Expanding the Content of the Blog

It's hard to come up with new topics every other day. I am now starting to publish other hiker's trip reports. I believe this will expand everyone's knowledge of what's happening. Obviously I can't hike everywhere. If you have recently done a hike and want to write a trip report, contact me. It does not have to be an out of town trip.
So let's get started!

Rim to Rim Hike in the Grand Canyon by Paul K. -- October 10th, 2009

After numerous emails and phone calls, we finally ended up with four hikers on the north-to-south hike, and three hikers on the south-to-north route.

Our group (Mike, Malia, Marianne, and me) started hiking from the North Rim at 5:30 in the morning on October 10. As expected, it was very cold (26 degrees and windy). We put on several layers of clothes, and headed down the North Kaibab Trail using headlamps. After hiking for about 30 minutes, it became less windy and we began to shed layers. By 8:00 in the morning, it was much warmer and most of us were down to one layer.

Just before Phantom Ranch, which is located near the Colorado River, we met Hecktor, Sirak, and Kiwi. They had gotten a later start, but were making good progress. After taking a few pictures, we continued on our way.

At Phantom Ranch, we took a break. The temperature was in the mid-80s, which was about 60 degrees warmer than the temperature at the trailhead. We crossed the Silver Bridge over the Colorado River, followed the River Trail for about a mile, and then headed uphill towards the South Rim on the Bright Angel Trail.

The four of us made steady progress up the trail, taking many pictures along the way. After a break at Indian Garden (elevation 4,000 feet), we headed up the steepest part of the trail and arrived at the South Rim before sunset.

We had a strong group, and everyone felt fine after the hike. The south-to-north group drove my Chevy Blazer back to Las Vegas that night. Not sure about the details, but a deer ran across the road and hit my car, leaving a large dent in the fender.

It took a lot of planning prior to the hike, but I'm glad we went. The weather was perfect, and our group had a good time and took lots of pictures. Malia did a great job of documenting this hike with her photos.

BW: Paul makes an excellent point about the wide range of temperatures when hiking in the Grand Canyon. Bring layers to keep comfortable. Also, note that the lodge at the North Rim closes in October and Highway 93 in AZ is a mess. A better alternative is going through Laughlin, NV, to Kingman, AZ.

Harlan placed a new sign-in book at Kraft Mountain!