After years of anticipation and trying to get permits I finally got to hike rim to rim in The Grand Canyon (even the T needs to be capitalized, it's so grand). My girlfriend, M--, and I had permits to hike south to north. We awoke early so we could watch the sunrise over the south rim. M-- had never been to The Grand Canyon before and the look of delight and astonishment on her face made me smile. We decided to have one more real meal, a delicious breakfast at Bright Angel Lodge, before we began our hike down. Even though we had an early start we encountered a lot of people on our descent down Bright Angel Trail. After hours of taking in the stunning scenery surrounding us we stopped for lunch at the Colorado River. I put my hands in it, just to say hello. After we finished lunch and packed our gear back up we crossed one of the bridges and at last made it to Bright Angel Campground, right along Bright Angel creek. I sense a theme to this day's hike... Miles hiked day 1- 9.5

Dawn at the south rim

M-- and me at the start of our rim to rim hike

Going down the Bright Angel Trail

Just before crossing the Colorado river

     I awoke in the night and looked up to see the vast expanse of the Milky Way before me. The stars were beyond words, and a shooting star streaked across the sky. A truly magical blessing for our journey. M-- and I got a relatively early start toward Cottonwood, our next camp. As we hiked, towers and walls loomed about us, layers and colors so varied, sizes and shapes of formations so sundry, it made an enchanting spectacle of every moment. We saw Ribbon Falls from the trail. Eager to reach camp, and deciding we saw enough of it's splendor from a distance, we carried on.

Trail on the way to Cottonwood

One of the stunning views inside the canyon

Ribbon Falls

   Shortly after we reached camp we selected a site that had a fair amount of privacy, which M-- and I value since we're not really social hikers. We saw far fewer people on the trail today, in fact we saw almost as many deer as we did people. 11 deer in total, 5 of them in camp. Among those five was a young three point buck.  What appeared to be the oldest, and possibly the mother of some or all of them, grazed. One of the younger ones tried to eat some of her food. The older one struck the young one in the head with her hoof! Not hard, mind you, but enough to give a gentle disciplinary reminder to mind their manners. Miles hiked day 2-7.5


     Our final day on our rim to rim journey happened to fall on Halloween, a day I hold sacred, and making this trip that much more special to me. I, however, did not feel very special when I woke up. I suspect it was the not so great dinner I had the night before that gave me nausea, a headache and thoughts of disgust when said meal came to mind. When we finally broke camp and began hiking my pace was slow, M-- moving faster than me. When we reached the Manzanita rest house I began to feel a bit better, and the longer we hiked the less my ailments plagued me. There was message board at the rest house on which I scrawled HAYDUKE LIVES! before we carried on. The section from Manzanita to the footbridge below the Supai tunnel was my favorite of the whole trip. The trail was carved into the cliff sides, providing views beyond belief. I truly cannot fully describe in words what I experienced. We saw the falls at Roaring Springs from above, but did not go down, because we were eager to go up. Every time we paused there was a new amazing view before us. Our progress was slow but steady, and we at last reached the Supai tunnel, signaling we were within two miles of the northern terminus of the trail. M-- was excited and gained a speed I didn't know she could attain going uphill. We stopped briefly, discovered the water at the rest house had been turned off for the season, and resumed our final ascent. It took us a while longer but we finally made. We were both elated and ecstatic. Years of looking forward to doing this hike had finally come to fruition.

Looking out across the north rim

     After relishing our accomplishment we packed up the car and headed for Zion National Park, where we planned to do some hiking the next day. Just before exiting the boundaries of the north rim we were treated to the sight of about 100 buffalo! A few of them fought, butting heads. Later down the road we saw a massive mule deer buck with rippling muscles and huge antlers, the biggest deer I'd ever seen.

Some of the buffaloes butting heads

A small portion of the herd of buffaloes

     As we drove I contemplated the spiritual symbology of crossing from one side to the other on the day when the veil between worlds is said to be thinnest. We arrived in Zion under the light of a nearly full moon, stopping along the road briefly to soak in the splendor of the stunning beauty of the moonlit peaks. Miles hiked day 3- 7 miles

     We spent the next day basking in the magnificence of the mountains that comprise Zion National Park. I found the landscape and the multi-colored peaks towering over us other worldly. The colors of autumn lent themselves to the surroundings. In the park we saw turkeys and deer, and even a couple of climbers scaling the mountainsides. We hiked to the Emerald Pools, looking out over the Virgin River along the way. We spent time meandering along the River Walk Trail and making our way to the Court of the Patriarchs. The whole time we were in Zion we kept talking of coming back to hike the Narrows and Angel's Landing. On the drive back we stopped at a casino on the California/Nevada border that had the car Bonnie and Clyde were shot in on display. We drove back with the setting sun illuminating the Joshua trees in the desert. Miles hiked- 4

A surprise guest joined us for breakfast

Overlooking the Virgin River

Autumn colors adding flair to the landscape

The mountains seen in reflection on the water of Upper Emerald Pool

View from Upper Emerald Pool

Grove of the Patriarchs

Bonnie and Clyde car

Logistics
     We used Trans Canyon Shuttle to take us from the north rim to the south rim. At the time we went it was $90 per person. The shuttle takes about six hours and has two rest stops along the way. For permits to hike in the canyon, start planning well in advance. I tried several times before I finally got one. Being flexible with your itinerary will increase your odds of getting a permit. There are numerous campgrounds on the south rim, as well as several upscale hotels, all located in the park. Services are far more limited on the north rim, especially during the off season when we went. During this time of year water at the rest houses along the trail gets turned off as well, so plan accordingly. The National Park Service provides a free shuttle to get to the more popular trail heads in Zion. It has convenient on and off stops, as well as informative narration on the park. Camping can be found in the park, or there are numerous lodging options in nearby Springdale.

     I brought my DSLR with me for this trip to take pictures, though to be honest I didn't use it much for the actual hiking portions of the trip. I mostly used it for shots from the car. I did bring it into the inner canyon while backpacking, but found it to be bulky and getting in the way. I am still leaning toward using my phone's camera in the future to save weight and space.

In closing
     I encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy our public lands! Weather it's a multi-day backpacking trip or riding your bike on a rail trail, spend some time in the natural world and immerse yourself, challenge yourself even, to get outside and create memories that will last a lifetime. I'll be back again soon with a trip report from some big trees...