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Trip Report---Hiking the Grand Canyon from Rim to Rim with a Bunch of Brits, aka How I Learned to Pronounce "Toe-mah-toe" in 5 Easy Lessons
The seed of the idea for a rim-to-rim hike was planted a couple of years ago, when my hiking club in Seattle had an exchange with a similar club in the UK. We hosted 15 �Brits� for 2 weeks of hiking in Olympic, Rainier, and North Cascades National Parks. And we became fast friends, hoping to meet up again for another hiking adventure. I was inspired to invite them over to see and experience the Grand Canyon after my last hike to the bottom of the canyon, in April, 2007. Like all good canyon devotees, while hiking up the Bright Angel trail out of the canyon I began scheming to return. Thus was born the British-American Rim-to-Rim Hike of 2008.
I sent out a group e-mail and received so many interested responses that I decided to plan for 12 participants. With 10 or more, we could try and reserve the group cabin at Phantom Ranch. This group cabin is reserved separately and by a different process than the spots in the hiker�s dorms. Instead of calling and calling for 2 hours trying to get through to Xanterra on the appointed day (the first day of the month one year + in advance), you simply fax your request, giving the number of people in the party and requested dates. The best time to hike R2R is either spring or fall---late May, after the North Rim opens up, or late September/early October. Between those dates, in the summer, it is way too hot, for me at least; outside those dates (mid-October to mid-May) the North Rim is closed. I decided to try first for May, 2008; if my first attempt failed I still could try for September, and then October. My May 1, 2007 attempt did indeed fail, but the September 1 try resulted in success! We had the group cabin plus 2 spots in the hikers� dorm for one night in late September. As soon as I was notified, I set about getting the reservations we needed on both sides of the canyon before and after our hike. I decided to go north to south, with 2 nights at the NR to start, one at the south when we came up out of the canyon, and another night at the North Rim after we shuttled back. Then what? To make it worthwhile for the Brits who were coming such a long distance to do this, I added 3 nights at Zion (a great choice, as it turned out). So, without knowing exactly who was coming on the trip, I went on the Xanterra website and booked 5 cabins for the first two nights at the North Rim, 6 rooms at El Tovar for the night of our arrival at the South Rim after the hike, more cabins at the North Rim for the night of our return, and an assortment of rooms at Zion, both at Desert Pearl Inn and at Zion Lodge inside the park. Then I sent around another email with the actual dates and plans, and requesting commitment to the trip. Within days I had my 12 people. We were a group of 12 hikers plus one non-hiking spouse. Five Americans and 8 Brits; nine women and four men, ranging in age from 52 to 74 (yes, you heard that right). Three of us are cancer survivors. We three understand better than most the importance of doing things like this while you can. I am fortunate in that I have been free of injuries for 5 years; my last knee injury (torn MCL) was in 2003. My husband had a herniated disc two years ago but has recovered well; hiking has been good for him. Once the reservations were made (mind you this was September of 2007) there was nothing to do but wait and talk up the trip. About a month ahead, I made reservations for the Trans-Canyon shuttle (a great service which provides transport between the North and South Rims for cross-canyon hikers) and for most dinners, since it is hard for a group of 13 to show up and expect to be seated. I also wrote up a detailed itinerary and provided maps and advice on hiking the canyon for everyone. The Brits are strong hikers (some of them are experienced Alpinists and climbers as well) but the challenge of hiking of desert conditions would be new to most. I wanted to be sure they understood about dealing with the heat and carrying plenty of water. Also, the idea of hiking an "upside down" mountain like the Grand Canyon was new to them. I advised everyone that I would meet them in the lobby of Grand Canyon Lodge on the appointed day (a Tuesday), 2 days in advance of our descent into the canyon. I planned to wait in the lobby between 2 pm and 5pm on that day to greet the arrivals and give them the keys to their cabins. My husband and I flew the previous day from Seattle to Las Vegas and drove to Zion to spend Monday night. This gave us plenty of time to get to GCNR on Tuesday well ahead of the others. The stopover in Zion was a brilliant idea----we fell in love with this place. We hiked the Riverside walk late that evening and rose early the next morning to hike most of Angel's Landing (I can't handle the exposure at the top). Then we headed off thru the tunnel to the North Rim, arriving around 1 pm. One couple from the UK was there ahead of us, and we had great fun catching up over lunch on the deck (purchased in the deli nearby and carried out to the deck, which is right on the very edge of the canyon). Another (American) couple arrived soon thereafter, and then more Brits, and just before dinner the final four women arrived, traveling together. Three of these women had never been to the US before. Imagine their experience of the US: they arrive in Las Vegas and spend one night on the Strip, then drive straight to the Grand Canyon and spend the next 2 nights in a rustic log cabin, before hiking to the bottom of the canyon. Fortunately they were very adaptable, and proved to be delightful hiking companions And they cleaned up really well�they even carried skirts or dresses in their backpacks to the bottom of the canyon and up the other side, just to have something nice to wear for our dinner at El Tovar. To be continued. . . |
What a fascinating trip. I'm not a huge hiker - but will REALLY look forward to the rest of your report . . . . .
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Hi enzian,
<b>nine women and four men, ranging in age from 52 to 74</b> I am IMPRESSED! Looking forward to the rest of your report. Hope you found time for a stopover at Ribbon Falls. Bill |
enzian,
I'm also impressed and keen to hear more! Well done on the planning and organization details too. |
And cancer survivors....good for all of you. This is going to be very enjoyable.
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What a fascinating trip report! I've always wanted to do a GC hike, and given my advanced age (52), this is very inspirational! Well done and I can't wait to read more!
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Enzian,
Great to read your trip report here too. I caught myself saying "tomayto" last week (after 50 years of saying tomarto)!! 60 days to go. Giddyup |
Ah, Gilbert, you gave me away!! Yes, this is an edited version of the TR I posted on TA. But a lot more people will see it here . . . and hopefully be inspired to give it a try.
tekwriter---at 52 I thought my hiking days were over, thanks to worn-out knees. I never dreamed then that I would be happily hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back at age 61. Thanks to some rehab through bicycling and XC skiing, and with the help of hiking poles, I am a stronger, more fit hiker now than I was 40 years ago. Bill H---with what are you impressed---the 2:1 ratio of women to men on the trip, or their ages? There were actually 2 people in their 70's, a man of 72 and a woman of 74; 5 in their late 60's; 2 of us in early 60's, and 3 in their early 50's. We did try the side trip to Ribbon Falls but did not get all the way to the base of the falls. The trail seemed very overgrown and/or indistinguishable from the terrain. And the falls were very sparse, not inspiring to continue. It was mid-day and we still had 7 miles to go in the hottest part of the day. So we contented ourselves with a view from the cataract area where the falls trail first meets the creek, and then returned to the North Kaibab trail. highflyer---thank you for the compliment. I have organized trips to Switzerland for family groups of 8 or 9 in the past, but this was my first attempt at something this big, and outside my immediate family. Everyone was very appreciative, and we were all pleased with how it turned out. I would happily do it all again. |
I can't wait to read the rest of your report. I made my first trip to the Grand Canyoun (and Bryce and Zion) this past summer and loved them. I was certainly not as ambitious a hiker as you7r group though!
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Day 1 at the North Rim:
This was a "free day" for everyone to rest up, recover from jet lag, get acclimated to the altitude (8800 feet), and pack food and clothing for the next day's hike and successive days. (We would be away from the North Rim, with only what we carried in our packs, for 3 days in all). Everyone was up and out early, to enjoy the sunrise. Bright Angel Point, a short walk from the lodge, was a great place for this. The trail, although easy, is not for the acrophobic. I really like the Grand Canyon Lodge, one of the old historic national park inns. Made of stone to blend in with the surroundings, it sits right on the rim, not just near it. There are decks on both sides of the public "sun room" area where you can sit with lunch from the deli or a glass of something from the saloon, and just look right over into the canyon. I think some people never leave the deck, and still have a wonderful experience of the canyon. And they all rub Brighty's nose as they leave the sun room to ensure a return. I rubbed that shiny little nose lots of times. There are no rooms in the lodge itself; instead there are log cabins scattered along the Transept rim. We all had "Pioneer" cabins, each with 2 bedrooms and a small bath. They are quite comfortable, although I have heard these are not as nice as the “Western” cabins. The price is hard to beat—$120 for the whole cabin. Most couples had one all to themselves; the four single women all shared a cabin, and DH and I shared ours with a friend from Seattle. Everyone was happy with the arrangements. Having worked in places like that when I was in college, I can't help but think about the daunting task of closing up and preparing the main lodge and the cabins for winter, which they will be doing just about now—they close October 15. And then it will all be left to be buried by the winter snows (although we were told that a few employees spend the winter there to keep an eye on things). There are some nice viewpoints you can drive to at the North Rim, but everyone in our group resisted getting back in their cars, and chose to take short day hikes on one or more of the trails leading away from the lodge. We took the "Uncle Jim" trail which was pretty unremarkable, except that at the endpoint there was a good view of the North Kaibab trail, which we would follow down into the canyon the next day. The North Rim is much more dissected by river-cut side canyons than the South. The lodge actually sits on a point between two of these side canyons, so you don't get the broad expansive views of the whole canyon that you do from the South Rim. But it is an amazing view, with lots of close-up canyon walls and rock formations. And you can see across to the trails and buildings on the South Rim side, if you have sharp eyes (or binoculars) We were there at just the right time, with the aspen and canyon maples just starting to turn color. This is the first year the North Rim facility has been managed by Forever Resorts instead of Xanterra, and after reading some negative comments about it I was a bit skeptical of what we would find. But our experience there was all good. The staff, including the dining room waitstaff, were all friendly, knowledgeable, and very helpful. And the saloon was great. Order a beer or glass of wine and you are asked "for here or to go?" A reasonable and realistic question, since many people like to take their drink out to the deck to enjoy (in which case you get a plastic glass). I couldn't see sitting inside with the Grand Canyon right out the door. Just don’t try that at Phantom Ranch. . . we almost caused an international incident. More on that later. Most of us ate our dinners in the main lodge dining room (food was acceptable but not great, and can anyone tell me why it is illegal to serve ground beef anything but “well done” in Arizona? My husband tried to order his burger rare, and was told that is against state law.) The service and wine list were both fine. Some of “the girls” opted for the “cookout experience” instead of the dining room; they were picked up by a little train and taken to a tent in the woods, where they enjoyed barbequed brisket and fixin’s, plus entertainment. They gave it a good report, despite the price ($35 a person). |
"<i>we almost caused an international incident. More on that later. </i>" Ooh - can't wait for that installment :)
"<i> . . . . can anyone tell me why it is illegal to serve ground beef anything but “well done” in Arizona?</i>" It is against the law in several states - and where it isn't, many restaurants/chains have rules against anything less than well done, or sometimes medium well, ground meat. Its a shame really - but w/ our litigious society they can't really afford the liability of serving rare ground meat. I like rare to med rare and there is only one restaurant w/i 10 miles of my home that will serve it that way. |
This gotta be good :)) and the subject's promise came true!
So... did you hit each other with those tomatillos? LOL |
Great stuff.
One request. Would you consider reposting your report but linking it to 'Arizona" so it doesn't disappear into the sad Fodor's trip report abyss. I'd hate to see this one lost. Thanks for sharing your tale. |
Peterboy--I thought I did link to "Arizona", but I see that didn't come through. I previewed and edited several times to get the format right, and must have failed to select "Arizona".
Rather than re-post all of this, I'll start a new thread with my next installment, and be sure I include the Arizona tag. This part can then be found by clicking on my name. Thanks for the suggestion. |
Looking forward to the rest of your great trip report, enzian. Very inspiring!
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I love living this vicariously through you, enzian. Am enjoying this immensely!
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Hi enzian :)
Terrific report! I so admire your sense of adventure. How lucky your traveling companions were to have you as their planner!! Please don't start a new thread. It's much easier to continue reading if you just add onto this one. If you want a "tag" added, I would email Katie at Fodor's. She will have one of the tech people insert the Arizona tag for you. If someone has trouble finding it, they can simply do a search of your name to retrieve it (or their name if they have replied). |
enzian - FYI - ALL posts go under the US forum. You can't just post to a particular state. You can search under a particular state for threads pertaining to that state, but you can't "limit" your posting to a single state.
Might want to continue with this thread so it will be easy to find in one place. Am really enjoying this! |
Someone interested in a Grand Canyon trip report will probably search "Arizona" topics. With so many post lumped into the general "United States" category, this report will not get the attention it deserves as it disappears down the US list of posts.
A good idea about contacting an admin to add the "Arizona" tab. |
Terrific report, can't wait for the rest.
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