Rim-to-Rim

The last few weeks have been a bit difficult, so I was very happy to have my parents visit to ease my mind. Although they had already began their drive from Mississippi, I asked them if they would be up for a Rim-to-Rim (from the North Rim to the South Rim) hike through the canyon and they said yes. They are training for a marathon, are used to the intense Gulf Coast heat, and they've backpacked before (many years ago), so I thought we could do it. We borrowed packs and sleeping pads from some of my coworkers since they had only packed for day hikes.

We left Sunday afternoon on the North Kaibab Trail to hike 7 miles and descend 4170 feet into the canyon. We hiked the trail through the Kaibab Formation, the Toroweap Formation, the Coconino Sandstone, Hermit Shale, Supai Formation, Redwall Limestone, Muav Limestone, Bright Angel Shale, Tapeats Sandstone, and into the Grand Canyon Supergroup. Passing from one rock layer to the next, the color changed from greyish-white to yellow to cream to rusty-red to red to brownish to grey to dark brown. On the North Rim the rocks are about 250 million years old and we hiked through the Paleozoic into the Late Pre-Cambrian through the Great Unconformity to about 1 billion years ago.

My parents hiking along the wall of the canyon on the North Kaibab Trail on the first day.

The constant downhill was hard on the knees and ankles and I could feel my calves becoming sore. When we stopped for a snack or to take pictures my legs would shake a little but we walked on. The sun set and we walked into Cottonwood Campground just after dark and set up our tent amongst the scorpians.

We woke up early on Monday so that we could reach the Bright Angel Campground at the bottom of the canyon before the sun heated up the trail. We hiked about another 7 miles and descended just 1534 feet through the Supergroup and into the Metamorphic Basement Rocks including Zoroaster Granite and Vishnu Schist from the Early Pre-Cambrian, about 2 billion years ago.

The hike was easier, not as steep or hard on the legs, and absolutely beautiful. I had never hiked this far in the canyon. The area of the Zoroaster Granite and Vishnu Schist is known as "The Box." Hiking along Bright Angel Creek, the walls shoot straight up. Originally limestone and sandstone, lava flows turned sedimentary rocks into schist, which holds heat from the sun, acting as a radiator throughout the night. K-feldspar and mica and quarts swirl around creating stunning patterns on the sides of the canyon (it's a geologists dream to see such beauty in rocks).

"The Box"- We hiked along Bright Angel Creek through the Metamorphic Basement Rocks.

We got to the camp just as the sun began to grow hot. At this time of year, weather reports show the bottom of the canyon to get up to 110 degrees F. However, in the sun, the thermostat maxed out at 145 degrees F, leaving the true temperature up to the imagination. We past most of the late morning and afternoon soaking in the cool creek water next to camp, stepping out when we felt shriveled only to run back in 2 minutes later. It was even too hot to be in the shade and the cool water evaporated off our skin fast in the dry heat.

It was even too hot to sleep. I watched as the moon crept across the sky, lying on my sleeping pad running a wet bandanna over my body to keep cool. Finally I caught some zzz's only to wake up a few hours later at 3 am to start our 9 and a half mile hike out to the South Rim. If we were to start hiking any later, the sun would reach into the canyon when we were only halfway out and we would have miles of hot desert sun. All of the NPS rangers and signs tell you not to hike the inner canyon between 10 am to 4 pm because of the dangers of heat exhaustion.

We crossed the Colorado River in the dark, on the Silver Bridge, which is also used to support the water pipe that travels across the canyon from Roaring Springs to quench the thirst of about 5 millions visitors a year on both Rims. Along the river, with walls of metamorphic rock, we hiked across sand dunes, feeling the heat radiate from the rock walls, happy that it didn't come with the sun as well that early in the morning.

We plodded up three sets of switchbacks, each ascending about 1000 or more feet in a short distance, throughout the length of the trail. Halfway we reached the Indian Garden Campground, an oasis along the trail. We started encountering more people, some doing day-hikes and not looking well prepared at all for the heat that they would be caught in. At the 3 mile point from the trailhead you could smell soap and perfume on the families carrying just a liter of water and wearing sneakers or sandals. It was already hot and the sun had hit the trail, but trees and large rocks produced patches of shade when needed. I worried about the naive hikers but went on, my large pack strapped to my back and trekking poles helping steady my steps.

The first set of switchbacks on Bright Angel Trail. The sun is rising and reflects off the canyon walls.

Finally we reached the top and I looked over the canyon amazed at how much it really holds. About 10 miles across and over a mile deep, the view from the rim does not do it justice. It shows a thing of beauty, but does not depict how harsh life can be in the canyon- yet deer and bighorn sheep and butterflies and lizards and snakes all live there. There are cottonwood trees and prickly pears and wildflowers as well. And the Anasazi people also had made it their home, adapting to the natural cycles of the land.

We felt relieved and happy and a great sense of accomplishment. The majesty, grandeur, and hardship of the canyon should never be underestimated.

(To see more photos from the hike, go to Flickr)