North to South

When I was in high school I hiked the Grand Canyon with my friend Brady Blackham. It was a proud moment in my life. To say you hiked the Grand Canyon from rim to rim was a badge I wore proudly. We hiked from the South Rim to the North Rim. We stayed the night at the bottom at Bright Angel Campground. There were a lot of things I remembered about that hike but there were also a lot of things I couldn't remember. It was roughly 15 years ago and so some things were pretty vague.

A couple of months ago some guys at work wanted to hike the Grand Canyon. They wanted to hike rim to rim in one day. One of the things I remember some 15 years ago was how hard it was. I knew I didn't want to do it all in one day. So there was another group to stay the night at the bottom. I went with that group.

We started at the North Rim Thursday at noon. It is 14.9 miles (according the back country map) from the North Rim to Bright Angel Campground. It is also approximately one mile (5,000 ft) of elevation change from the rim to the bottom. It took us 7 hours to get to the bottom. We had 30 pound packs on our back and weren't in any rush. We just wanted to get there before dark. We got there at dark.

The bottom is pretty cool. It is kind of like it's own village. There is Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch. If you have money to shell out, you can stay in one of the cabin/bunks that they have there. You can also have a cooked steak dinner. They have flush-able toilets and running water at the bottom. They also have a campground for those wanting the true outdoors experience. That is where we stayed.

It's pretty neat to have that starry canvas above you at night and the dark silhouettes of the canyon walls on the sides as you lay on your back. There's something about staring into that big unknown above you that gets the mind thinking.

The next morning we got up and hit the trail at about 8:30. It's 9.6 miles from the bottom to the South Rim. It took us about 7.5 hours to get out. The last 3.5 - 4 miles are hell.

It was a great experience and definitely something to put on your bucket list.

Here are some photos of the trip. There were 3 of us that stayed the night.

This pic is about a mile into the hike from the North Rim.




Here I am looking all sorts of sexy coming thru the Supai Tunnel that is 1.7 miles into the hike.




This is to show the trail that you meander down. This is coming off the North Rim.




This is on the descent of the North Rim.




This is about a mile / mile and a half away from the campground at the bottom.








This is the bridge you use to walk across the Colorado River.



Again, looking all sorts of sexy as I pose on the bridge that goes across the Colorado River.



This is about the beginning of hell or the last 4 miles. You hike up to where the ridge line forms the V in the horizon. You climb up about 3,500 ft in elevation this last 4 miles. It takes it toll on you.




This is to show what the trail is like on the South Rim.



The few along the trail on the South Rim.



Had to get an up close shot.



This lil' tunnel can be seen from the South Rim is just a few hundred feet from the end.



This is the 3 of us at the South Rim. Proof that we made it out.



Needless to say, here it is 24 hrs later and I am pretty sore. Luckily I didn't get any blisters. Aside from the aches of hiking 24.5 miles while carrying a 30 pound pack on my back I feel pretty good. It was a great time and there is a great sense of accomplishment when you take that pack off for the last time and sit and stare at where you came from.