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!

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim

Eleven hikers traveled to the Grand Canyon this past weekend to do one of the classic hikes in the southwest. We had great weather, took lots of photos, and had a few developments. The Rim to Rim to Rim hike is 45 miles in two days. It's a tough hike with lots of elevation gain at the end of each day. About half the group was uncertain if they wanted to hike back (23 miles) the second day or take a shuttle. (Slide show of the hike)

Shuttle or No Shuttle:
This was Judy's third attempt to make it both days. Harlan was not 100% and was uncertain. Peppe had trouble last year and wanted to see how he felt. Linda Lou has done many extreme hikes and felt confident. This was Lori C's first attempt, and she was determined to make it. Susan and Barb were veterans having done the hike three times and were not worried. Brian, Barb's son, had no choice. He was going to make it. Lori and Jim planned to take the shuttle. I had an extremely difficult time back in 2003, but I made it.

First Day:
We were on the bus that took us to the trailhead at 6 am. After numerous photos, we headed down the Kaibab Trail. At Phantom Ranch we ran into hikers from the Mountaineers Club. Everyone was feeling good as we headed for Cottonwood Camp, some seven miles away. Before reaching Cottonwood Camp we took a side trip to Ribbon Falls. This is where we lost a few people. Harlan was thinking we were ahead of him and did not hike to the falls. Jim twisted his ankle and did not want any extra mileage. We left Ribbon Falls, filled our bladders at Cottonwood Camp and started up the grueling seven miles to the top of the North Rim. Everyone made it, but not at the same time. By 7 pm we were all eating at the deli on the North Rim.
The Cursed Room:
To keep things simple Harlan and I shared a room. I did my usual staring at the clock, because I could not fall asleep. About 1:30 Harlan started throwing up and up and up. He had food poisoning. His choice was made: he was taking the shuttle the next day.Except for 45 minutes I had not slept in the last 27 hours. Good way to start a 23 mile hike!
Day Two:
Peppe and Linda Lou took the first shuttle to the trailhead. That was the last we saw of them until the South Rim. The other six, including myself, started down the North Kaibab Trail around 7 am. We stopped off near Ribbon Falls to look for Lori's glasses. She had lost them somewhere around the falls the day before. We did not find them and got back on the trail. By noon we were at Phantom Ranch. The South Rim was nine miles away and almost 4,500 feet above us. I was tired, but still physically felt good. Susan and I started off at a good pace leaving the others behind, but by the time I got to Indian Springs (4.5 miles from Phantom Ranch) the lack of sleep caught up with me and so did the rest of our group. The final miles were kind of a blur. I had trouble deciding where to place my feet, since I had to wear tevas due to a bad blister. I made it to the top shortly before dark where Susan was waiting for me. Everyone else had already finished.
Conclusion:
Everyone did well the second day. Barb, Susan, Brian, Lori C, Peppe and Linda Lou had no problems; Judy broke her curse and I learned that I am cursed. That was my last time for Rim to Rim to Rim. Not being a fan of trails, I'll stick with peak bagging.