Grand Canyon Rim to Rim

I just finished a fantastic adventure when a family group hiked the Grand Canyon from the North Rim to the South Rim.  The group was 7 hikers and two guides.  The guides Chad Teerink and Patrick Church were fantastic hosts and a lot of fun to boot.  

Good Morning at Phantom Ranch

The hikers were my daughter Rosemary, step son Aaron, brother in law Buck (aka Glen) and his daughter (Heather) and her friend (Leslie). Emily was also added to group and she fit in very quickly to the quirky fun.   Emily was trying to go on another trip but her tent mate was having a melt down and just could not make it and she jumped in with our group because she was serious about getting to see the Canyon.   

The actual hiking is done over a four day period and is a great way to see the Canyon.   We used Just Roughing It outfitters from Phoenix to guide our trip.  In the past we had stayed at the Phantom Ranch near the river while hiking the South Rim,  but we could not get a room and decided to hike it instead.  JRI takes care of the permits needed to camp, getting you to and from the Canyon,  provides a morning and evening meal, and also provides the back pack, tent and sleeping bag.  The hikers need to provide their own clothing, personal gear, water containers and snacks to add some calories to your daily intake.  I have done little real hiking where you need a tent, but this trip was a lot of fun. The weather was fantastic.  60 and 70's during the day and 40 to 50's at night.  NO RAIN!!! Not too cold or hot and you could manage with just three lightweight layers. 

We had a meeting Friday night to get our gear situation worked out, meet the JRI people and also meet Emily.   Once you get your pack, sleeping gear and tent (Rosemary and I were tent mates--I provided ear plugs) you go back to the hotel to get your pack in order and get some rest.   The packing takes a lot longer than you think, everything is not going to fit and you must have some priorities on clothing and the other stuff.   We finally got it all assembled and the next morning at 5:00 AM we were headed North.  We stopped for breakfast and a couple of breaks including our first look at the Canyon when we crossed the extreme Eastern section as we headed for the North Rim.  After a quick lunch and final pack job, were we ready to descend at 1:30 PM.  My pack was 37 pounds as we headed to the trailhead, I had 3.5 liters of water and some dinner food to help out the guides.  They generally carry up to 70 pounds.    We needed to get to Cottonwood campground that night and we knew it would be getting dark as we arrived.   At 6:30 PM, lights are needed to hike a strange trail.

Once we got our packs fitted and ready we headed down and since it was my first trip down this side, I took a lot of pictures and enjoyed the view every chance I could.   The four newbies--Leslie, Aaron, Rosemary and Emily all did quite well and enjoyed the trip.   This group was not all experienced, but we had three marathoners, a bike rider,  sprinter and massage therapist in the group and we handled the physical part of the descend quite well.   The down hill is my weakest part of hiking and my IT bands on both legs were quite unhappy and were screaming from my hip to knee on both legs.  We pushed on and arrived at our campground right at dark and found that someone else had set up in our spot and we had to wait for them to leave and then we set up our tents and had some Western spaghetti for dinners. The camp sites are reserved from the Park Service months in advance and we let the guides handle getting the other group out of our area.   Noodles with  a meaty tomato sauce tasted pretty good with some cheese on top.   Patrick broke out some premade coffee to drink and I offered him some Baileys Irish Crème to add and he was kinda surprised that someone would bring some Baileys.  We split the coffee and  both enjoyed a cup of joy after a long day.

This group was pretty organized on the party supplies.  Heather and Leslie had 3 bottles of wine (one for each night), I had 8 ounces of Baileys, Buck and Aaron had bourbon and whiskey which totaled 40 ounces of spirits.  The guides had some cognac or something similar.  We had it covered.  Also, the second night we would be at the Phantom Ranch and they will have Bud and Tecate beers for sale.   That bar is one of my favorites-- you really have to want to have a drink there.   But, they really taste great and they take care of the empties.  In the Canyon you take care of all of your own trash--leave nothing.  I saw one cigarette butt along the trail and nothing else.   Everybody does their part.

Day 2 was going to be a lot more fun with no hard descents or climbs and we were going to visit Ribbon Falls. We had a great sleep,  and got moving after some coffee and breakfast. 

Home for 3 nights

  We still had to carry 3 liters of water, no water would be available until we reached Phantom Ranch that afternoon.    This day would be a short trip to Ribbon Falls and then a longer hike thru the "Box" section of the Bright Angel Canyon that leads to the Phantom Ranch.

Crossing Bright Angel below the Falls

We hiked about a mile and then dropped our packs and visited the Ribbon Falls.    The Falls is a very difficult trek for a look at a water falls, but it is a very interesting destination and one of the most fun parts of the trip. 


Ribbon Falls with Aaron and Rosemary

  After leaving the Falls we hiked to the Phantom Ranch and arrived around 2:00 PM.  We stopped in for a beer or coffee and snacks as lunch was getting prepared by the guides. The daytime hours are 8:30 AM to 4:00PM. I had a coffee and we then had some lunch and set up camp.  The bar would reopen at 8:00 PM and stay open to 10:00 PM after serving two dinner seatings.   We would return!

On our way around the Canyon to the North Rim we noticed the Colorado River was a bright green and looked pretty clean for a change.   After camp was set up, Chad took a nap, Patrick headed to the store and the rest of the hikers headed for the river ( less than a half mile from camp) where there is a  sandy beach.   The river was really pretty and Aaron, Buck and I waded a little into the river and it was cold!    Swimming?  Way too cold.   I checked later on the USGS data and it was 40 degrees.   Aaron had other ideas.  He struggled a bit and then just jumped in.  Is that bravery or crazy--not sure yet--I am thinking crazy.   I was next.  I took a stroke and was out--that was my 10 second bath for the trip. 2 down and 5 to go.  Heather and Leslie came down and Heather was wearing a bikini--she was prepared-- and in they went with Rosemary and Aaron back in again.  5 down and 2 to go.  Buck was using Emily for coverage--she was staying dry and he thought since she did not go in, he could stay dry too.  A few minutes later, Emily was in the water, Buck had to comply. According to Buck, she broke the 'alliance' they had made.  7 of 7 got wet.  Aaron was in for the third trip--he could not get enough of the icy green water.  The entire group took a dip and it felt really good, not something I would do that often, but why not take a dip in the bottom of the Canyon? This may be a good story someday while sitting around a campfire. 

 

Crazies ????

After our dip we headed back to camp, had some coffee,  a few cocktails and dinner of mac and cheese with tuna

.   When the Ranch opened up at 8:00 PM the entire group headed up for some beer and cards.  The Ranch now has three beer varieties along with wine.  The have Bud, Tecate and a Phantom Ranch IPA.  All three are quite popular at that location.  We played a game of 6 handed Oh Shit (cards) and it came down to the last trick.

Phantom Ranch waterhole and store

  If Leslie took it, she would win; if I took it, I would win the contest.  My 10 of clubs was good and I snuck thru with a win, a great way to close out the evening.   A happy crew returned to the tents for a little rest. Our trip is at the half way point.  The two guides do not use tents--they sleep under the stars to save weight in their packs.  Hard core, but the price they pay to be a guide in the Canyon.

Day three is a short day to Indian Gardens with the main obstacle--the Devils Corkscrew.  We got started around 9:00 AM and crossed the river and stopped to check out Bear Rock.  Bear Rock is named after Connie's deceased husband.  We stopped for a little funeral several years (2010) back to scatter some of his ashes in the Canyon and this rock on the East wall has the features of a man's face that can only be seen from the middle of the bridge where we had the funeral.   I think Bear Rock is an appropriate name for this formation, his energy is still there.   We powered through the Corkscrew and were at the Gardens in mid afternoon.  This group has a lot of hiking power and has a very fast pace.  Typically you hike at 1 mph, this group pushes 2 mph as  their pace!  This is the fittest group with whom I have ever hiked the Canyon by a ton.

Late in the afternoon we were going to head to Plateau Point for the sunset.   The point is 1.5 miles from camp and it is a mostly level trail and you do not need your pack--that trek went quick.  It was my first trip to the Point and the river is 3000 feet below you! 

2000 feet to the River from Plateau Point

What a view........  after our return, we had a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, dried cranberries and dessert of pudding with graham crackers and Fluff.   Fluff was my highlight of dinner--just classes up the entire feed.   We also had to kill off all of our libations--absolutely no sense in carrying that stuff out!   My Baileys was already gone, so we worked on the Wild Turkey and Bourbon with abandon. I am glad to report, we did our duty and killed it all off and did not carry any dead weight out the final push on Day 4.

Day 4 is leaving day.  4.5 miles of trail and 3000 foot of elevation change to the top of the trailhead.  The first half mile is pretty easy and then all help breaks loose and it just gets hard.   The trail was dry and shady the entire way, but you are gaining elevation every step and this crew has a really quick pace.   There was no water on this section and we needed to have a least 3 liters to be safe.  There are two rest stops with potties and a lot of foot traffic of tourists and other folks trying to get in or out of the Canyon.   Our group absolutely rocketed out of the Canyon with Aaron leading the way.  We covered the 4.5 miles in 2.5 hours with two rest stops of about 15 minutes each!  The guides were covering the rear--too fast for them.  Although they were on the phone the entire last section because we finally had a signal to get any business done.  The marathoners and biker were about 5 minutes ahead of Rosemary and me.    Rosemary was  working with a minor knee issue that Buck helped with a brace and she finished in good shape.    Buck had surgery in the Spring to clean up some meniscus damage and brought the brace, but did not need it.  He was really strong the entire trip and the surgery was a complete success.

I was behind Rosemary--the sprinter in me needed a little more air than was available, but I finished pretty solid. I wore my GoPro the last 300 feet in elevation and I will see if I can get it loaded for everyone to enjoy. It is pretty interesting to watch and get a feel for how the final pushes develops.

When we made the top, there is chaos and a celebration. Making it up is a big deal each time.  My third summit and I am just as proud as I was the first and second time.  We had a group hug and took some pictures and then it was pizza and beer.   After we relaxed a bit, it was a 3 hour car ride to the hotel where we sorted our gear and went for the showers, a soak and a bed with sheets.   That night at the hot tub at the hotel we did manage to kill off several bottles of wine to celebrate the adventure.  Next day was rest day and then a trip home.  I was tired and needed some real rest.

My body held up pretty good for carrying a 35 to 37 pound pack 22 miles.  My birthday was two days after the finish, so a an almost 61 year old man help up pretty good.  My foot situation was so much better this trip--better shoes, socks with toes in them also helped immensely.   I did have a numb little toe on the right foot and I am not sure if I did if with my boots on or off.  I would switch to Croc slides at the campsite to get my feet a rest.   I could have jammed it into any million of the rocks on the trail.  In couple more years,   I will start thinking  about another shot at this Canyon thing, it is a tremendous adventure that gets in your blood and you just got to go do it!