Grand Canyon South Rim 2 North Rim – A Day Hike
It was dark and my fingers were tingling with nervous anticipation and excitement as we parked our cars at the Bright Angels trailhead at 5am on Monday morning. Due to inclement weather on the day we originally planned to hike, we made a last-minute decision the previous day to move up our hike by a day and go from South to North instead of the recommended North to South for Grand Canyon first- timers.
After a few quick pictures at the trailhead and in the glow of our headlamps, the six of us embarked on what would be an epic journey of staggering beauty, hoping to emerge transformed and victorious on the other side of the canyon after the estimated 15 hours of hike.
The trip was conceived during the usual chatter with my friends while walking my dog in the evenings. Everyone enthusiastically signed up and there was no looking back ever since.
I am not sure what induces people to travel to the other end of the country, leaving their families behind, spending thousands of dollars, taking time off from work only to “rough” it out in the wild and sometimes hostile territory. The reasons could vary from the sheer challenge such an undertaking presents, being persuaded by friends to join in, mending a broken heart or something deeply personal as in my case. But whatever the reason, secure in the knowledge that hiking provides each one of us with intense periods of living and joy, this invisible thread of shared passion we are bonded by makes my own hiking experience that much more enjoyable.
After 2 months of research and reading everything I could find about the trails, I had committed to memory all the points of interest, including water stops and rest areas. We breezed through the 1.5, 3-miles rest stops and then Indian garden campground, enthusiastically greeting hikers toiling their way up the canyon, quickly banishing the thought that the same ordeal of crawling our way out of the canyon lies ahead of us.
Before long the chief protagonist of the Grand Canyon story – The Colorado River- snaking its way through the rust red stone walls and vista it created came in to view in its full glory down below. What an astonishing sight it was to behold in a desert landscape – not because the river itself is particularly formidable looking or imposing, but for the aura surrounding it and the legacy it created !
In under 4.5 hours and with the sun still firmly entrenched in the eastern horizon, we crossed the Bright Angel creek to reach another significant landmark – Phantom Ranch, a mecca for Grand Canyon hikers and one of the six iconic GC buildings designed by a famous female architect of the time, Mary Jane Colter.
Once there, brandishing a $5 bill in hand, I made my way straight to the canteen to buy the “world-famous” lemonade. I had relived this moment several times over in my head the past 2 months that it felt surreal when the lady handed me the glass with its prized contents. I was rudely jolted out of my reverie when I saw my fellow hikers putting on their backpacks to resume the journey, and quickly realized that I had spent at least 30 minutes sipping and savoring the drink that tasted so out of the world.
Our next stop at Cottonwood campground required us to hike another 6.5 miles through the dreaded “Box” where temperatures allegedly rise to 120C or more due to the tight canyon walls and lower elevation, and where hikers frequently collapse due to fatigue and heat exhaustion.
But fortunately for us, the temperatures were still mild (by GC standards) as it was still early in the day, and we got out of the box without much difficulty.
After a good break and refilling our near empty bladders and stomachs, it was now time to start the climb to the North Rim on the last leg of our journey
The rest at Cottonwood gave us the fuel to speed up to Manzanita rest stop where we arrived to shouts of hikers telling us not to go near one particular bench, under which a Grand Canyon rattlesnake was curled up and sleeping blissfully. This rattlesnake looked very unlike the timber rattlesnakes I am used to seeing on the trails in the east coast.
We were still making good time and hoped to finish the hike by 6pm, but destiny had a different plan for us. The next 5 miles were excruciatingly slow and humbling with never ending switchbacks laid dizzyingly on the cliff faces. In the east coast, we take perverse pride in the steepness of a trail, however, these switchbacks allowed us to view and appreciate the Canyon from several different points of the compass.
In a strange reversal of roles, I could merely nod or manage a feeble smile to the carefree banter and cheerful smiles of hikers making their way downhill. But one thing that worked in our favor were the dropping temperatures, the jaw dropping views of the jagged peaks in all their splendor, waterfalls pouring right out of the cliff faces, a tunnel blasted through limestone (Supai tunnel), the setting sun illuminating the walls in hues of gold and orange.
A little after 8:30 PM, after 24 miles of hiking and more than 6400 ft of cumulative elevation gain, we reached the end of the North Kaibab trail at the North Rim , physically exhausted, shoes covered in canyon dust and looking reddish regardless of their original color, but faces beaming and grins stretching from ear to ear.
We checked in to the Kaibab Lodge in the beautiful Kaibab forest for the night and for some downtime before making the 4 hour drive back to the South Rim the next afternoon.
It is no exaggeration to say that once you have hiked rim to rim, you will never look at Grand Canyon the same way again. To the world, the 4th of October 2021 will go down as the day that major social media platforms came crashing down, but for the six of us it is the day that our eyes beheld such beauty that our souls are bewitched forever.…
PS: This is just a brief account of the memories created on this hike , and by no means is meant to be an exhaustive write-up of the hike, the preparation required, trail profile, gear and other details. Please reach out to me directly if you are interested in that information.
20 thoughts on “Grand Canyon South Rim 2 North Rim – A Day Hike”
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Usha!! Very well written and you covered every bit of detail from start to finish . I literally travelled back in time and relived my hike at Grand Canyon. Thanks for the writeup!
My name did not show up and it made me anonymous,
This was amazing, wonderful achievement & inspirational. Thank you Usha & Krishna for sharing!
Hi Usha, well written. Got a ringside view of the hike without actually doing the 24 miles! What is palpable from this account is the passion that you have developed for hiking. I am sure you are creating life time memories and life time friends through this passion. Keep going!
PS: I was imagining what I would have done when I saw the camouflaged rattlesnake under the bench. I guess aborting the hike would not have been an option at that point as it would still need a lot of hiking back, probably even alone!! Then I rested in my comfort that I would not have been on the hike in the first place due to my fear of snakes anyway!!
Beautifully written Usha. We were with you every step of the way! Anagha
Amazing feat Usha and other Doera on the hike!! I could feel your journey as I read this article.
Usha,
Awesome account of the hike. I for one would surely love to do this hike one day. The GC is surely breathtaking and as you have penned down, pictures may not do justice to the beauty of the place.
Congratulations and keep hiking.
Usha,
Blog is written brilliantly, so much so that, one wishes and prays for you to keep going for such memorable journeys. Few lazy souls like yours truly would love live through such exciting adventures via your blogs.
Congratulations to the team on successful completion of this endeavor, only a few dare to dream in a day.
So beautifully done Usha – with humor and all built in! Love the pics and the words. Looks stunning and loved your story!
Usha, the blog is superbly written, very entertaining and captivating. Your narrative touches all of one’s senses and allows the reader to follow your journey as if one was walking the passage.
I love the candid expression and sense of humor. Pictures nicely compliment the journey. You write from you soul and are a gifted writer. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to reading more. Keep that pen going.
Awesome read Usha!! And yes, such trips are treasures because of the joy that gets etheched in the brian for many years to come!!
I commend you in your attempt to make Prasad smile . Next time try actual birds ( not tweets)
Wow Usha! What a Journey from the planning and prep to the joy, the majesty, the mystery, the perils, the grind and finally pride and elation of taking on such an arduous path. You gave us a tease and lured us into dreaming of it by taking us along this virtual tour. Congrats to the 6 of you
Wow Usha! What a Journey from the planning and prep to the joy, the majesty, the mystery, the perils, the grind and finally pride and elation of taking on such an arduous task. You gave us a tease and lured us into dreaming of it by taking us along this virtual tour. Congrats to the 6 of you
Madhavi
First of all congratulations to you.. Usha and team for finishing up the rim-to-rim hike. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your experiences. It was a virtual trip making it real in front of my eyes, especially for a person like me who dare not even dream such an adventurous hikes anymore. Well, it did remind me the trek I did back in my youth days 🙂 a 10 day trek to Sar Paas in kullu valleys of Himachal Pradesh through YMCA, where we camped under the sky every night, did every adventurous activities, from rock climbing to river crossing on a rope. Each strenuous day leading to the beautiful and Heavenily scenic mornings which would keep us going!
I know your dream is to do the Mt Everest base camp and I wish you all the very best towards your goal.
Very well written.
Gives me first hand information of what to expect .
Thanks
Happy Hiking!
Congrats to all on your incredible hiking journey. You are so inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experience and beautiful photos.
Usha, You deserve multiple pats on your back. Its no easy feat to hike the rim-rim on a single day. Congratulations to you and your team on living your dream!!
I could recall and relate to some of the places/points that were mentioned in your well written blog , but only because we covered them on a stop and go drive 🙂
Is the last pic from the mexican restaurant near the south rim, next to Holiday Inn ? They serve delicious food. Forgot the name though…..(Nolan’s point I think)
Great Both hiking & writing …
Congratulations Usha for bagging another achievement to be proud of.
Well written blog and pictures. I didn’t expect such a huge rattlesnake.
Felt like, I was hiking when I read thru the blog. Hoping to complete this hike in near future.
Keep going. My buddies and I look up to you.
Sridevi Muppala