Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38 Photoset • mt98dew • 2024-10-28 • HikeArizona.COM

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38, AZ

	2024-10-28
	36 by mt98dew

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Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

Northwest, AZ

Grand Canyon - Inner Gorge - AZT #38

Northwest, AZ

Hiking	20.50 Miles	5,500 AEG

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

no routes

Linked

linked

Rim to Rim

Partners

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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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