Our main objective for this trip south was to organize a backpacking trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.By the time we arrived in Grand Canyon Village, my cold had subsided enough so I was able to enjoy myself. Accordingly, we got a campsite and headed for the Backcountry Office to see what could be done. We were surprised to be able to get on the wait list as #4 for service the next morning. Friday morning we were able to get our campsites at the Bright Angel Campsite for Saturday and Sunday nights. Having Friday to wait, we hiked part of the Hermit Creek trail, enjoying a nice warm, sunny day.
Saturday morning, we parked the van near the exit trailhead and caught the shuttle bus to the South Kaibab trailhead. We were on the trail by 9:45 am. This trail is one of the shortest (and therefore one of the steepest) routes to the Colorado. It wasn't that bad at all and we were at the river in about 4 hours. As we descended closer to the river, it got warmer and at the bottom, it was somewhat like being in an oven. Hot. Dry. We picked out a campsite and went exploring.
One of the local "attractions" is Phantom Ranch, dating from the early 1900s. Then there is the scenery at the bottom of the canyon.
The next day, our "rest day", we hiked a couple of miles up the Clear Creek Trail for the views down over the Colorado. We also walked several miles up the North Kaibab Trail towards the North Rim (over 13 miles away).
On Monday morning, we were up early to take advantage of shade and cooler weather for the hike back up to the South Rim. A weather system had moved through that evening, leaving some snow on the South Rim and cooler temperatures overall. The hike up the Bright Angel Trail through Indian Gardens was easy and fast, taking only 5.25 hours in total, plus a few rest breaks, and we hardly broke a sweat.
