Grand Canyon South Side Rim-to-Rim
I'm grateful for a whole lot of things today, but today's very grand hike made me even more thankful for the countless people who have been so drawn to places like this that they’ve spent their lives fighting to protect them. There's no doubt much less money to be made in conservation rather than exploitation, but because of those folks’ sacrifices, I can pay a meager fee and be alone with gorgeous wilderness like this after walking as little as 30 minutes.
I hiked the South Kaibab trail from rim to river, and then ascended back to the rim via Bright Angel trail. 17 miles, 4380 ft. to regain on ascent (more gain than any of the 14ers I've done). Just over 6 hours including all stops. Nothing but smiles from me!
Mom also crushed her hike down to the Tonto shelf and back up Bright Angel. Blown away by her as always.
We had to drive 2.5 hours up from Camp Verde and then catch the shuttle over to the South Kaibab trailhead, but we still managed to be hiking by 7:30. We even caught a quick breakfast sandwich at the Mickey D’s in Tusayan, so that should give you a good idea of when the alarm went off...
Sunrise had happened already, but the initial switchbacks were shaded and quite cold, around 25 degrees. Still, I was ready to move fast and quickly got past everyone that disembarked the shuttle with us. At some point before getting down to the red Supai sandstone, a couple of runners zoomed past me. I didn’t see them again, so I can only guess they had lofty aspirations for the day.
When I did reach the red rocks and started moving more north than down, the views really opened up. The light was also perfect at this point. I was consistently in awe of the aesthetic beauty of the trail itself. The South Kaibab seems to move in harmony with the contours of the terrain, never overwhelming the gorgeous surroundings. I caught my first significant glimpse of the Mother of Rivers just before 9:00.
I was feeling great about my pace, and I reached the tunnel and suspension bridge in a hair over 2 hours, 6.7 miles from the trailhead. I took the opportunity to chill the hell out on my walk on the north side of the Colorado, partially because it was now around 80 degrees. That’s right...a 55-degree temperature shift in two hours!
The glassy, green river seemed to instill a sense of calm, which was a necessary balance at this point. The difficult part of the hike was about to begin. I was on the lookout for just the right place to stop and gather myself. The man-made trappings of Phantom Ranch, although charming, were not that place. I kept walking.
Back across the river on another bridge, past some creepy old machinery, alongside a narrow section of the lower canyon with a beautiful dragonesque rock wall that remind me of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison...but the right rest stop didn’t present itself.
Finally, just as I reached the spot where Bright Angel Trail leaves the river, a beach!
I took off my pack, shoes, and the day’s first pair of socks, had a snack, and finally experienced the river. In that moment, all of the worries I could have been feeling (and generally am...) were nowhere to be found. The simplicity of the act of hiking a long distance in a mystical place instilled in me a sense of confidence and wonder all-too-often diminished by the complexities of our modern social and professional constructs.
I headed south and up from that special place prepared to enjoy every one of the 4380 feet back up to the South Rim. And haul fucking ass while doing so!
The three-mile trek up to Indian Garden only gains about 1300 ft, and that went by very quickly. Along the way, the trail parallels a little slot canyon for a bit that widens to an oasis of sorts leading all the way to the redbuds and cottonwoods of the garden.
Here, I stopped again for another quick snack and to refill my water. I chatted with a very eager squirrel and scoffed at a sign warning hikers NOT to attempt going to the river and back in a single day. Ha! I was 3/4 of the way done, and it wasn’t even noon yet. I eat croc-wearing tourists for breakfast.
I resumed my hike and smiled and sweat and grunted up the remaining 5 miles and 3000 ft past an ever-increasing crowd of folks headed down the trail. At this point I didn’t care about anything but my own experience. But I did observe that the closer I got to the trailhead, the less likely people were to respond to my eye-contact, smiles, and howdys. I won’t even mention trail etiquette. Whatever, I’m sure most of them thought I was a complete psychopath at that point.
After a full morning of reverence to this beautiful place, I don’t feel a bit of guilt saying that reaching Bright Angel Trailhead was triumphant. I’d made it up before 2:00, which was way faster than anticipated. Now to soak it all in, watching folks take selfies in front of the Grand Vista and then get back in their cars [insert sad trombone].
Seriously, I probably wouldn’t be trashing that aspect of America’s Best Idea if I hadn’t gotten to observe it for hours today. Mom and I had a miscommunication and she waited for me at Indian Garden for a long time. I was never supposed to get there before she did, and, of course, no cell coverage. Thankfully, she appeared up top right before I took off back down the trail in search.
Afterwards, a beautiful milkshake in Flagstaff cemented this as one of the best days of my life.
