![]() The ride to the trailhead took a little longer than we anticipated, but we were on the South Kaibab Trail shortly after 6:00 am. We wanted to be hiking early to beat the heat, but didn’t feel the need to hike before it was light out, so we didn’t rush to get on the very first bus. We woke up before dawn, ate breakfast and packed up our campsite before driving to the backcountry lot to park the car and catch the shuttle to the trailhead. So, despite the Park Ranger’s skepticism, we were confident we’d be comfortable on this hike, although maybe a little sore after. Fortunately, Paul and I were well aware of what we were getting into. Many people underestimate the strenuousness of a 5,000+ foot climb and the effects of hiking in the heat. Temperatures can fluctuate over 70 degrees between the high at the bottom of the canyon and the low at the top. The South Kaibab Trail lacks shade and water. Generally speaking, attempting to hike rim-to-rim in a day is not recommended. The only preparation we had to do ahead of time was reserve our campsite at the South Rim. When the North Rim isn’t open, the only way to get there is by hiking there, and not very many people do that, so it was easy to get a walk-up permit to camp on the North Rim. This allowed us to avoid trying to get a campsite below the canyon rim, which is pretty unlikely if you haven’t planned quite a bit ahead. We decided we’d do this over 2 days, hiking from the south to the north on day one and camping at the North Rim, then returning to the South Rim on day 2. Therefore, we knew we’d that if we wanted to do this hike in early May, we’d have to make it a rim-to-rim-to-rim, starting and ending at the South Rim. Also, while the South Rim is open year-round, the North Rim doesn’t open until mid-May. It takes a lot of time and planning, because to drive from one rim to the other, you have to drive completely around the canyon. Usually, people do a rim-to-rim in one direction, sometimes over several days, and take a shuttle between the north and south rims. A rim-to-river winter trip in the canyon in 2016.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |