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| Hiking | 23.00 Miles |
4,800 AEG |
| | Hiking | 23.00 Miles | 10 Hrs 41 Mns | | 2.15 mph |
| 4,800 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Day 2 of back-to-back R2R trips: After taking SK-NK on Friday, I met up with my wife and 38 other friends/family at the North Rim for a return R2R trip the following day.
After dinner and a night at the cabins, we hit the NK trailhead shortly after 5 a.m., took a quick group photo, and hit the trail at 5:22 sharp.
It was quite a bit chillier on the north rim than it was on the south rim at the same time the day before. Even at that, however, I just threw on a couple of arm warmers for the first couple of miles. It was actually perfect hiking weather.
Hiked with headlamps for the first bit. I was surprised at how many people we passed coming up out of the canyon that early in the morning, as well as how many seemed to be day hikers (either rim to rim, or doing some side hiking from a base camp in the canyon). In fact, the trail was very "crowded" as compared to the day before.
Took a quite moderate pace as compared to the day before, and made frequent bathroom/water breaks. Took the side trip to Ribbon Falls and were rewarded with an up close and personal encounter with this gem of nature. Just one more feature of the GC that pictures don't do justice to.
Phantom Ranch was quite a zoo, with probably 50 hikers mulling around. The ice-cold lemonade was very refreshing and prepared us for the climb out.
Enjoyed the River Trail, though slogging through the sandy sections got old in a hurry.
The multiple crossings of Pipe Creek after the River Resthouse provided great opportunities to douse the hat/shirt as a means of cooling down. The exposed section from Devil's Corkscrew to Indian Gardens seemed much longer than the actual mileage. Temperature at Indian Gardens was near 90!
At Indian Gardens, with 3,000 feet to climb, I just kept telling myself: It's just Flatiron--only not as steep  I was pleasantly surprised at how much of the trail was shaded from Jacob's Ladder on. It seemed to make a 10-15 degree difference, which was very refreshing, and occasionally, a breeze would blow in just to cool things down a bit more.
My wife locked into a solid pace and just put it in cruise control through 3 mile and 1.5 mile resthouses. Then, I think we got a bit cocky, because that last mile kicked our butts! When we finally made the turn on the last switchback and saw the trailhead, the adrenaline kicked in and we gutted out the last .3-.4 mi., finishing in a solid (for us) 10 hrs. 41 min.
A gal at the top was inquiring/admiring our adventure, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and offered me a celebratory swig. Not being a drinker, I gracioulsy declined. What I really needed was a shower, which I took at the Mather Campground--best $2 in quaters I ever spent.
The group trickled out of the canyon and we ate at the Maswick Lodge before making our way back home.
Can't wait to do it again next year!
(P.S. GPS battery died before reaching Indian Gardens) |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
