South

Our big hike was at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Originally, we had planned to do a Rim-to-rim 24 mile hike. Frankly, I wasn't sure we would be up to it in the June AZ heat. When I found out plans had changed to a Rim-to-river-to-rim hike (a mere 16.5 miles lol), I was a bit relieved. Still a very daunting hike, but much more realistic.

The weather was even more cooperative. The day before the hike was planned, the high temperatures in the canyon dropped from 105 to a chilly 85! The plan was to get on the trail before sunrise so we could be on our way back up before the hottest part of the day. We started our way down the 7 mile South Kaibab trail before sunrise.

It was actually chilly and cloudy at first. But we warmed up once we got going and the sun came out.

The South Kaibab is a steep trail with no water along the way, ideal for going down. We quickly descended which gave up a totally different view of the canyon. It is one thing to be looking down into the canyon. It is something completely different to be in it, looking up.

We made pretty decent time. After a few hours, we were a at the Colorado river, which was a beautiful and impressive sight up close. Much different than that little line we would occasionally glimpse from the the rim.

A short ways away is Phantom Ranch, a camp at the bottom of the canyon. A good place to stop and rest for a bit and to fill up on water. I bought a t-shirt and mailed a postcard (yes, they have a post office) to prove I had made it.

We were a little behind schedule by then and it was starting to heat up. About 80 and actually a bit humid (for AZ, not for us northerners). Actually, it was pretty much what we were used to on a summer NY day. So it was time to move on. At that point, we switched to the Bright Angel trail, which goes along the river for about a mile and a half. We couldn't resist dipping our feet in at a couple of places.

Unfortunately, it was time to head upward and the "real" part of the hike began. Hey, only 8 miles left to go! And all uphill. It was steep but really, not bad compared to some of the other hikes we had done.  Along the way I couldn't resist having a little fun with the sign that basically says "What you just did. Don't do that!"

We stopped at Indian Gardens campground to rest, refill on water, and eat for a bit. The weather was starting to get chilly, and once we left the rain started coming down. We were getting closer to the rim, which we found out later was having crazy thunderstorms and even hail all day.

So we stopped at the 3-mile resthouse to wait out the storm a little. We chatted with a ranger who had lots of good stories about people and rescues in the canyon. The weather wasn't really too bad. So we trudged onward and upward for the final 3 miles to the trailhead. We even made good time, completed in about 12 hours including stops. I think at the end we were motivated to get to the top.

Along the way one guy said to us that we were doing something special. I suppose that's true in a sense. It was definitely the toughest hike I have ever done. But actually easier than I expected. We were very well prepared. This is not a hike that you just get up and do it without knowing what you are doing. But I think what I would take from it is just the opposite. We weren't all that special. We aren't super-athletes. But when you put your mind to it, people can do more than they realize, if they are willing to take a chance. Ha ha. Cue cheezy music. Anyways, that's my take on it.