November 18, 2007

By Tim Briese

My wife Teresa and I talked about hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for several years and finally seized the opportunity to give it a try. I had done it once about 30 years before and was eager to return and experience this incredible hike once again. We did not want to do it during the hot season, from May to September, nor did we want to deal with ice and snow on the upper part of the trail on a winter hike, so our preferred window of opportunity was relatively short. The cool, pleasant days of fall seemed like an ideal time for this adventure.

The hike from the rim to the river and back on the Bright Angel Trail involves about sixteen miles of round trip hiking with 4500 feet of elevation gain. Of course the hardest part comes at the end when one is most tired with the climb up out of the canyon. Another four miles is added onto the round trip if one continues along the river to Phantom Ranch. This is indeed a seriously strenuous one day hike for most people, especially if it is done during the warmer seasons of the year. Warnings abound at the national park and on the internet against attempting it. We had done numerous hikes and climbs in Colorado during the previous months, however, and felt that we were conditioned and ready for it. An overnight hike into the canyon did not appeal to us partly because of the extra weight that we would have to carry, but also because of the logistics involved in staying overnight in the canyon. Reservations must typically be made far in advance to do this, which was problematic because it worked better for us to attempt the hike on relatively short notice.

We arrived at the national park early in the afternoon the day before the hike and proceeded to check everything out because we planned to start before dawn the next morning. We stopped at the Desert View overlook for our first view of the canyon on this sunny and pleasant afternoon. The vast immensity of the canyon was most impressive, and it was very exciting, but at the same time almost unbelievable to think that we were going to attempt to hike to the bottom of it and back the next day.

Our initial plan was to hike down the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch and come back up the Bright Angel Trail. However, when we went to the South Kaibab Trailhead that afternoon and hiked down the trail a ways to check it out, Teresa was somewhat spooked by the exposure so we began to rethink our plan. We checked out the Bright Angel Trailhead as well and found the trail and terrain there to be a little less intimidating so we decided to do the entire hike on this trail. This revised plan also simplified things for us because it avoided the need to use the park shuttle bus system to get from one trailhead to the other, since they are located about three miles apart.

We stayed at the Quality Inn in Tusayan that night, just south of the national park entrance, since lodging in the park was all booked by the time we finalized plans for this trip less than a week before. We rose early the next morning and left Tusayan about 5:30 a.m. and drove to the trailhead parking area. At this early hour we were able to park only about 100 feet from the start of the trail. We hit the trail at 6:05 a.m. in the dark with our headlamps. Far below in the dark depths of the canyon we could faintly see a couple of other hikers= headlamps. Stars glittered in the sky above, and a fireball meteor slowly streaked across the northern sky, its afterglow lingering for several seconds. The first hint of light soon appeared in the eastern sky but the sun would not rise until nearly 7. I was concerned about the limited number of daylight hours we would have available in mid November for this lengthy hike, for the sun would be setting by 5:30 p.m. We were prepared to hike out in the dark if necessary but wanted to take our time to enjoy the experience but also to see as much as possible in the daylight.

We hiked down countless sweeping switchbacks through the upper cliffs and reached some restroom facilities at the first resthouse after going a mile and a half. At this point the first rays of sunlight began to blaze upon the distant canyon walls. A few other hikers were on the trail at this early hour, too, including a young couple with a baby riding in a carrier on the man=s back, as well as a troop of Boy Scouts. We continued down, down on this incredible trail and soon began to meet a trickle of backpackers trudging up. The wide and gentle trail was a bit rougher than I expected, with some ruts worn by mule trains as well as minor washouts behind many of the innumerable log erosion controls across the trail. The resulting uneven footing slowed our progress a little.

At 9 a.m. we reached Indian Garden, after hiking about five miles and descending 3000 feet from the rim. This lush oasis had several nice campsites and drinking water available, and stands of towering cottonwood trees, many with brilliant yellow leaves. A thermometer tacked to a tree indicated that the temperature was a pleasant 45 degrees. While we sat on a bench and rested for a few minutes we chatted with an elderly backpacker who was beginning a weeklong expedition into the canyon. At 9:15 we left and continued down the trail toward the Colorado River, with about three miles yet to go. Immediately we were greeted by another sign warning against dayhiking to the river and back. Soon we entered the morning sunshine for the first time and paused to take several photos of the surrounding grandeur. The yellow fall colors on the trees were a scenic bonus we had not expected. Within a half mile below Indian Garden we entered a beautiful little canyon with lush foliage and the flowing waters of Garden Creek. This enchanting area was my favorite part of the hike. Along the way we met numerous backpackers on their way up. At the lower end of this canyon we abruptly reached the edge of a deep gorge into which we began to descend. The trail traversed around a rocky ledge with some exposure to the top of the Devils Corkscrew, a series of steep switchbacks that took us down to the bottom of the gorge. The temperature was becoming noticeably warmer as we descended. At this point we were overtaken by a mule train carrying passengers down to the river. We hiked northward down a rather lush canyon bottom beside Pipe Creek a mile to the Colorado River, where we arrived at 10:30. The descent from the rim to the river took us about four and a half hours.

The river was quite an impressive sight. It was perhaps three to four hundred feet across, greenish in color, and flowing swiftly between the stark, rocky walls of the inner canyon gorge. We found a nice spot at an overlook along the trail about a hundred feet above the river to sit down and enjoy our lunch. We considered whether to hike on to Phantom Ranch or not, pondering the time and energy we had available. Teresa decided to walk down to the river and relax beside the water while I went on to the ranch. I left at 11 and told her I would be back in an hour. I took off and hiked vigorously upstream on the river trail, up over a minor pass on a rather exposed ledge, then down a gentle sandy trail to the Silver Suspension Bridge, covering a mile and a half in twenty minutes. Along the way I passed two couples backpacking together, an elderly couple who appeared to be in their seventies along with their daughter and son-in-law. I hoped that I am capable of such adventures when I reach that age!

The suspension bridge over the river was about 500 feet long and three to four feet wide, just wide enough for hikers but not much more. One could look directly down through the steel grate floor at the rushing water below. On the north side of the river I followed the trail into a beautifully lush and green area, past a corral, across a small bridge over Bright Angel Creek, and continued on the trail past a campground to the buildings of Phantom Ranch. The temperature today at the bottom of the canyon was about 75 or 80 degrees, far more pleasant than the scalding temperatures of summer. I was determined to return to my wife in an hour as I had promised, so I turned around and quickly hiked back across the suspension bridge and down the river trail to where she was waiting.

We left the river and began hiking back up the trail along Pipe Creek a few minutes after noon. Signs had warned us to expect the hike out of the canyon to take twice as long as the descent. That was a little worrisome, because if it proved to be true for us we wouldn=t reach the rim until about 9 p.m., with several hours of hiking in the dark ahead of us! We met another mule train at the top of the Devil=s Corkscrew and continued up the exposed trail to the beautiful little canyon we had enjoyed in the morning. This scenic area was just as photogenic in the afternoon sunshine as it had been earlier.

We sauntered into Indian Garden at 1:45, and noted that our climb from the river took only a little longer than this portion of the descent had taken in the morning, which was reassuring. I was getting rather tired at this point, though. We took a nice half hour break here, filling our water bottles, and sitting on a bench with boots off while eating snacks. This was a pleasant time spent enjoying the lush surroundings and greeting some of the numerous other hikers who were walking past. We saw hikers from many parts of the world today, with several Orientals and Europeans scattered amidst the Americans. The Indian Garden seemed to be a popular destination for dayhikers from the rim.

We left this restful oasis at 2:15 and headed up the sandy trail, feeling quite rejuvenated by our break. The low November sun soon dropped behind the towering canyon walls and we found ourselves back in the shade already for the rest of the day. The higher we went the finer the views became. We hiked rapidly up the trail, pleasantly surprised at how fast we could go uphill, at about the same pace as we had gone down. This was a relatively low elevation hike for us, ranging from about 2500 to 7000 feet elevation, since we were conditioned to high elevation hiking in Colorado at 10,000 to 14,000 feet, and live there at over 7000 feet. We were thankful that this noticeable difference made it aerobically gentle on us. Cool temperatures helped a lot, too. We could hardly imagine the torture this climb could exact in the heat of summer. We hiked part way up the trail with three girls from Europe, two from France and one from Germany, and they told us about their 30 day trip across the United States they were enjoying.

The sun sank low in the sky as we climbed on the trail high up onto the canyon walls. Spectacular sweeping sunset views were spread out before us across the vast canyon. What a treat it was to witness both a canyon sunrise and sunset today! We arrived back at the trailhead a few moments before sunset, at about 5:20. Other hikers and many casual visitors were strolling about on the rim enjoying the marvelous sunset views.

Just as we stepped on top we were greeted by a friendly young couple from India who inquired about our hike.  'Was it scary?', the young woman asked, and Teresa replied, 'In some places.' They were particularly interested in our description of the river we had seen at the bottom on our 'adventure', as the young man called it. This brief encounter brought home to me the fact that we were very blessed to see and experience this incredible place in a far more intimate way than the countless visitors who see the canyon only from the rim.

After packing our gear away in our car we strolled over to the nearby Bright Angel Lodge and enjoyed dinner and a drink at one of the restaurants there. What an exhilarating feeling it was to have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back today!

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