This Friday we're heading to the Grand Canyon to do the famed (infamous?) rim-to-rim hike!
The 24-mile hike from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the North Rim should take us about 12 hours.
Most people take 3 or 4 days to do this hike, but we're doing it in one day! Chris and I have both climbed mountains, and are in good shape, so with the necessary provisions, I'm sure we'll be fine. Now, I'm not saying I will enjoy hiking for 24 miles, and climbing a vertical 6,000 feet, but I can and will do it.
The
ascent to the North Rim is the killer part of the hike. We'll be gaining more than 6,000 feet in elevation from the canyon floor to the top.
Wheee!
Here's our plan: We'll leave our offices early on Friday and head for our hotel near the South Rim. We should get there at around 8 p.m. We'll have a late dinner, and hit the hay early. We'll wake up at 3 a.m. on Saturday and drive to the Bright Angel trail at the South Rim. This route is a little longer than the other trail, South
Kaibob, but we can park right at the Bright Angel trail head rather than taking a shuttle from the visitors center to the South
Kaibob trail head.
We hope to start our hike at around 4:30 a.m. We want to get down to the bottom of the canyon floor to Phantom Ranch before noon so we can avoid the oppressive heat. I really hope we luck out and don't have to hike through the blazing sun in the middle of the day. I don't deal well with temperatures below 50 degrees or above 75 degrees. I can thank San Diego for that! If all goes well, we'll finish at around 4 or 5 p.m.
The logistics of the hike are a little tricky. Unless you're INSANE and want to hike all the way back to where you started the hike, you have to make sure your car is waiting for you on the other side. Chris's buddy will be hiking the trail north to south and will be driving our car from San Diego and leaving it at the North Rim. My little Beetle will (hopefully) be waiting for us on the north side at the end of the trail and Chris's buddy's car will be waiting for him and his sons on the South Rim.
Perfecto!
After our hike, we're heading to Page, AZ where I plan on eating a ridiculous amount of food, and then hanging out until Monday morning doing whatever people do in Page, AZ.
I hope all goes as planned and that we get some amazing pictures!
Oh, and I'd like to thank Chris for booking a hotel room for this trip. After years of refusing to even look at a tent, I've recently started camping. To my surprise, I actually enjoy sleeping in the great outdoors. However, I really don't think that after hiking for 12 hours straight I'm going to want to be one with nature. I'm sure I'll want to be one with a cold beer and some HBO in the hotel room! So, props to Chris for being a good husband and getting his wussy wife a nice room at the Page, AZ Motel 8. :)
Latest update: Apparently you can rent canoes in Page and take a nice, leisurely trip down a peaceful part of the Colorado River. Sounds like a great way to top off our crazy trip!
