taking a shady break from the heat. The rest of the hike is straight up and is open.

The next stop is the three mile rest area and we are going UP! This photo is from just above the rest stop, Indian Gardens is the trees in the distance, on the flat.

It's a great feeling to get close to the rim, but it is a lot of work to make it to the top. Here is Sherri making her final push.

From this photo you can see the Roaring Springs Canyon which we came down on the north side and where the trail comes up on the south side.

Here is a neat shot of the last section below the rim of the Bright Angel Trail.

We were on the South Rim by 12:30, so in two days we hiked 23 miles in a total of 13 hours, not too bad for a couple of old farts. After finding our hotel room and cleaning up we celebrated with a nice dinner at the Arizona Room, right on the rim.

The next day we played tourists on the South Rim. Sherri paused to reflect on our hike across the Grand Canyon.

We had a great three days and we are proud of accomplishing our goal of hiking rim-to-rim. We took several great hikes this summer and this was the culmination of our hard work. Wednesday afternoon we took the Trans Canyon shuttle back to the North Rim. Here we are hanging out in front of the Bright Angel Lodge waiting to board the shuttle.

It was back to work Thursday for the final push. Almost all of the facilities close on Sunday the 16th and we will be wrapping up and taking inventory in the gift shop through the 20th. Sherri has been asked to work through Saturday the 22nd, doing a final payroll. We plan to pack up on Sunday and leave on Monday the 24th and be in Albuquerque Tuesday.