From Canyon Edge to the Colorado River

The day started with one goal: start at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at the South Kaibab Trailhead, hike all the way down to the Colorado River, then climb back out using the Bright Angel Trail. Using my mapping software, it honestly didn’t seem too bad. The route mapped out to roughly 16.5 miles with just shy of 5,000 feet of elevation gain.

The alarm went off at 3:30 AM, and by 4:00 AM I was parked and getting ready to start hiking. Since I entered the park before the shuttle service started running, I had to park alongside the road and hike about a mile just to get to the South Kaibab Trailhead.

When I got there, several other groups were already getting ready for R3 attempts (rim-to-rim-to-rim), which was a much bigger day than what I had planned. I made some small talk with a few hikers, but before long I was moving down the trail and into the canyon.

The timing on the descent worked out nearly perfect. I got to watch the sunrise light up the canyon walls above me while staying in the shade most of the way down. I stopped a few times for photos and once to change socks in an attempt to avoid blisters, but otherwise kept a pretty steady pace. About 2.5 hours after starting, I was standing at the bridge crossing the Colorado River. I had made it to the bottom.

Since it was still only around 6:45 in the morning, I decided to keep hiking a little farther and check out Phantom Ranch. I passed through Bright Angel Campground, found a bench at Phantom Ranch, ate a snack, and refilled my water before heading back toward the river crossing. The plan was simple: cross back over the bridge, hang a right, and start climbing out on the Bright Angel Trail.

That plan changed pretty quickly.

As soon as I reached the junction, I saw the “Trail Closed” signs. The Bright Angel Trail was closed for construction from the river almost all the way up to the Tonto Trail intersection. With no other option, I turned around and started hiking back up the South Kaibab Trail toward the rim. After about 1.5 hours of climbing and roughly 2,000 feet of elevation gain, I reached the turnoff for the Tonto Trail. The Tonto Trail connected back over to the Bright Angel Trail, but taking it would add another 4–5 miles and well over an hour to the day.

I stood there for a few minutes debating it before finally deciding to make the turn and keep going. By this point, the canyon was starting to heat up fast. Temperatures at the visitor center were already in the low 80s, and it was noticeably hotter down in the canyon. Even though I was drinking plenty of water, I could feel the miles starting to catch up to me. A headache started setting in, and the fatigue was becoming very real.

Seeing the sign for the Bright Angel Trail was a huge relief, but it also meant it was finally time for the long climb out. To say I was fatigued at this point would be an understatement. Before this trip, I had summited Mt. Baker twice and climbed Mt. Rainier car-to-car in about 23 hours. Add in a handful of brutal hunting trips, solo pack-outs, and getting a caribou out of the Alaska wilderness, and I’ve had my fair share of slogs. This one was right up there with the worst of them. I’m not sure if it was the heat, the elevation, the extra mileage, or the lack of training over the last month while preparing for the final stages of the road trip, but whatever the reason, this one sucked.

The rest of the climb became a steady cycle of taking steps, stopping for a break, then doing it all over again. Eventually, after enough slow progress, I finally made it to the Bright Angel Trailhead. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier to sit down on a bench for a few minutes. After a short rest, I walked over to the shuttle bus and caught a ride back to the car.

The trip was a success. I had made it down to the river and back out in a single day. I started hiking at 4:00 AM and finished at 12:33 PM. By the end of the day, I had logged 20.2 miles and 4,958 feet of elevation gain in a little over 8.5 hours. Despite changing my socks during the hike, I still ended up with a blister on my right foot. At the time I barely noticed it, but over the next few days it got much worse.

This won’t be the last time I see the canyon. I’ll be back, and next time I’ll have an R3 in my sights.

-Jessie