You Could Die!

So after a few days in Vegas, playing a bit of poker and whatnot (we'll get to Vegas in the next blog post), we decided to head to the Grand Canyon. Not satisfied with standing behind a railing and looking at a big hole for hours, I thought it would be fun to hike below the rim. There are a few trails, but they don't recommend that you hike more than about halfway down without getting a backcountry permit and staying at one of the campgrounds or the ranch that are down at the canyon floor. Well, it was to late to get a permit, so I decided to do it in a day. Fast and light. Down to the river on the South Kaibab Trail, and back up the Bright Angel Trail. They say this is a bad idea. Don't do it.You should never attempt this. 

Here are a couple of signs along the trail.

Another sign I read said, 

If you attempt to hike from the rim to the river and back in one day, be prepared for the following:

-Exhaustion
-Cardiac Arrest
-Death

Whatever. I'm doing it anyways. I know what I'm doing. So I did. Meghan wasn't too interested, and someone had to stay with the dog, so I went on my own. I started early, really early - before sunrise - to avoid hiking in the hottest part of the canyon during the warmest part of the day. I wore a white long-sleeved sunshirt, pants/shorts, my softshell, a hat to keep the sun off my face, and a bandana to keep my neck warm at the cold beginning of the hike, and to soak with water to keep me cool later on. I carried 3.5 liters of water and 1 liter of Gatorade, my knife, sports tape, my headlamp, an extra pair of socks, and of course my camera. Since I was going light, I only brought 3 lenses for it... (Look for Grand Canyon photos on my photography website - hopefully soon). I also had my altimeter watch, so I could track my progress, knowing how far down I'd gone and how much further it was to the river (or rim), since appearances can be deceiving. I started hiking at 4:45 a.m., with sunrise at 5:30 a.m. and sunset at 7:30 p.m. (twilight around 8:15 p.m.). I gave my self a turn-around time of 10:30 a.m. whether I had made it to the river or not, giving myself twice as much daylight to get back up as I took to get down.

It was a gorgeous hike. The South Kaibab Trail follows a ridgeline down to the plateau, where it crosses the Tonto Trail. From here you continue down more switchbacks to the river, which you cross via the Black Suspension Bridge. You follow the trail west along the Colorado River, passing a historic Native American site and a nice little beach (don't go swimming though - three young guys apparently drowned there just a few days ago), to a spot where there's clean water available. I made it down the trail and across the river, dropping about 4600 feet in elevation in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Three hours ahead of schedule, I wasn't worried about having enough time to make it back up in the daylight. The high temperature at the canyon bottom was to be in the mid-90's F (mid-30's C), so I wanted to start climbing up in elevation before that happened. From here the trail met the Bright Angel Trail, which would be may way back up. My climb out of the canyon was good too, thought I found this trail a little less scenic (still very pretty though). I took my time, especially as it grew warmer. About halfway up the trail, I came across a scene where apparently (this is hearsay) a mule carrying an older woman somehow fell off the trail and tumbled down to the next lower switchback (there is a year-long waiting list to go for mule rides down the trails, and this is how they get supplies to and from the ranch at the river, so you pass a few of them on the hike). She reportedly had a broken leg among her injuries, and got to go for a $3500 helicopter ride. This held up the trail for a bit, but of course everyone was understanding and just found some shade to rest in. Water was available at a few places along the way up, so my water supplies were always nearly full.

I was back to the canyon rim by 1:18 p.m., and not really feeling too much worse for the wear, save for one blister on my right heel. Unfortunately, since this hike was double the distance and elevation gain/loss as what the park considers the "most strenuous" day-hike, I assumed it would take me longer. Meghan wasn't coming to pick me up until 7 p.m., so I had some time to spare. Over 5.5 hours until she would be there to pick me up actually. I rode the shuttle bus in a big circle for an hour, then I sat on a bench. Then I sat on another bench, then I laid on the bench. After that I sat on the curb, then tried to juggle some rocks, then sat some more. This was not the most exciting part of the day, and probably not the most exciting part of this story either. Eventually Meghan picked me up though, and we went back to camp (about 10 miles outside the park) for some dinner. 

After hearing about what a good hike it was, and also not being satisfied with staring at a big hole for hours, Meghan decided to do the hike today. So, we got up at 3:45 a.m. for the second day in a row, and dropped Meghan off at the trailhead. I'm sure she's having fun right now, probably much of the way back up the trail at this point. I'm sitting outside the Lodge again using their free wireless internet to post this blog entry while I wait for Meghan to finish her hike. I think I'll go try to spot her in one of he 25 cent telescopes at the rim. It's a fantastic hike, but you shouldn't do it - You could die!

Ian

P.S. - Just as I was finishing editing this post, Meghan showed up at the lodge here, safe and sound. She didn't die.