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Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 28 2024
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	20.50 Miles	5,500 AEG

Hiking	20.50 Miles	9 Hrs 15 Mns	2.22 mph
	5,500 ft AEG

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My annual birthday rim to rim fell through this year. So my wife and I scrambled to get reservations and I ended up doing rim to rim for her birthday.

In previous years this is a family event and we would get rooms at both sides of the canyon. This year it was just the wife and me. My wife is not a hiker, so this year she “celebrated” by not having to shuttle to the north side of the canyon.

And we had a fantastic dinner at the Arizona Steakhouse on the South Rim to celebrate her birthday. Taking a shuttle over to the other side of the canyon is easy, though a little expensive… $120 for the trip. Our driver (Dave) was very knowledgeable about the trails and made good time on the drive. There were about 15 people in the shuttle. About half the passengers were returning to their vehicles and the other half heading into the Canyon. It was interesting to hear people to talk about their experience or plans for the hike. The “corkscrew” part of the BA has been closed off. So hikers were either doing the South Kaibab or cut across on the Tonto. This wasn’t an issue for me, since I planned on doing N. to S. Kaibab.

I got dropped off at the TH around 12:30. Cool temps (70’s) and overcast skies greeted me at the start. I was excited to see North Kaibab in the daylight. In the past, I’ve always hiked it in the dark, so I was interested to see what was beyond my headlamp. Gorgeous! My sisters and I have been missing out.

With the the north rim lodging be closed for the winter, I wasn’t sure how busy the trails would be. Surprisingly busy. Encountered over 50 people before Cottonwood, most of them heading out. I made good time to Phantom Ranch, where I rested and took advantage of their “famed” lemonade. (Refills are $1

). I like to think of myself as a decent climber, but apparently I left my legs at Phantom Ranch. It took me almost 4 hours to make it to the rim

The first section to Tipoff was the worst. I stopped counting after my seventh break. The cool thing is that I came face to face with a big horn sheep just below Tipoff. The climb got a little better after that, but it still seemed more strenuous than I remember. Not sure how I would have done with a hot summer day. As it was, it was incredibly windy. I actually had to throw on a jacket to stave off the cold. I’ve done the upper portions of the Kaibab in the past and really enjoyed the views. Darkness precluded that. So it was just me, the wind and the climb. It was not nearly as enjoyable as I remember it, but I’m still glad I did it. It was a “2 fr”. It allowed me to do my annual Rim2Rim as well as complete a section of the Arizona Trail.

the wife was up top with a cold Mountain Dew waiting for me.

The weather was nice to start with, but became very chilly as the sun set. Encountered about 70 hikers, 4 trail runners. Only saw 5 people after Phantom Ranch. Wildlife was minimal, but unique. The Big Horn was the treat. There were also two snakes. I think one was the elusive Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake. The temps being what they were, neither snake seemed to be concerned about me.

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Sep 28 2024

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

R2R and Phantom Creek, AZ

Hiking		Sep 28 2024
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	32.22 Miles	5,906 AEG

Hiking	32.22 Miles	11 Hrs 45 Mns	2.88 mph
	5,906 ft AEG	34 Mns Break

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Phantom Canyon - Lower

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

I've been doing an annual R2R with this group for more than a dozen years. Each time, the experience is amazing, and I often add some sort of variation as I cross the canyon. This year, I opted to explore up Phantom Creek. One of these days, I'll do the Utah Flats route and do the "loop." On this trip, I just did an up and back, but made it about 2/3 of the way to the upper drop-in point.

Going up from Bright Angel Creek, it doesn't take long to have a nice pay off, as a nice cascade of falls is literally just around the corner 50 yards from the Bright Angel Creek confluence. From there, I just wandered, scrambled, and in a couple of places, swam up the creek. Lots of frogs. Several fun, narrows sections with nice pools to play around in.

I made it up to the "slide" waterfall that I've seen in several photosets before I reached my turnaround time.

Back on the NK trail, I cruised through Phantom Ranch without stopping. At the confluence, a large construction site is being assembled in connection with the pipeline renovation project, with construction site modules and equipment. I was stopped at the Silver Bridge and had to wait while a helicopter flew over to drop off more supplies.

The benefit of my side trip up Phantom Creek was that, by the time I crossed the bridge around 2 pm, much of the river trail was in the shade. Likewise, the corkscrew was shaded, and shortly after leaving Havasupai Garden, the sun dipped behind the upper rim. All of this was very helpful, as the day was unseasonably warm (high at Phantom Ranch was well over 100).

It was another lovely day in the canyon, particularly because our group included my wife, daughter, and son in law!

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Nov 02 2023

SpiderLegs

Guides 2
Routes 10
Photos 42
Triplogs 893

58 male

Joined Jul 12 2012
Oro Valley, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Nov 02 2023
		SpiderLegs • Triplogs 893

Hiking	44.50 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	44.50 Miles	15 Hrs 50 Mns	3.10 mph
	11,000 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

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Third time's a charm. Absolutely perfect weather this year. Around 44 degrees to start and it stayed roughly the same temperature until just past Manzanita. Didn't shed any layers until the final climb up to the North Rim. Combined with zero wind it was a pleasant stroll. Made it to the North Rim in good time and tried a new strategy of just touching the rim and hightailing it back down. Then did our major rest stop at Manzanita for 20 minutes. Decided to pack an actual lunch and eating a sandwich, chips, pretzels and washing it down with a Coke did wonders for raising my spirits.

Next stop was Phantom Ranch and my options for cool beverages were either iced tea or lemonade, so I grabbed a glass of their famous lemonade. Didn't linger too long and hit the trail within 15 minutes. The cruise up the Bright Angel trail wasn't as bad as the last couple of R3's. Though the "Devil's Corkscrew" in the dark was enough to have me hating life for about 30 minutes.

Overall a great day. My template of a Wednesday-Saturday trip seems to work best for out of state guests. I scoop them up on Wednesday morning and have discovered that no matter where people are flying in from, it's possible for everyone to arrive between 8:30AM and 10AM. Drive through terminal four at 10AM, pick people up and we are at the Grand Canyon by mid-afternoon. Do the hike on Thursday, drive to Phoenix on Friday and then drop everyone off on Saturday morning. I was home by 7:45AM today.

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See my pics on Instagram @tucsonexplorer

Oct 28 2023

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

Rim to Rim - South Kaibab & Bright Angel Trail

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 28 2023
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	50.31 Miles	13,812 AEG

Hiking	50.31 Miles	18 Hrs 53 Mns	2.66 mph
	13,812 ft AEG

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Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (aka Tri-Rim).

This has been on my bucket list for years. I've "done" it a handful of times, but always with the *asterisk of spending a night on the north rim between the two crossings. So, this time, the goal was to do it continuously. My friend was kind enough to organize the trip and extend an invite to me and several others. But, as time went on, the group dwindled down to the two of us.

We set out for the South Kaibab trailhead at 12:15 a.m. under a full moon, and promptly got lost ....
We couldn't park at the trailhead, so we parked close by but missed the turn off and ended up hiking almost a mile before we realized our error. We ended up hiking out to Yaki Point, when it became clear that this was not the SK trailhead (for some reason, I had in my mind that the SK TH WAS Yaki Point.) So, as if R2R2R is not long enough, we started out by adding 2 more miles before we got "started." Haha!

Thankfully, that was the last of our navigational challenges. From there, we enjoyed a beautiful night hiking under the full moon, and rarely needed to turn on the headlamps. Made it to the river around 3:15 am.

Wore my Tevas for the first 14 miles, but got a blister anyway, so switched to my trailrunners for the final 35-36 miles.

Weather was fantastic--not too hot in the canyon, not too cold on the rims.

Felt relatively good after arriving at our halfway point on the North Rim at 8200 ft., but was nervous about the return trip. But, with no other options, we plunged back into the deep for another 24 miles.
Intermittent cloud cover and a slight breeze kept us cool. Made it back to the river almost exactly 12 hours after we had first reached it, at 3:15 pm.

Then it was time to grind out elevation from 2,400 at the river to 6,800 at the south rim. Thankfully, the angle of the sun kept the river trail in the shade (and cast amazing evening light on the opposing Canyon walls), and by the time we turned up Pipe Creek, we enjoyed more shade.

I had a good second wind carry me to the top of Devil's Corkscrew (the first major climb), and then we slogged our way at a decent clip to Havasupai Gardens (fka Indian Gardens).

I often preach about the "carnage" that can occur from Havasupai Gardens to the rim, which involves climbing 3000 over the final 4.5 miles. Normally, I'm still feeling strong on this stretch in a "regular" R2R, but I was depleted and felt a much closer kinship to others who I have seen hit the wall hard on this section of the trail.

After a short break at HG, we began the final ascent, still marching along at a steady but slightly slower pace. With 2 miles to go, darkness set in and out came the headlamps, as the still full moon had not risen above the rim just yet.

The final 1.5 miles / 1000 ft of gain was painful, but I must have passed 40 other, headlamp-clad fellow sufferers over this stretch.

Reaching the Bright Angel trailhead at shortly after 7 pm, my elation at "crossing the finish line" after 50 miles and just shy of 19 hours of hiking, was quickly met with my body reminding me what I had been suppressing for several miles. I managed to keep all the cookies intact, but both my hiking partner and I were not feeling well at all.

We were very grateful to our friend who lives in Tusayan and graciously agreed to pick us up and shuttle us back to our car by the SK trailhead. He was a true lifesaver! While we waited for him to arrive, we were delighted to find out that the outdoor bathrooms at the BA trailhead were heated, so we locked ourselves in our respective stalls and tried to warm up, stop shivering, and keep our stomachs from rebelling!

Back at our motel, we grabbed some hot chocolate from the lobby, shuffled our way to our room, took showers and were out by 9 pm--nearly 22 hours from when we had last awoken.

A day later, I felt much refreshed and began enjoying the sense of accomplishment. When asked if I'd do it again, my response was: You don't ask a woman who just gave birth if she's ready to have another one! Give it some time, and "we'll see ....

Posting this now, a week later, I think the amnesia is already setting in, and I can see myself doing this again. :-)

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1 archive

Oct 08 2023

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Run/Jog		Oct 08 2023
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Run/Jog	24.00 Miles	4,721 AEG

Run/Jog	24.00 Miles	7 Hrs 35 Mns 21 Secs	3.39 mph
	4,721 ft AEG	30 Mns Break

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Didn't think I'd ever have a reason to do rim-to-rim again, but my brother was working on a (now abandoned) AZT bikepack, and I decided to come along for the canyon section. He had already pretty much decided to bail at this point (way harder than he expected, and kept getting off route), but he hadn't seen much of North Kaibab, and we were already there, so...

I didn't know we'd be running it, but we did start relatively late, so I guess it makes sense. Took a little bit of time to loosen up after last weekend's 50 miler, but despite a few aches here and there, it felt more or less OK. Saw a few wheelchair things a couple miles down; not sure what they were thinking. I'm still baffled by it.

Forgot to check my water level at Cottonwood, so had to grab some out of BA creek. Actually should've taken more, as it tastes a lot better than the pipeline pool water.

Hike out was more or less as expected. Not my fastest time, but we made steady progress, with just two short breaks. Above the 3 mile resthouse, it started getting cold and windy. Some storms up on the rim to the south, but no more than a couple sprinkles for us. Couldn't complain about the weather overall.

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Sep 30 2023

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Sep 30 2023
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	25.05 Miles	5,085 AEG

Hiking	25.05 Miles	9 Hrs 27 Mns	2.88 mph
	5,085 ft AEG	46 Mns Break

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Enjoyed another fall rim to rim adventure. Temperatures were perfect—not too cold on the north rim, but not blazing hot at the river.

North Kaibab TH parking was overflowing by a lot when we arrived at 5:20 am. Glad we were just getting dropped off.

Trail was as busy as I’ve ever seen it.

Some new flood/erosion protection banks constructed in the Box.

I decided to go up SK rather than Bright Angel. Only saw two other groups of uphill hikers below Cedar Ridge.

Once out, I walked another few miles on the Rim trail to the visitor’s center, observing many people completing the epic C2R2C (car to rim to car)—several, no doubt, in record time.

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Sep 23 2023

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Sep 23 2023
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	23.90 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	23.90 Miles	13 Hrs 30 Mns	1.77 mph
	11,000 ft AEG

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Fifth annual R2R with my sisters. Celebrating several milestones with this hike. I made it to the rarefied air of 54 and my younger sister Carrie has recently joined the 50 club. I keep telling her it’s not so bad, but after this hike I’m not sure if she agrees. We were also celebrating my retirement which now means 24-7 hiking

However, my wife, (though she supports me tremendously) is saying

Marriage is about compromise so we’ll figure it out. However, today was about the Canyon and touching both Rims

. My wife and mom, though not hikers, are fantastic supporters of this particular endeavor. This year, like every year, they dropped me off at the North end and then drive around to the South side to greet us, as my sisters and I emerge from the chasm.

This year we got on the trail a little before 1am. Within minutes it started to sprinkle. This became a common theme for most of the hike as the light rain (more times than not a mist) would come and go. A couple of times it came down as a solid drizzle, but never anything more. This is probably the darkest it’s ever been when I’ve hiked the Canyon. Moonset was at 11:30 and with the clouds, there were no stars visible. Moths were the story for the first 5 hours of the hike. Our headlamps were apparently the only light in the Canyon so all the moths came to the 3rd hiker’s headlamp. Oddly enough, the first two hikers weren’t bothered by them, but the third hiker had a cloud circling his/her head. We each took turns at the end so we could experience the joys of communing with nature. I ended up taking my headlamp off and just carrying it in my hand which made it much more bearable.

I was surprised by the condition of the N Kaibab trail. Rockslides and trail deterioration was a reoccurring phenomenon. The rockslides had all been cleared on the trail descending to Roaring Springs rest area, but the evidence remained on the side of the trail. I want to say there were at least 5 slides prior to reaching that rest area. Trail deterioration was also very notable between the first bathroom and the bridge. The trail was never in question, but there were multiple times where we paused and noted the damage. Seeps were also more common on the way down. Typical I note 4 seeps, on this hike I counted 7. The trail was also rough at times between the Roaring Springs rest area and the turn off for Ribbon Falls. There were several times where the trail seem to narrow more than it use to or climb over mounds of dirt which hadn’t been there in previous years. Once again, the trail was still very doable, but weathering definitely had reshaped the trail. The “box” was in good shape with the exception to the water line that parallels or runs under the trail. About three miles from the Ranch we came upon a spot where the line had burst. Water was fountaining up from the rupture and flowing down the trail. Bright Angel also had some minor damage from a recent rockslide. The trail was clear, but the large rocks bordered the trail. With all this destruction many of the water stations were down. I believe Indian Gardens and the 1.5 mile rest station were the only ones working.

Good hike with my sisters. Our time was slow, but we made it out. Knees were barking at the end for all of us and we all ended up with blisters at the end…maybe because of the wet weather. Trail activity was surprisingly light. Only met 5 hikers/runners before the “box”. It wasn’t until Indian Gardens that the traffic picked up. Wildlife was minimal…scorpion, frogs, some very brave squirrels, a humming bird that almost took my eye out and some other body parts, big horn sheep as we neared the rim and did I mention MOTHS!

It was a light sprinkle for much of the hike. Five minutes after finishing, the sprinkles turned into a solid rain. Timing

A reminder to self for future family hikes…Do NOT talk politics. Another day older, another day wiser.

Thanks to my sisters (who hike with me) and our family who support and cheer us every year in this event….Velva, Sue, Justin, Eric, Nathan, Maddie, Conrad, Taylor and David. Time is valuable. I appreciate you spending it with us!!

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Jul 30 2023

ckoss_

Guides 2
Routes 21
Photos 64
Triplogs 7

male

Joined Oct 30 2024
Kenilworth, NJ

R2r2r, AZ

Backpack		Jul 30 2023
		ckoss_ • Triplogs 7

Backpack	54.16 Miles	11,311 AEG

Backpack	54.16 Miles	2 Days 9 Hrs 50 Mns
	11,311 ft AEG		20 LBS Pack

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9 linked trail guides

Skeleton Point

Ribbon Falls from Phantom Ranch

River Trail - Grand Canyon

Rim to Rim - South Kaibab & Bright Angel Trail

Grand Canyon Corridor Loop

Partners

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The 2nd of 3 Grand Canyon backpacking trips for 2023.

Preface
As college students, the best time for vacation was during the summer, which can be brutal in the canyon. My hiking partner was only available in late July for their first trip to GC. I previously did a R2R in 2017. We decided on South Kaibab - North Kaibab - Bright Angel with 2 nights at Cottonwood Campground. We had 2 interesting encounters in the early morning of Day 3.

Day 1 - Lemonade and Ribbon Falls
The first Hikers' Express shuttle arrived arrived at 4 AM to take us to the South Kaibab TH. Today was ~14 miles from the TH to Cottonwood. We topped off our water and headed down the canyon by headlamp. The shelter at the Tipoff enticed us to stop and have a quick break, followed by crossing the black bridge. We made it to the Canteen right at 8 AM and enjoyed a few cups of lemonade before entering the Box section of North Kaibab. We also collected out passport stamps at the Ranger Station. After an hour or so in the Box, we decided to cool off in the Bright Angel creek by laying down in a shallow section and it was very relieving to escape the intense heat. Around noon we crossed the creek to visit Ribbon Falls before arriving to camp. We thought about visiting Upper Ribbon Falls, but we were content with our time with the lower falls. We arrived at Cottonwood at 1 PM and collected our passport stamps and above us was a thermometer in the shade reading 102F. We spend the rest of the day eating food and enjoying the creek.

Day 2 - North Rim
The plan for today was to keep our tents and other non-essential gear at our campsite at Cottonwood as we ascend to the North Rim and visit the Visitor Center for the passport stamps. We started down the trail at 5 AM followed by a quick break at Manzanita to fill up water and sketch a doodle on the chalk board. We had to wait for the bathrooms to be finished cleaning before using them. It was fascinating seeing all of the equipment to perform the trail repairs due to the rock slides earlier that year. There were several steel cables spanning across the canyon nearby. We also spotted a fresh pipeline fracture across the canyon from North Kaibab trail where the water was gushing out spraying against the canyon wall. As we were nearing the final ascent to the Coconino Overlook, a nearby horse escaped a tour group and the wrangler shouted to us to grab it, which we were able to stop it! We made it to the TH at 11 AM and debated on stopping at the gas station store or just to proceed to the lodge and visitor center. There is no shuttle on the North Rim like the South Rim and we debated on asking to hitch-hike, but being from NJ we have never done that, so we just followed the path to the lodge. We collected our stamps, enjoyed the views, inhaled lunch at the deli, and started back down North Kaibab at 4 PM. I have not been to the North Rim since 2017 and I completely forgot the powerful moment of seeing the San Francisco Peaks above the South Rim. I thought it was interesting that visitation to Roaring Springs is off limits now as I remember in 2017 that we could take the side trail to the base of the springs. Luckily it was partly cloudy today so the temperature at Cottonwood was only 90F when we arrived back at 7 PM.

Day 3 - Strange Encounters
Since this was the first time for my hiking partner to visit the corridor trails, I splurged and reserved breakfast at the Canteen for late seating (6:30AM) so we woke up at 3 AM to complete the ~7 miles to make it on time. The moon was very bright and lit up the canyon, but we still hiked with headlamp. On the way to Phantom Ranch, we observed a skunk on the side of the trail, a first for me. Soon after, we had another encounter. This time, a woman in a white dress was approaching us in the opposite direction with no headlamp. When we crossed paths, she appeared to have no pack or gear. We were very confused and we asked if she was okay and where she was heading. We do not remember exactly recall, but I remember being confused because she said something along the lines of going to a meadow, which does not make sense to me. We arrived at the Canteen by 6AM, but the staff was able to feed us early since it was just the 2 of us for breakfast. My partner and I really enjoyed the meal and felt it was worth the money to receive all of the fresh food and calories considering our relatively aggressive itinerary for the time of the year. We crossed Silver Bridge at 7AM and making it to Havasupai Gardens before 10AM. Side note, we passed a mother/daughter descending North Kaibab on Day 2, they passed Cottonwood around 8PM with the plan to hike R2R through the night. We passed them again on the way to Havasupai Gardens and they looked exhausted. We took quick breaks at the 2 rest houses and made it to the TH at 2:30PM. Until next time in November.

Medium flow

Light flow

Light flow

Gallon + per minute

Light flow

Oct 11 2022

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 11 2022
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	21.00 Miles	6,000 AEG

Hiking	21.00 Miles	7 Hrs 30 Mns	2.84 mph
	6,000 ft AEG	7 Mns Break

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joebartels

Today marks the 25th anniversary of my Dads passing doing the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim. This year I decided somewhat last minute to go up and hike it again to commemorate his passing. I'm not currently trained up or conditioned to do a R2R2R so decided to just do Rim 2 Rim. I was able to talk Joe into going with me and we worked out a good plan. We drove up early this morning and I would go from South to North. Joe then drove around to the North Rim and would hike in the opposite direction. Then when I finished I came back and picked him up. We finished the hike with a Ceasar salad and a large pizza at Oregano's in Flagstaff and we were back in Phoenix by 10:30PM. Total miles driven was a little over 900 plus a Rim to Rim and back all in the same day. That makes for a full day.

As for the hike the weather was beautiful and there is some nice Fall color over on the North side. It was a bit of a slog coming out the last mile and a half but all in all just a great hike and solid day! Thanks for going and thanks for the assist with the car shuttle Joe. It worked out perfect!

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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Oct 11 2022

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 11 2022
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	21.00 Miles	4,700 AEG

Hiking	21.00 Miles	8 Hrs	2.70 mph
	4,700 ft AEG	14 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Bright Angel Falls - S of Manzanita Creek Cheops Plateau Isis Temple Sumner Butte

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JuanJaimeiii

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

JJ started from the south and I started almost 4hrs later from the north. We did not follow the hide-a-key wisdom, instead electing the fob-for-all approach.

Aspens were lighting up the Kaibab plateau in foliage color. A third to half of the plateau is toast but a healthy dose of medium aspen are scattered through the burn. Foliage seekers or end of rim season'rs had the area packed. A few maples were in the mix, very few.

Several mule trains in the first mile. I passed jj at 5.3 miles down. The creek between the bridges on North Kaibab still holds up as one of my favorite sections of trail anywhere.

Jonny Mogul steps on the South Kaibab are pretty much as I recall.

Fauna
5-year-old rattlesnake on the trail, one duck in the creek, an elephant on my back

Synopsis
Held 3.2mph to the river jogging the flats. I still love the mean ascent of the South Kaibab. Gave it my all, just average. Unlikely an R3 is in my future but never say never. Still great to get back on the N & S Kaibab after an eight-year absence. Jeneve is serious about conserving water.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation None
None on the hike. The North rim was blazing bright aspen and maple colors.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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- joe

Oct 01 2022

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 01 2022
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	23.90 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	23.90 Miles	12 Hrs 55 Mns	1.85 mph
	11,000 ft AEG

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Belated post. My hiking has been very minimal this year. A bad knee has made trail running and even hiking difficult. That being said, we had made reservations a year ago for this event and I wasn’t going to let a bum knee stop me from attempting it. Departure from the north rim was delayed by an hour as an unexpected storm passed through just as we (my sisters and I) were prepping for departure.

Got on the trail around 2am. Temps were surprisingly warm (low 40’s) with little wind. The rain hadn’t been too bad; a few puddles that were easily avoidable if you kept your eyes on the trail. The rain did a nice job of cutting down on dust which is a nuisance on the upper portions. Hikers coming out warned us of hearing rockfalls (from the rain) but we never saw any damage on the trail. Even with the late departure we made decent time. We were in the box a little after sunlight and at Phantom Ranch around 8 am. Trying to gage the Colorado…the banks are about 5 and 1/2 bridge cables on the north and 4 cables on the south. There seems to be a growing island down stream of the silver bridge. We better figure out this water situation fast

Going up was rough. Felt good for initial part of the corkscrew but just as we were approaching the Tonto plateau I felt myself hit a wall. This is typically one of my favorite parts of the BA…..water roaring along side a relatively flat trail. Took a half hour break at Indian Gardens before the final push but still needed multiple breaks along the way. Wasn’t a question of if, just when we would get to the top. We were met by multiple family members around the second tunnel with mom, wife and others awaiting up top. Rough climb, rough day…..had to settle for a coke rather than a Mountain Dew. Ohhh the misery (lol). Actually did better on my R3 last year than on my R2 this year. The knee played a small role in my performance (though it was very sore for days afterwards), but conditioning is what made it so grueling. Not prepping/training for a canyon hike is just stupid. We already have rim reservations for next year….lesson learned!

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Sep 24 2022

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

R2R via Miners Route, AZ

Hiking		Sep 24 2022
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	26.77 Miles	5,265 AEG

Hiking	26.77 Miles	9 Hrs 55 Mns	2.86 mph
	5,265 ft AEG	34 Mns Break

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Miner's Route

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I've been doing an annual R2R for the past dozen years or so. It's always a highlight of my hiking year, but I generally look for ways to shake up the route a bit--side hikes to ribbon falls or upper ribbon falls; taking the old devil's corkscrew and old BA alignment into Indian Garden; and one year, starting down the Old Bright Angel trail from the North Rim.

This year, I decided to try the Miner's Route on the south rim. I enjoyed it and am glad I did it, but it's probably not for everyone.

The initial ascent from where the route departs from the River Trail is particular steep and loose. And though the general direction of the route is not in question at this point (up the drainage), signs of an actual trail don't seem apparent for the first 150 feet up or so. Then some faint switchbacks appear, along with some alternate options for continuing the climb.

Once at the first saddle, as described in the guide, the views directly down on the Silver Bridge, up to Phantom Ranch, and over to the Black Bridge are awesome--A perspective that I don't think you can capture from any other trail location.

Just beyond the saddle is a second outcropping that provides another nice and similar view point. After taking the veiw in again, I made my most significant navigational error. I had the GPS route downloaded to RS (which was helpful), but- at this point the route took a sharp right turn and then seemed to loop up and then back to the alignment I was on already. Meanwhile, the actual landscape presented with some sheer cliff faces that could be navigated from below (walking along their base), which seemed to be the logical option on the route. Add to that a faint use trail heading towards the base of the cliff face, and I figured the sharp right on the gps track, which circled back, was probably either a gps glitch, or a false attempt that was corrected by the original hiker. Well, I figured wrong.

As you can see on my route, I ended up backtracking back and forth a bit, until I figured out that the route wasn't a glitch, but that I needed to get on top of the cliff face. As I got back to the point where I had gone off track, I saw a narrow chute that headed directly up. After climbing a bit, I rediscovered the faint signs of a trail, and once in that chute, the route was obvious again.

Other than that, I managed to stay on the route pretty well.

Once I topped out at the Miner's Cairn, I was feeling accomplished, and glad to have the scrambling mostly done. In my mind, connecting up with the Tonto from there was just a matter of a relatively flat and short 100 yard jaunt through the sagebrush. Again, wrong assumption. Getting up to the Tonto involved more elevation gain that I had figured. Nothing overly strenuous, but it was more than what I was mentally anticipating.

In any event, I finally did make the connection and was happy to be back on established trail. I passed by the Skeleton Route up to the SK trail, and flagged that for another time. It was mid-day and above 90 degrees, and I had a 4-mile shadeless walk ahead of me to connect with the Bright Angel trail, so I'll tackle that one another time.

I had not hiked this section of Tonto (except the far wester endge connecting old BA with new BA alignment). It was as enjoyable as the Tonto generally gets. I didn't realize you could seek Phantom Ranch from the Tonto. Also, the riparian areas by Burro Spring, and Pipe Spring were welcome and refreshing--(plenty of water at both, though more at Pipe Spring).

Saw only one other person from when I departed the River trail till I reached the Bright Angel trail--a single female hiking on the Tonto between Pipe and Burro Springs.

Once I hit the BA just below Indian Garden, I was back in familiar territory. I saw a helicopter fly low overhead and wondered if a rescue was underway. No. Apparently, there was some shuttle of supplies going on from or to IG.

Due to an earlier pipeline break and water conservation measures, the water was turned off at 3 mi. and 1.5 mi. resthouse, so the last water stop was IG, and I actually had to wait in line behind a dozen or so people to fill up my reserve liter bottle (which I didn't end up needing). I learned that there are quite a few people who lack any semblance of proficiency in using a water tap.

Unneeded water secured, I looked at my watch and realized I had less than two hours to get out of the Canyon, if I wanted to get a shower in a Mather Campground. [Another casualty of the water restrictions is that the showers at Mather campground close at 4pm]. Given the extra exertion on the Miner's route and 4 miles in the afternoon sun and the fact that it was 100 degrees at IG, I wasn't sure I had it in me, but resolved to give it the ol' college try.

Thankfully, the body cooperated, and I made it from IG to the top in 1 hour and 45 minutes. I zipped over to the campground and got in just under the wire. There's nothing like a hot shower after a full day in the Canyon!

After dinner at Maswick Lodge, our group headed back to Phoenix, and I arrived home a little after midnight. Tired, but fulfilled with another set of good memories from our local natural wonder of the world.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Burro Spring Indian Garden Phantom Ranch Pipe Creek

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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1 archive

May 05 2022

SpiderLegs

Guides 2
Routes 10
Photos 42
Triplogs 893

58 male

Joined Jul 12 2012
Oro Valley, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		May 05 2022
		SpiderLegs • Triplogs 893

Hiking	44.50 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	44.50 Miles	16 Hrs 30 Mns	3.10 mph
	11,000 ft AEG	2 Hrs 10 Mns Break

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Swore I'd never do this again, but my companion for most of my other GC hikes from Idaho called me about 6 months ago to let me know that we were going back. Group of us were all hitting monumental birthdays this year and no better way to beat Father Time than doing another R3. Unlike the last time when we did it on a whim for my 50th birthday, I now had time to train. We wrote up a list of everywhere where we screwed up the last time we did a R3 and prepped.

Despite a lot of curveballs among our group of six including bad backs, bum knees, a bout of Covid and other bumps and bruises we all showed up generally healthy and ready to roll. I've become an expert in logistics and corralled five other guys from around the country to fly into Sky Harbor early on Wednesday morning and get them to Tusayan by dinnertime. Hit the hay at 7 PM in anticipation of the alarm going off at 1:30 AM. Rolled out of bed, got everyone into our cars and were awaiting the taxi in front of Bright Angel Lodge by 2:45 AM. Quick taxi ride out to South Kaibab and after last minute prep hit the trail at 3:20 in the morning.

Made decent time in the dark and were at Phantom Ranch in a little over two and a half hours. Didn't stop and kept pushing on to Cottonwood to take advantage of the cool weather. Ended up bumping into a guy from my neighborhood that I see a few times a week walking his dog who was heading to Cottonwood for a few nights of camping. Got to Cottonwood and the water had not been turned on yet, so headed quickly up to Manzanita for our first break of the hike. At Manzanita we all rearranged our packs, filled up with water and prepped for the first big hurdle of the day. The climb up to the North Rim was toasty and entirely in the sun. But the bonus for sweating up that big climb was that the water at the North Rim had been turned on early and it was cold.

Hung out on top for about 20 minutes while we shared the faucets with two other groups of hikers and runners and then hit the trail back down. Still warm when we got back to Manzanita, so we all made sure to top off our water because we knew we had about an 8 mile stretch to Phantom Ranch without any place to get water. All of us nervous about hitting the Box at 2 PM in the afternoon. But to our surprise, most of the Box was in the shade. Still warm, but not as bad as my last time hiking through it. Finally made it to Phantom Ranch to discover we missed the canteen's open to the public hours by 20 minutes. Had been anticipating an ice cold lemonade and instead settled for lukewarm tap water and a 5 Hour Energy.

So buzzing with a boost from my energy drink we headed out for the final climb up Bright Angel. Kept a nice steady pace up until Indian Gardens when sunset approached. Pulled out our headlamps and got ready for the final push. This was the worst part of the day for me. First time ever to get blisters from while wearing Darn Tough socks and a first time for having them on the ball of my feet under my big toe. Every step up hurt and around the Devil's Corkscrew I could feel the last remaining effects of my Valley Fever from three years ago. Huffed and puffed up the last few miles and topped out after 10 PM.

For the most part, this was much more enjoyable than my last R3 due to actually prepping for it, sleeping in Tusayan for a few hours before we started and having a much better handle on my food choices. Kept a steady 200-250 calories an hour split between gels or candy bars then washing it down with Tailwind or Liquid IV. Looking at my splits averaged about 20 minute miles going down or across and 30 minute miles going up. Not a negative, but having a group of 6 instead of 2-4 people seemed to slow us down a bit. We'd get bunched up on the descents and it added an extra 10 minutes at every stop while all six of us got water. Overall a good day, happy that my moving time was under 17 hours. If it was cooler, we could have shaved off another hour I'd guess.

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See my pics on Instagram @tucsonexplorer

Apr 24 2022

shelby147

Routes 5
Photos 435
Triplogs 119

female

Joined Mar 26 2022
Flagstaff, AZ

GC doublecross (R2R2R), AZ

Hiking		Apr 24 2022
		shelby147 • Triplogs 119

Hiking	45.00 Miles	11,500 AEG

Hiking	45.00 Miles	15 Hrs 54 Mns		2.83 mph
	11,500 ft AEG		11 LBS Pack

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Standard long (very long) day in the GC corridor. Cool weather, so a popular day for doublecrossers. The mules were 6 minutes ahead of schedule and I barely beat them onto the trail. The river is finally green again, yay. The water line was spraying above Supai Tunnel - I assume the park is aware. In the evening, several parties started up South Kaibab around the same time and we largely had the trail to ourselves, unlike in crowded the mornings. Sure was a nice change to have shade and quiet on South Kaibab.

Wildflowers Observation Light
Yellow prickly pears near the black bridge. Pink pears in spots on North Kaibab and South Kaibab. A few other small cacti with pink and red blooms. Agave shoots are up but buds haven't burst. Yucca are beginning to send shoots.

Oct 02 2021

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 02 2021
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	45.00 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	45.00 Miles	24 Hrs	1.88 mph
	11,000 ft AEG

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Belated post. Celebrating another year older with my sisters with what is becoming an annual R2R. This year I added a little twist by adding an R. It’s been on my radar every since reading Jacob’s write up from last year. A lot of thought, coordination and preparation went into making this happen. Almost got torpedoed before I could start. In this economy work demands have become increasingly onerous. Time that I thought I had off for this event wasn’t approved and I had to do some last minute scrambling to take care of things “at home.” Did a few big hikes to help prep. Went out a bought some equipment that I had never used on any of my hikes that I thought might be beneficial…knee braces, hiking poles, energy tablets, Garmin InReach.

Got up to the Canyon on Thursday, which gave me 24 hours to get somewhat acclimated to the elevation. Spent time with wife and mom (support staff and cheering squad) enjoying the sights and amenities that the South Rim has to offer. Slept in as late as I could on Friday. Got up around 10am. Hit a few more sights with family before they dropped me off at S Kaibab. Actually there is no admittance (except for shuttle buses) to S Kaibab, so we had to park along side the road with dozens of other cars and walk in on the road to reach the TH. An unforeseen .5 miles.

or as I like to look at it, quality time with family. Said my goodbyes and was on the trail a little before 3pm.

First time going down South Kaibab. Awesome trail…a new personal favorite. They have been doing a lot of work on the trail. Laying a lot of stones, giving a rock ramp feeling to some of the stretches. Last two times I’ve been on the trail it’s been an all women team doing this hard work. (Can’t express enough thanks to all trail maintenance workers that I’ve seen over the years that help facilitate my passion

). SK has a couple of favorite spots for me… Ooh Aah Point is truly Ooh Aah, there are two spots just below Skeleton Point where you get some great views of both sides of the trail (west particularly), and then there is point just past Tipoff where you get a nice view of a muddy Colorado and the descending trail. All Kodak moments. Glimpsed a bighorn on the descent but he moved off quickly before I got a good look at him. Hit Phantom Ranch a little after 5pm but kept going wanting to get as much distance as I could while there was light out. Took my first break while still in the box, enjoying the sound of rushing water and the last bit of light. Changed gear around. Went from hat to headlamp and knee braces came off. Moonrise wasn’t until 3am. Turned off headlamp once just to see…..darkness!

I can’t recall the last time I was outside and experienced such complete and utter darkness. Stopped briefly just before Cottonwood Campground where I forgot my hat

and then a longer break at Manzanita. Only met 6 hikers after Cottonwood, but I made my forgotten hat a talking point and asked all to keep an eye out for it and put a stone on it so it wouldn’t blow away. After a replenishing my water and downing some energy tablets I was ready for the ascent. It’s funny. I had gone up NK once before and I had three destinations in mind…..the turn off for Roaring Springs, the bridge and the tunnel and it seemed like it took far longer than I anticipated to reach these spots. Took one break before the tunnel. Very windy as I ascended. Had to find a switchback where I was sheltered from the wind to hunker down. With the climb, I lost the sound of rushing water, but with the wind blowing through the Canyon it was difficult to discern where one left off and the other took over. My sisters were to meet me at the north rim at 1am for the return trek. My goal was to get there a half hour before so I could break a little before the descent. Got to the top around 12:50 to a stiff wind, 30 degree temps and a wet t shirt. I had a sweatshirt with me that I hadn’t needed. Threw that on, but still.

(<——That’s not fear that’s cold….brrrrrr). Sisters arrived at 1am

They invited me into their car where I tried to warm up and they peppered me with the question “Are you sure you want to do this?” I’m sure I must have looked miserable shivering in their car, and I was somewhat tempted with the offer, but I knew this was my best chance to accomplish this….besides I had to get my hat

With a fresh shirt and knees braces in place we were back on the trail by 1:30. Going down was tough….there was biting wind, that seemed to be colder after the warm confines of the car and the knees were incredibly stiff with each drop down step. Luckily I had two chattering sisters that offered a great distractions. This was our third time doing this, and in the darkness (still no moon) we didn’t stop too much to take in the sights (such as they were). The speed was pretty much set by me and my knees. The lower we got the warmer it became and the more my knees loosened up. Stopped briefly at Manzanita before hiking on. Just past Cottonwood Campground we came across my hat with a couple of rocks piled on top of it.

This year my sister wanted to get a picture of us on every bridge. Their phones weren’t cooperating during the night (flashes), but as we hit the box got some nice pictures. I hadn’t really noticed it going north, but we all commented on signs of water damage and rock falls along the box corridor. Remaining evidence of a very active monsoon season. Hit Phantom a little before 8 where we rested again. Downed some more energy tablets as much to help stay awake as anything. Went up the Corkscrew. In and out of the shadows. In my opinion this is the best part of BA. Love how the water interacts with the trail both near the bottom and near the top. This year the water was actually flowing down the trail. A sight which I had not experienced before. We arrived at Indian Gardens around 11am where we rested for a half hour. Almost dozed off here

These half hour breaks did wonders for the ascent on both sides of the Canyon. We were pretty much able to power up with only one break prior to the first tunnel. My sister kept saying “we got this” and I simply kept my head down. Sadly, as far as enjoying the Canyon, I don’t think I looked up once during the entire ascent to the first tunnel. At the tunnel we had a small welcoming committee of various family members, including my wife (who is not a hiker). Definitely a sight for sore eyes and a spirit lifter. The last few switchbacks were done a little slower to accommodate everyone’s level, but they seemed to go by faster because of the company.

Hitting the top felt fantastic! There was an extended welcoming committee waiting for us up top (including strangers who got sucked in while waiting for their parties). Reward was an ice cold Mountain Dew

This was a great experience, especially being able to share it with my sisters. Great company. They made the second leg of the hike seem more like a social outing. A needed distraction from the unending grind. They’re a hoot when it comes to the “water hazards”. Huge shout out to my wife and mom who helped orchestrate the event. They make it all happen

Actually had rooms right next to Bucky’s Lodge. Literally a couple hundreds yards from BA trailhead with a window view of the Canyon. Thanks to SpiderLegs for nutritional advice. Energy tablets (taste terrible) and stingrays proved incredibly beneficial not only with the climbs, but with just staying awake ( which was one of the bigger challenges toward the end). Hiking poles. I have never used them before and I have to say I kind of felt like I was cheating, but they made a world of difference. Both going up and coming down (at least with N Kaibab. My knees needed all the help they could get on the descent). This was an awesome way to celebrate 52. We’ve already got reservations for next year and sounds like there may be a few more members “taking the plunge.”

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1 archive

Sep 25 2021

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Sep 25 2021
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	29.88 Miles	5,810 AEG

Hiking	29.88 Miles	11 Hrs 44 Mns	2.68 mph
	5,810 ft AEG	36 Mns Break

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[ checklist ] Bighorn Sheep Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake

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After spending an evening in the North Rim cabins, I hit the North Kaibab TH with my daughter and son in law and some friends about 5:30 a.m. Temperatures were very mild. Forecast was for 44 degrees (usually is in the 30s). Hiked via headlamp for the first mile or two.

The Canyon was still a bit hazy from wildfires(?) This obscured the usually dramatic view that greets you when you pass through Supai Tunnel. That said, the air seemed to clear as the day wore on.

The upper part of NK trail is in pristine shape--smooth sailing.

At Manzanita Rest area, there was a nice Grand Canyon pink rattlesnake right on the trail near where you step down into the rest area (a relatively high traffic spot). He/she was coiled up tightly and apparently in a sound snooze. Despite the traffic, he was just sat there unfazed. Cool looking.

At Ribbon Falls, they have now completely removed the remains of the defunct bridge. After climbing over the hill, we backtracked up to the falls via the "south route." Where this used to be more of a "choose your own adventure," the trail to the falls from this end is much more defined these days. The creek crossing still requires a bit of balance and carefully planned hops, but much less chance of dunking yourself than in times past (depending, of course, on water levels).

This was a first R2R for my daughter and SIL, so I convinced them that the side trip was well worth the extra mileage. They looked a little skeptical, and I realized that the snippet of Ribbon Falls that you can see from the N. Kaibab trail doesn't really look that impressive. I told them to withhold judgment until they got up close and personal with the falls.

They relented, and as expected, once we got to the falls, they agreed that it was extra time/energy well spent. As an added bonus, we had the falls essentially to ourselves, with only two other people there--who were on their way out when we arrived. We crossed paths with several other incoming hikers on our way back to the NK trail.

Back on NK, we descended into the Box, where it was evident that monsoon flooding had ravaged the canyon recently. At the mouth of several of the side drainages, a lot rock and silt had reshaped/overrun the trail, causing re-routing. In a couple of places, there were some small rock slides that you now have to maneuver over or around. I don't think I have seen that much change in the trail over a one-year period at any point in the past.

We stopped at Phantom Ranch to fill up some water for lunch, then moseyed down to the shade of the cottonwood trees by the campground to eat while soaking our feet in the creek.

Refreshed and with a fresh set of socks, we began the challenging part of the hike.

My daughter and SIL were in good spirits as we crossed the river and traversed the river trail.

Having done the side hike to Ribbon, we were bringing up the tail end of our group. However, we caught up with a couple just below Devil's Corkscrew (they ended up finishing under headlamp around (9:20 pm). We caught several more at Indian Garden and between there and the top (where there is typically a lot of "carnage"). :-)

We lucked out with some nice cloud cover ascending the corkscrew. I was up for taking a dip in the "jacuzzi" pools off to the side of the trail at the top of the corkscrew, but my daughter was dialed in and intent on keeping the pace. So ..., another time.

From Indian Garden to the base of the ramp where the real climbing starts, we had full sun, and felt the draining heat. That said, as we approached the "ramp," we hit shade and it was an immediate 15-degree drop in temperature. In addition, the sun was soon far enough west to cast a shadow on the trail, providing welcome shade for the remainder of the ascent.

After Jacob's ladder, we took a short break at 3 mi. resthouse, and then kept grinding upward. I was impressed with my daughter and SIL, who kept a great pace on the climb.

Less than a mile from the top, we came across some bighorn sheep--first, a young one and his/her mother, and then dad came bounding across the trail right in front of us, another switchback up. It's still amazing to me how effortlessly they seem to navigate the insanely steep slopes.

After topping out, we were disappointed to here that the Mather campground showers were closed at 12:45 because the GC doesn't have enough employees to keep them open all day. :-(

As an alternative, there is a water spigot with a hose in the "rock garden" by the trailhead bathrooms, so we stripped down to our spandex and hosed ourselves off. It wasn't a hot shower, but could have been colder. In any event, it was more refreshing that driving back to Phoenix in our canyon-caked state.

Stopped for some greasy food at Wendy's in Tusayan, where they are still in drive-thru-only mode. Not sure if that is still a COVID thing, or if they are short on employees as well.

In any event, another memorable trip through the canyon in the books. This place never disappoints!

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

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Oct 24 2020

kyleGChiker

Guides 1
Routes 61
Photos 604
Triplogs 79

male

Joined May 28 2019
Phoenix, AZ

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 24 2020
		kyleGChiker • Triplogs 79

Hiking	44.50 Miles	11,000 AEG

Hiking	44.50 Miles	49 Hrs 56 Mns		1.19 mph
	11,000 ft AEG	12 Hrs 33 Mns Break	45 LBS Pack

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River Trail - Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

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After previously backpacking every mile of trails/routes on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, I decided it was time to complete Rim to Rim!

I got a permit for my last choice weekend, October 24-26, and backpacked across the North Kaibab/Bright Angel route.

Along for the trip were my parents, two siblings, and my brother's girlfriend (a total of six people). For some strange reason, NPS gave us a permit for 7 people, stating in an email that we had miscalculated the total fee for the permit, and they would be charging us for 7 people. Even after calling to make sure they knew we only had 6 people, they refused to update the permit or give a refund for the 7th person that didn't go along on the trip! Oh well...I guess it all worked out fine because we got to camp at the nice group sites.

We found a friend on Facebook (lives in Page) who was willing to be our shuttle driver from South to North since the normal shuttles aren't running this year. After being dropped off, and after enjoying our sandwiches on the rim before the hike, we realized we forgot our pot and fuel at home!

Apparently, somewhere along the way, there was a miscommunication in who was taking what.

Sure enough, when we got home, there was our 4-liter pot and 16 oz. of fuel, sitting right next to the fish bowl!

Well, after talking through the options, we decided that since we were on corridor trails, we would be able to find sufficient kind hikers from whom we could buy/bribe/borrow some fuel. A kind man on the rim overheard our plight and gave us his stainless steel doggy bowl to use as a makeshift pot. It only held 2.5 cups, but we were grateful nonetheless. To finish out this story, at Cottonwood campground, I finally found someone who had some extra fuel, so I borrowed their canister for our dinner (they refused to accept payment). Our breakfast was cold-soaked oatmeal, which rehydrated quite well overnight. On the trail the next day, we met some backpackers who were from Chicago and had some extra fuel. They couldn't take it with them on the plane anyway, so they were happy to give it to us. We're thankful for the kindness of our fellow backpackers and hope we have a chance to help someone out similarly some day.

The North Kaibab trail itself is a very nice trail, quite smooth and gradual. The 5,000+ feet of descent really seems to go by quite quickly, and in no time, we were at Cottonwood campground! We enjoyed the amazing stargazing both in the evening, and early the next morning before the sun rose. In addition to identifying numerous stars and constellations, we also spotted Saturn and Jupiter. I tried my hand at some night sky photography, and was quite pleased with the results (I'm writing this at work while I wait for a test to run...will probably have a photoset uploaded sometime late this evening or tomorrow afternoon for you all to enjoy). The next day was a long day from Cottonwood to Indian Gardens, and especially being in a group of six, we move pretty slowly (due to the nature of group dynamics, not any particular person). We woke up at 4:45, and got out of shortly after first light. About half-way from Cottonwood to Phantom Ranch, we came across a group of 7 bighorn sheep drinking water from Bright Angel Creek. Apparently, they decided to move on, and we watched in amazement as they climbed over 200 ft high overhead on very steep (almost vertical) terrain. Within minutes, they had ascended easily 200 ft. but we continued watching for another half hour or so, as they were so interesting to watch. Eventually they got beyond the ridgeline and we couldn't see them any longer. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience!

We spent a bit of time at the beach along the Colorado River before climbing up the Bright Angel trail. The highlight there was watching 2 kayaks, 3 rafts, and a dory boat run the small rapids there (the dory looked like a replica of the Bass boat at Bass beach in the Western Grand Canyon).

That night, at Indian Gardens, the temperatures dropped substantially and the wind was very strong. Forecasts posted at Phantom Ranch indicated gusts around 25 mph, and I felt like at Indian Gardens, they were even stronger. We secured our tents with several guy lines to large rocks, and they did fine. The rangers also warned us of a potential 1/2 inch snow at Indian Gardens and up to 5 inches on the South Rim. Thankfully, the weathermen were wrong (

), and we got no precipitation to speak of (maybe a grand total of 10 or 20 rain drops on the tent

). As usually happens when a cold front moves in, the next day was gorgeous, with blue sky and good visibility, albeit just a little cold. When we left camp, it was right around 40, and the temperature slowly dropped all day, until it was just below freezing for the last couple miles of hiking. Driving home through Flagstaff, the temps dropped as low as 24.

Overall, this was a great trip. Everything worked out OK, even though we forgot our pot and fuel (we still had the stove and utensils, so it could have been much worse!). The North Kaibab trail in particular was extremely busy. Just to give you an idea, we talked to a ranger at Indian Gardens who said that the Grand Canyon's previous record for rim-to-rim day-hikers was 1200 in one day. She said they exceeded 2000 rim-to-rim day-hikers on October 24th this year. It felt like someone was going past about every minute in one direction or the other. It was crazy! I now remember why I've done so much wilderness hiking in the Grand Canyon in the past...the crowds simply aren't there. I'm thinking back to when we did South Bass to Boucher, and saw only 1 person in 7 days (except for a few people on the top of the Hermit trail going out). Or the Royal Arch Route where we saw no one for 6 days. I've done Rim to Rim now, just to say that I've done it, but I can assure you my next Rim to Rim will be something like Nankoweep to Tanner or North Bass to South Bass. That'll be far more enjoyable.

Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Some aspen, cottonwood, and oak (though most aspen were past their peak).

Bright Angel Canyon

Heavy flow

	Bright Angel Creek	Light flow	Light flow
	Always flowing nicely!

	Ribbon Falls	Light flow	Light flow
	Just about the same flow as March 2018 when I saw it last.

	Roaring Springs	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Heavy flow over the falls from Roaring Springs

Roaring Springs Canyon

Heavy flow

3 archives

Oct 03 2020

Guides 69
Routes 37
Photos 3,010
Triplogs 2,387

55 male

Joined Oct 24 2010
Phoenix,Az

Northwest, AZ

Hiking		Oct 03 2020
		mt98dew • Triplogs 2,387

Hiking	23.90 Miles	5,790 AEG

Hiking	23.90 Miles	12 Hrs	1.99 mph
	5,790 ft AEG

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Another year older, another step slower. Met up with my sister to relive and redo last years R2R adventure and to celebrate turning an anticlimactic 51. This is only the second time doing R2R so it is a bit premature to call it an annual event, but so far it has been a family event. Got a cabin with wife and mom on the north rim. Didn't get up there until after 7 and situated around 9 which translated into about 3 hours of sleep. Started down with my sisters from North Kaibab around 1am. Strange: temperatures seemed much cooler at the TH than at the cabins which were only a mile away. Started off in the dark with headlights glaring. With a near full moon I would have preferred to use the red lights, but my sisters desired the comfort of being a "walking light tower". We nearly blinded a deer off a cliff during our descent. Poor guy didn't know which way to go when ours beams illuminated his movement through the brush.

We hit the box about the same time as last year, just as the sun was cresting in the east. One of my favorite sections of the hike. Great respite from the knee pounding descent and the upcoming leg fatiguing, lung burning ascent. Love how the light plays with the inner walls of the canyon, the murmuring and sometime roaring of Bright Angel Creek, and the bridges and rockwork of bygone generations that created this "highway" into this wonderland. Thought we were making decent time, but didn't get to Phantom Ranch until 8am.

Took the BA bridge across the Colorado. One sister was a little concerned, because a few weeks earlier the bridge had been closed for maintenance.....we made it across safely

. I am thinking next year we'll be able to rock hop across the Colorado. The river really looked low.

Really enjoyed the Devils Corrkscrew. It interacts well with the terrain with good elevation change. Lost part of the experience talking politics with one my sisters. Surprisingly enjoyable seeing as how we come from opposite sides of the aisle. My other sister, wisely kept silent, enjoying the views and saving her breath for final push. That being said, in my mind, the Corkscrew went by pretty fast.

Watered up at Indian Gardens. Bystanders be ware! Those spigots provide more of a spray than a stream. More water sprayed the surrounding area than actually went into the bottle. However, no one was complaining about the unexpected shower. The climb out on BA was the expected grind. Pace wasn't as good as I've would have liked but we made it out with only a handful of breaks and not feeling totally dead to the world....only slightly. About .5 miles from the top we were met by a couple of family members (Justin and Nathan, my sisters husband and son) and at the top we were met by my wife, mom and a few other family members as well as an ice cold Mountain Dew

Pretty awesome experience!! Already talks for next year

Can't thank my family enough for how they have supported and shared in this love affair with nature. Wife and mom, especially deserve kudos.

They dropped us off at the north rim and then, after a few hours sleep, had to drive all the way through Flagstaff and enter the Park through Tusayan...a 5 1/2 hour drive!. The east entrance (from Cameron) is closed because of the Coronavirus.

Other notes....counted 42!!! trail runners and 55 hikers before Phantom Ranch. North Kaibab really was a highway that morning. Lost count on the other side of Phantom because I got caught up in politics

My garmin seems to be useless when measuring miles for this hike. The last two years it has been way off.

We got a shirt that says R2R 23.9 miles. HAZ has 22.15....which is right? I went with 23.9 because it sounds better.

Shortly before the turn for Ribbon Falls my sisters heard a "grrrrrrrr"....I didn't hear anything, but it caused us to put our headlamps on high for awhile. There was a lot of traffic so I figured the odds were in our favor if a mountain lion was looking for an easy meal. Saw big horn just before the last tunnel on BA. Nice way to end the hike.

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1 archive

Sep 26 2020

Guides 3
Routes 632
Photos 8,235
Triplogs 604

54 male

Joined Apr 13 2011
Gilbert, AZ

Rim to Rim, AZ

Hiking		Sep 26 2020
		ddgrunning • Triplogs 604

Hiking	28.15 Miles	5,846 AEG

Hiking	28.15 Miles	10 Hrs 32 Mns	2.82 mph
	5,846 ft AEG	32 Mns Break

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River Trail - Grand Canyon

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

When my non-hiking friends ask why hiking is so special to me, I'll point them to this weekend’s R2R as a way to sum it up.

Two days disconnected from internet, tv, media, email, cell phones, politics, COVID-craziness, etc.— and 10+ hours of uninterrupted time with my teenage daughter (a HS senior), immersed in one of the most amazing places on earth.

As this is my youngest daughter, I'm starting to run out of nearby kids to hike with, so I'm trying to build a few more memories while she's still at home. We'll be heading back soon to do a backpacking trip to Nankoweap.

On this trip, we drove up to the North Rim on Friday. We usually stay at the cabins on the North Rim, but this time stayed outside the park at the Kaibab Lodge. It's an eclectic place. Nothing fancy, but the beds were comfortable (which is all that really mattered to me).

Up early the next morning (of course), and on the trail by 5:30 a.m. TH parking was relatively full but not packed, and the trail traffic was relatively lighter (due to COVID?). It was relatively warm by end-of-September standards, which was nice at the start, but portended an oven later on in the hike ....

Hiked by headlamp for the first mile.

Passing through Supai Tunnel is like the entrance to a Disneyland theme park: when you come out the other side, it feels like you are in another world, as the Canyon opens up to dramatic views at that point.

At the Roaring Springs turnoff, I decided to make a short side trip to the rest area. I had never been down there before. It adds another .6 or so to the trip, plus a couple hundred feet of elevation gain. At the rest area, there are bathrooms (closed/locked) and a water spigot (turned off) and not much else in the way of amenities. Views of Roaring Springs along the trail, though, are better than from the NK trail. Also, you notice that there are several other places where the springs are flowing down the side of the canyon walls. The resulting creek in the drainage also has some nice cascades, including a 10-12 ft. fall not very far downstream (by slight bushwhack) from the rest area. There was an anchor and rope that would allow one to downclimb to the base of the small falls, but as I was still in the latter stages of recuperating from a broken collarbone, I decided that further off-trail exploring downstream would have to wait for another trip.

My daughter was not interested in taking any extracurricular detours, so I had to hustle to catch up to her, which I eventually did just around Cottonwood campground.

At the Ribbon Falls turnoff, we checked out the dilapidated bridge and wondered how much longer till it would collapse altogether and crash into the creek.

We didn't venture over to Ribbon by way of the creek, but from the NK trail, it looked like the flow was a bit anemic.

The rest of the way to Phantom was uneventful. I always enjoy the narrow confines of the Box.

After about 5 hours of hiking, we reached Phantom Ranch and soaked our feet in the creek by the BA campground area, while eating lunch.

Then it was over to the Silver Bridge and up Bright Angel. The River was a a deep/vibrant green--beautiful, but seemed a little lower, given the dry winter.

I had planned on giving a go up South Kaibab instead of BA, but my daughter wasn't interested in that waterless, exposed death march, so we stuck with the traditional BA climb.

We hit Devil's Corkscrew at the hottest and most exposed time of day. It made for a bit of slog, but my daughter was a champ, and soon the Corkscrew was conquered.

At Indian Garden, the temperature gauge was showing well over 100 degrees. My daughter soaked her feet in the creek while we steeled ourselves for the final 4.5 mile / 3000 ft. climb. I always tell people that it's just a Flatiron hike to the top from Indian Garden--but less steep! (I also warn them that the last two miles are five miles long!).

As usual, those final miles took their toll, but my daughter set a solid pace and kept on trucking. Luckily, by the time we hit the base of the climbing in earnest (about .75 mi. up canyon from Indian Garden), the trail was largely shaded.

Topped out at 4 pm, and hung around for a beautiful canyon sunset.

Unfortunately, due to COVID, the showers at Mather Campground were closed, so we settled for a hand/face wash and change of clothes for the late drive home.

Back to the question of why hikes like this are so meaningful to me. This is my battery recharging station.

It’s not just the incredible vistas—and they ARE incredible. But incredible vistas can be appreciated in photos, in a magazine, on a poster, or on a social media post of HAZ triplog.

Hiking itself offers an exponentially different level of appreciation—one that is simply not available through two-dimensional, visual perception.

Hiking allows me to jump INTO the photo; to manipulate and appreciate the incomparable artistry of God’s creations from many angles; to interact with, and EXPERIENCE the vistas of the trail with all five of my senses, as well as a touch of the spiritual:

*From the smell of the towering pine trees on the North Rim;

*To the sound of Roaring Springs or the rushing cascades along Bright Angel Creek;

*To the sight of the mighty green (or chocolate) Colorado River underfoot at the Silver Bridge with the powerful, churning eddy swirling upstream on its south side;

*To the taste of fresh water at Indian Garden after conquering the Devil’s Corkscrew in the mid-day heat;

*To the burning/aching of my own muscles and rolling drops of my own sweat, mixing with the powdery layer of dust I’ve carried with me 20+ miles from the North Kaibab Trailhead and across the expanse of the Canyon, as I ascend the seemingly endless climb from Three-Mile-Resthouse to the Bright Angel Trailhead.

Hiking allows me to become part of the landscape—to feel alive and to connect (or reconnect) my life with fellow creations of Mother Earth—both animate and inanimate.

There are some things that cannot be fully appreciated without investing a portion of your very being--your own energy and sweat (and some occasional blood, blisters, tears, and muscle cramps).

Precious few things are more valuable in this world to me than sharing such immersive hiking experiences with someone I love and savoring the resulting shared memories created thereby.

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Sep 26 2020

mikemcg

Guides 2
Routes 127
Photos 1,478
Triplogs 129

male

Joined May 07 2019
Tempe, AZ

First Rim to Rim Including the Ribbons, AZ

Hiking		Sep 26 2020
		mikemcg • Triplogs 129

Hiking	26.38 Miles	6,054 AEG

Hiking	26.38 Miles	16 Hrs 35 Mns	1.83 mph
	6,054 ft AEG	2 Hrs 8 Mns Break

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