Follow Strider's Rambles

Day 4

Wow it was a cold night! Neither of us slept well. I eventually put on my rain jacket and was decently warm up top, but my feet felt like ice blocks. Upon rising, I noticed a scant amount of frost on the tent. Both our sleeping bags have a low rating of 30-32, meaning the comfort rating is much higher. On the bright side, Will shared hot water so I made instant coffee after eating my delicious cold-soaked oatmeal.

A half mile from the Grand Canyon Nat’l Park boundary, we met Suzanne “Z”. Turns out she and her husband were the ones who stocked the water cache that we used on Day 1. It was nice to thank our benefactor. She lives in Flagstaff and is undertaking her first thru hike.

Over the day, I spotted six Greater Short-Horned Lizards! I managed to catch and gently hold two; one tiny and one large.

Mid-afternoon, we reached the North Kaibab TH and took the side trail to the north rim campground. I got a permit to sleep in the canyon the following night, then we set up our tent in the hiker/ cycler site. It was at the south end of the campground, right near the rim, with an excellent view. There were two others in the site, one an Australian named Paul. He finished the Colorado trail and had time on his visa so he hopped over to the AZT. He’s not sure how far he will go. It turns out he also thru-hiked the AT in 2022, about two weeks ahead of me.

Will and I found a neat rock outcropping from which we watched the sun set on the canyon. Afterwards, we ate dinner at a picnic table. He saw a mouse, luckily the table had a couple food storage boxes. As I got ready for bed, it felt wonderful to be comfortably warm.

Day 5

What a great night’s sleep! Will and I quickly packed up the tent. I made sure to give him the poles & stakes, which I had been carrying. Then we trekked the 1.2 miles to the North Rim Lodge on a neat trail that curved along the canyon’s edge. Will treated me to the breakfast buffet, where I consumed quantities of cheesy eggs, country potatoes, yogurt, and coffee. The lodge windows offered a great view of the canyon.

Shortly before 10 am, our trail angel Lori arrived at the lodge. Will and I hugged goodbye before she returned me to the North Kaibab TH. I waved as she drove off to shuttle Will back to his car (my treat). Then I incorporated my resupply & tent, filled water bottles, mixed electrolytes, etc. As I hoisted my pack, Cheez-It called out. It turns out he, Commando, & Pine Cone camped at the park boundary last night. Cheez-It hopes to camp two nights in the canyon. We fist bumped and he wished me good journey.

A friend texted me, “it’s so cool that you get to walk down millions of years and then back up to today”. I really liked that viewpoint and returned to it as I hiked.

The journey down was incredible! Only 14 miles, but a 5,760 ft. descent. I watched cliffs, level with me to start, slowly sink out of sight. The first third was the steepest, then it became very gradual.  Shortly after, it joined with and followed Bright Angel Creek all the way to the campground. There were so many lizards! Also, a ton of creative trail building. In the early afternoon, I used my sun umbrella for a couple hours, then ended up in the shade of canyon walls.

At the campground, I saw Paul’s tent and set mine up in the same group site. A man in the adjacent group site looked so familiar… we chatted, turned out I tented next to him at Tumbling Run in Michaux! How crazy that less than a month later, Andrew & I ended up camped near one another again, on the other side of the country! I ate dinner with Paul. He lives in Adelaide, looks to be in his 60s, and hasn’t seen a bear on his USA thru hikes.

Day 6

Paul and I hiked the Bright Angel trail out of the Grand Canyon. It is 10 miles long and ascends 4,350 ft. To start off, we crossed a suspension bridge over the Colorado River. It was nice hiking with Paul, both for the conversation and because occasionally one of us noticed a view the other missed. I enjoyed guessing where the trail would head next. The terrain was drier than the north side of the canyon, except for the section that followed Garden Creek, actually becoming a creek at one point.

At the 4.5 mile point (measured from the top), there was water and a bathroom. We ate a snack and refilled bottles. After that the ascent got steeper, though in a gradual manner with lots of switchbacks. I thought a lot about the mules… nobody asked them if they want to plod up and down the canyon. Near the top, the trail hugged rocky cliff walls and traversed two short, man-made tunnels. Beyond the second one, an ambitious squirrel entertained tourists.

We emerged from the canyon before noon. Paul went to resupply and I ate a quick lunch. Using FarOut, I identified the quickest route through Grand Canyon Village. Soon I was on a paved path headed south to Tusayan. On the edge of town, I encountered a herd of eight elk. I didn’t know that Arizona had elk! At the visitor center, I picked up my first resupply box. I took over a table, organizing and charging devices.

In the late afternoon, Paul joined me at the visitor center and we went over water sources in the coming section. Both of us had at least five days of food, our packs extending upward to accommodate it. By 5:30 pm, we were on the connector path. Once on the AZT, we walked a couple miles before setting up our tents on flat, pine needle covered ground.