On the evening of August 31, 2004, Keven, Doug and Tom set out to cross the Grand Canyon in a day.
Photos and text by Kev

 
   
The plan is to begin at the Bright Angel trail on the South Rim, cross the river to Phantom ranch, and take the North Kaibab trail to the top of the North Rim, with a side trip to Ribbon Falls about halfway between. Total distance of the hike is around 28 miles.

This photo is a 3D model at the Visitor's Center on the North Rim.

The yellow line indicates our path.

Elevation at the start is 6860'. The Colorado River is 4460' below at an elevation of 2400'.

The trail emerges at the top of the North Rim at 8241'.
Gear for the trip includes the pack, 100oz water bladder, first aid kit, Bodyglide, hat, headlamp, sweater, powerbars, power gel, trail mix, powdered gatorade, water bottle, extra socks, matches, sunscreen, journal, pen, gatorade, beef jerky, mulit tool, sandwich, tangerine, trash bag, batteries, camera, mini tripod, and candy.
 
10:30pm we begin at the trail head to Bright Angel trail. I'm the only one smiling - do these guys know something that I don't?
We hike under a full moon - using lights very sparingly - most of the time it's easier to see the trail by moonlight. This shot is taken just a short distance down the trail - you can see the light of the North Rim Lodge in the far distant horizon.
At 12:30am we reach the first rest stop at Indian Garden - 4.6 miles from the top. We lie back on some benches next to a stream, remove our shoes and stare up at the star-filled sky. I see a shooting star directly above me - crickets are chirping loudly and the moon is reflecting off the canyon wall. A beautiful breeze cools us down and everyone is relaxed.

Shortly after leaving Indian Garden, we come across four deer grazing on the trail. They seem unconcerned about our presence, and we stride on by, making excellent time.

 

 

There are a couple fires on the North Rim which have blown smoke into the canyon, creating a dreamlike landscape of shrouded sentinals. Everything seems a little soft focus.

We reach the Colorado River at 2:30am. Four hours have elapsed since we began and we still have not seen a single person on the trail.

We reach the side trail to Ribbon Falls at sunrise.

We reach the falls with good speed - roughly six miles from the river. There are bats everywhere and the temperature is noticebly cooler in this canyon.


There is a small cave-like opening below the falls which opens up inside to about twenty feet - it's so cold in this little cave that I can see my breath.



The hike through "the Box" is relaxing and beautiful, following a stream and crossing over six or seven bridges and small waterfalls.

We stop for lunch at the Cottonwood campsite. It is now 7:30am and it is here that we see the first people since leaving the rim about nine hours ago.

This is where the going starts to get tough. We head up the North Kaibab trail - about five miles of steep switchbacks. At times the trail is cut out of the side of the canyon with the wall on one side and sheer drop on the other.

One slip here and it's all over!



We've barely put a dent in the uphill section of this trail and I'm already dying big time.

"One more step Mr. Frodo!"

About two-thirds of the way up North Kaibab.

Coconino Overlook!

At this point we're only 1.5 miles from the top.

Tom chillin at Coconino Overlook.

Doug grabs a brief nap.

Kev hangs his feet over the edge and enjoys the magnificent view.

Just a hundred yards from the top, a bunch of wild turkeys cross the trail in front of us.

FINALLY!

We reach the top. It's 1:30 in the afternoon and we only have a short hike of a mile and a half along the road to the lodge.

What I Consumed During the Hike:

3.5 Gallons of Water
2 Gallons of Gatorade
8 GU Gels
Sub Sandwich
2 Powerbars
2 Fruit Leathers
1 bag Beef Jerky
Trail Mix
Tangerine
Peanut Butter Bar
Bag of Chips
Hard Candy

 

 

View from the North Rim at Bright Angel Point, looking toward the South Rim where we began.


The North Rim Lodge - and the world's greatest porch!


The Dining Hall at the lodge.
Too bad we couldn't get a better table...


Sunset at Bright Angel Point.

It was a terrific and beautiful challenge - I can't wait to do it again!