Hiking Grand Canyon
I had a great hike in the Grand Canyon.
The first day was the most interesting. I came down the Hermit Trail, following the Hermit Creek Canyon. The Grand Canyon as a whole is impressive, but the most interesting parts are the side canyons. Where I was the canyon might have been a half mile wide and 2000 feet deep. Many places I was looking straight down. Two steps off the trail would mean instant death.
The geology of the canyon is fascinating. It's about 5000 feet vertical from the Colorado River to the South Rim. The top 3000 feet consists of horizontal layers, which are the same everywhere in the area. The layers tend to alternate hard rock that erodes in vertical cliffs with softer rock that erodes in sloping benches. Getting down from the rim to the river involves following the benches to find places where breaches in the cliff palisade allow a vertical descent.
Getting around absolutely depends on the trails. These trails were constructed 100 years ago or more, using ropes, mules, dynamite, and shovels. They were built for tourists like myself, people who want to see the canyon up close, and who don't mind a little physical effort to do so.
I hiked about 14 miles the first day. I set up camp at the mouth of Monument Creek on a sandy beach just above the river. There was one other tent on the beach, probably a family with kids, but we were far enough away that we didn't interact.
Even though I had a tent set up, I decided to place my sleeping bag outside the tent, on the sand. I lay on my back, watching the sky darken, the bats come out, and the stars getting brighter. I fell asleep quickly, but I would wake several times in the middle of the night. The position of the stars told me the approximate time.
Day 2, Friday, was less interesting. Once I hiked out the Monument Creek canyon, most of my day was following the Tonto Trail, which follows one broad shelf of shale about midway vertically between the river and the rim. It got interesting navigating around the side canyons, but most of the day was a slog in the hot sun through desert vegetation. I put in about 12 miles.
The second night, my campsite was at Indian Gardens. Suddenly I was in "the corridor," the most popular set of trails in the Park. There was a huge campground, a ranger station, chemical toilets, picnic tables, stables, and an army of boy scouts and their leaders. You could see the lights of Bright Angel Lodge on the rim from the campground. I attended an hour-long presentation by a park ranger on the geology of the canyon.
It's only 4.5 miles from Indian Gardens up the Bright Angel Trail to where I had parked my car. My original plans were to make a side trip Saturday before starting up. But I finished Friday with some soreness in my right foot. It turned out that ibuprofen and a night's rest helped my foot tremendously, but I didn't want to take a chance on finishing with a limp, so I headed straight up.
Compared to the Hermit Trail I came down, the Bright Angel Trail was a superhighway. I saw fewer than a dozen people per day my first two days; today I saw hundreds. The trail was wide and smooth, and suitable for horses (I saw a few). Of course, it was all uphill, but the switchbacks kept the grades gentle. I got back to my car before noon, feeling in good shape, wishing I'd chosen to do one of the side trips before starting up, but realizing I'd made the safe choice.
The first day was the most interesting. I came down the Hermit Trail, following the Hermit Creek Canyon. The Grand Canyon as a whole is impressive, but the most interesting parts are the side canyons. Where I was the canyon might have been a half mile wide and 2000 feet deep. Many places I was looking straight down. Two steps off the trail would mean instant death.
The geology of the canyon is fascinating. It's about 5000 feet vertical from the Colorado River to the South Rim. The top 3000 feet consists of horizontal layers, which are the same everywhere in the area. The layers tend to alternate hard rock that erodes in vertical cliffs with softer rock that erodes in sloping benches. Getting down from the rim to the river involves following the benches to find places where breaches in the cliff palisade allow a vertical descent.
Getting around absolutely depends on the trails. These trails were constructed 100 years ago or more, using ropes, mules, dynamite, and shovels. They were built for tourists like myself, people who want to see the canyon up close, and who don't mind a little physical effort to do so.
I hiked about 14 miles the first day. I set up camp at the mouth of Monument Creek on a sandy beach just above the river. There was one other tent on the beach, probably a family with kids, but we were far enough away that we didn't interact.
Even though I had a tent set up, I decided to place my sleeping bag outside the tent, on the sand. I lay on my back, watching the sky darken, the bats come out, and the stars getting brighter. I fell asleep quickly, but I would wake several times in the middle of the night. The position of the stars told me the approximate time.
Day 2, Friday, was less interesting. Once I hiked out the Monument Creek canyon, most of my day was following the Tonto Trail, which follows one broad shelf of shale about midway vertically between the river and the rim. It got interesting navigating around the side canyons, but most of the day was a slog in the hot sun through desert vegetation. I put in about 12 miles.
The second night, my campsite was at Indian Gardens. Suddenly I was in "the corridor," the most popular set of trails in the Park. There was a huge campground, a ranger station, chemical toilets, picnic tables, stables, and an army of boy scouts and their leaders. You could see the lights of Bright Angel Lodge on the rim from the campground. I attended an hour-long presentation by a park ranger on the geology of the canyon.
It's only 4.5 miles from Indian Gardens up the Bright Angel Trail to where I had parked my car. My original plans were to make a side trip Saturday before starting up. But I finished Friday with some soreness in my right foot. It turned out that ibuprofen and a night's rest helped my foot tremendously, but I didn't want to take a chance on finishing with a limp, so I headed straight up.
Compared to the Hermit Trail I came down, the Bright Angel Trail was a superhighway. I saw fewer than a dozen people per day my first two days; today I saw hundreds. The trail was wide and smooth, and suitable for horses (I saw a few). Of course, it was all uphill, but the switchbacks kept the grades gentle. I got back to my car before noon, feeling in good shape, wishing I'd chosen to do one of the side trips before starting up, but realizing I'd made the safe choice.