The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike went very well for me. When I arrived on Sunday, the wind was blowing at around 25mph, with 38mph gusts. I considered just driving back home, but decided to give it a go. The shuttle ride to the North Rim from South went well, with the driver giving some interesting information about different areas as we past. The North Rim was very cold with the strong winds, so I went into the Cabin to wait for my 5am shuttle ride the next day. I only slept 4 hours that night, and got up thinking it would be extremely cold. However, I did bring my jacket this year and the hike down went very quickly and the wind was calm. The entire hike had very little wind, so it would appear the canyon shielded me from the worst of it. My last 3 hikes at the Canyon were all done between 110-115 degress coming out from the bottom. This one was only around 80-85 and it was overcast for most of the day. This made for much easier going. After getting down the first 14 miles to Phantom Ranch without stopping and in about 5 hours, I completed the final 9 miles in just under 6 hours, making a total trip time of about 11 hours. Other than my calves and feet being sore/tired, I didn't have any big problems coming out. I managed to go up with only stopping once at Indian Gardens. Definitely another memorable Grand Canyon trip for me.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Grand Hike
The Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike went very well for me. When I arrived on Sunday, the wind was blowing at around 25mph, with 38mph gusts. I considered just driving back home, but decided to give it a go. The shuttle ride to the North Rim from South went well, with the driver giving some interesting information about different areas as we past. The North Rim was very cold with the strong winds, so I went into the Cabin to wait for my 5am shuttle ride the next day. I only slept 4 hours that night, and got up thinking it would be extremely cold. However, I did bring my jacket this year and the hike down went very quickly and the wind was calm. The entire hike had very little wind, so it would appear the canyon shielded me from the worst of it. My last 3 hikes at the Canyon were all done between 110-115 degress coming out from the bottom. This one was only around 80-85 and it was overcast for most of the day. This made for much easier going. After getting down the first 14 miles to Phantom Ranch without stopping and in about 5 hours, I completed the final 9 miles in just under 6 hours, making a total trip time of about 11 hours. Other than my calves and feet being sore/tired, I didn't have any big problems coming out. I managed to go up with only stopping once at Indian Gardens. Definitely another memorable Grand Canyon trip for me.
