Grand Canyon
May 7 - 10, 2001
(See Hiking Link)
Scenery
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Trail
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Difficulty
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Chris and I have always wanted to hike the Grand Canyon and we're happy to say that we finally did! Apparently, to hike down the Grand Canyon and camp at the bottom you need a backcountry permit (which should be acquired a few months in advance). Well, since neither of us like to plan anything and do it the hard way, we had to wait two days before we were able to hike to the bottom. We arrived at the Grand Canyon on Monday, went to the backcountry office and received a number for last minute permits. We showed up on Tuesday at 8:00AM to see if we were lucky enough to get a permit - we were! The only downfall was the permit was only good for the following day - Wednesday.
Basically we had two days to hang around Grand Canyon National Park, hike the rim, camp, and prepare for our hike.
Camping and South Rim Pics (click for larger view)
The hike down the 6.3 mile South Kaibab trail was a bit painful. We started at 6:30AM and finished at 10:30AM. The first four miles were fine, the last two miles were PAINFUL. It was a very steep and hot (100 degrees) hike.
The hike up the following day was an exhausting (but not painful) 9.3 miles up the Bright Angel Trail. It took us 8 hours and 40 minutes. We took many breaks to eat, drink plenty of water, and smell the roses.
Down and Up the Grand Canyon Pics
At the top!!!
Top - Picture of us on our way down
Right - Picture of us one mile from the bottom. I thought I was going to die at this point - my legs were in pain!!! Our camp is in the valley with all the trees