Grand Canyon and Flagstaff, June 1-5

Grand Canyon and Flagstaff Arizona , June 2-4

Grand Canyon is a well-deserved name for this magnificent place.  It's massive, extending almost 300 miles across the Colorado Plateau and varying in width from about 10 to 20 miles, and about one mile deep.   It has been carved by the mighty Colorado River for 500 million years.   It is one of the few, if not the only, places on earth that you can hike down to see and touch rock that is 1.6 billion years old.  This rock, called the Vishnu Formation, is an iridescent dark green and is very, very hard. It has spectacular veins of pink quartz running through it.  Very cool indeed.

We planned to hike across the Canyon from the North Rim to the South Rim in three days.  We'd hike 14 miles down to Phantom Ranch on the North Kaibab trail, spend a day there and then hike out to the South Rim on the Bright Angel trail.  

Fresh and ready to go at the North Rim

On June 1st we left our car on the South Rim and took a five hour shuttle ride to the North Rim. This enabled us to do the hike and have the car waiting for us at the end.  While on the shuttle we met Debbie, Monte, Clayton and Cord Franks from Joplin, Missouri.  They were planning a one day rim-to-rim hike the next day.  They were still reeling from the devastating blow their home town took by a tornado a week prior but were determined to make the best of their long-awaited vacation.   When we got to the North Rim they very generously gave us one of their two rooms at the lodge so we didn't have to camp in below-freezing temperatures.   There was still snow in the woods!  We were very grateful.

Looking down the North Kaibab Trail

The north rim of the GC is at 8000 ft.   It is made up of multiple tributaries that feed the Colorado River 5600 ft below   The result is many smaller canyons reaching out from the north rim towards the river.  When standing on the north rim you cannot see the river, just the amazing landscape of multicolored layers of rock spread put before you.  It is breathtaking. 

Doug and Kate just below the Coconino layer of rock at the beginning of the hike

View South along the Kaibab Trail

Our hike started on June 2nd after a good sleep and a hearty breakfast at the lodge overlooking the Canyon.  Others had begun their descent at 4:00am but we were skeptical that we needed to be so extreme.

We strapped on our 40lb +/- packs and descended into the Canyon.  Our destination that day was Bright Angel CG at Phantom Ranch, right near the river.   The 14 mile trek was absolutely spectacular.  Each vista provided us with expansive views of the canyons and unbelievable varieties of color.  The first five miles was pretty much straight down.  The terrain leveled somewhat when we met up with Bright Angel Creek.  For the remaining nine miles we followed the creek down through open valleys and narrow inner canyons with 1,000 ft walls.   Despite the heat and dryness, it was extremely beautiful, especially when the walls closed in.  About two miles before camp, Jenny's recent illness caught up with her, making for a tough finish.  Somewhat dehydrated and out of energy she stumbled into camp.  Kate and Doug took great care of her setting up the tent and cooking dinner. 

A little less fresh just before getting into camp

The next day we rested our weary bodies and explored the Canyon around Phantom Ranch. PR is a beautifully rustic lodge with a bunkhouse, cabins, and a canteen/restaurant tucked in among the cottonwoods and high walls of Bright Angel Canyon.   Those lucky enough to stay there can arrive one of three ways: mule, foot or raft.   PR was founded in the late 1800s as a tourist destination for the truly adventurous.  Getting to Grand Canyon, let alone down to the bottom, at that time was an expedition in the truest sense.   One of the Ranch's claims to fame was a visit by Teddy Roosevelt in the early 1900s.

Krazy Kate and her dad on the suspension bridge over the Colorado

The Colorado River is about 1/4 mile further down Bright Angel Canyon from the Ranch.  It's an impressive sight. To get to the other side there are two huge suspension bridges, one for  people and one for mules.   Crossing those bridges was exciting.   The river below was running at an impressive 22,000 cubic feet per second making for some great white water rafting.   As the day progressed, so did the temperatures, to about 96 degrees.  We found a cool refuge in the canteen for a few hours writing postcards, drinking lemonade and watching all the people streaming in who had just arrived for a stay or were passing through on their rim to rim hike.

Our tidy camp at Bright Angel CG

Some people choose to hike from one rim of the Canyon to the other in one day.  Some do it because they have to.  It's very difficult to get backcountry permits to camp in the Canyon.  Others do it to as a challenge.  The hike is a grueling 20-24 miles, depending on which trail you take.  It is long, hot and dry with a serious amount of elevation loss and gain.   We were surprised at the number of people doing it.  Some looked very fit and others did not.  One group, the Athena Project, was made up of survivors of serious medical issues, mostly cancer.   Not only were they doing a rim-to-rim hike, they were planning to turn around the next day and go back.  This, not surprisingly, is called a "rim to rim to rim".   Some folks do this as a race, completing it in less than 24 hrs.  There is always someone out there pushing harder.    We all agreed it was not our cup of tea but after completing our hike, we had tremendous respect for all those who do any version of the hike.  That said, many people who try it don't make it and suffer significant injury from falls, dehydration and exhaustion.   They either beg for a place to stay at Phantom Ranch or they get rescued/assisted out of the Canyon.  Our new friends the Franks made it out.  One of their sons, however, needed to go to the ER for rehydration. We checked in with them later and they're all doing fine.

Devil's Corkscrew, Bright Angel Trail

On June 4th, we broke camp early and enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the Ranch canteen.  We headed across the suspension bridge to begin our ascent out of the canyon.   We took the S. Bright Angel Trail 9.6 miles to the South Rim, 4,600 ft above.   As we climbed, the heat became intense, rising into the low 100's.  The early hours were wonderful.  We ascended through magnificent canyons and enjoyed the shade.  The air was incredibly clear.   We kept an eye out for California Condors, which have recently been reintroduced to the Canyon.  There is now a healthy, growing group of about 70 condors in the GC and they soar high above the cliffs.  Though we didn't get to see one of these magnificent birds, it was great to know they were there.

Jenny and El Tigre at Indian Gardens

Looking back down the Bright Angel Trail

About half way up the trail at Indian Gardens we had a lunch of salty snacks, replenished our water supply and rested our feet.  We each carried 2 quarts of water and went through it fast.  Access to water on our route was very good, especially since we had a water purification pump as backup.   We also "cameled up" prior to leaving our campsite by forcing ourselves to drink at least one quart of water each.   In such a hot and dry environment we needed to replenish our salts.  Many people get hyponatremic, or low on sodium, when hiking the GC so salt is considered as equal in importance to water.   After our rest and refueling we headed back out on the trail to hike the last 4.6 miles to the top.  While beautiful, these last few miles are the most grueling as they are basically all switchbacks gaining about 3,300 ft.  We averaged about 1 mile per hour.  Kate was the leader and pranced up the trail like a gazelle.  Doug was the caboose, lovingly prodding Jenny along as she trudged up the trail.  Jenny hated to admit it but this trail gave her a good whippin'.   We stopped in shady spots and at designated rest stops to refill water bottles which we emptied at impressive rates, and to use the facilities, proving we were staying hydrated.  We reached the top 9 hours after we started and immediately went and got milkshakes.   Ahhh, the simple pleasures of life.

We all felt like we had really accomplished something when we got to the top.   We agreed it was the most spectacular and most difficult hike we had ever done.  Despite our fatigue and aching feet we felt great!  It was an amazing adventure and we would do it again... maybe some October.

Success!  Enjoying the cool breezes atop the South Rim

We stayed the next two nights in Flagstaff, AZ.  We rested, did laundry and hobbled around on our sore feet and legs.  Kate thought it was very amusing to comment on her parents' decrepitude.  Just to set the record straight, she too carried a 40 lb pack.  She is just one tough kid.  Henceforward, her trail name "Li'l Tiger" that she earned climbing Mt. Katahdin in Maine several years ago, is retired.  She is now simply "La Tigra" with all the rights and privileges appurtenant thereto.  We also got to visit with some old friends of Jenny's and their families: Mike Hartley, Polly Fiedler and their wonderful daughter Jenna, and Scott Franke and Meg Dueber.  Mike and Scott were Jenny's roommates back in her University of Oregon days in 1980.  We have periodically met up over the years and it is always such a treat to see them.  They were in Flagstaff getting ready to raft the Grand Canyon for 23 days.!  What a great trip.

Next:  Mesa Verde and Carlsbad Caverns.  Thanks for visiting!