Grand Canyon R2R South to North

[David R]

I have done Bright Angel up South Kaibab but the real deal is from one side to another which is kind of annoying as you still have to set up the logistics of a 3.5 hour drive back to the south side. Bright Angel to the bottom is closed with the never ending construction trying to get the water pipes fixed to keep the south side resorts with water. Apparently there are issues with taking from the Colorado so now they want to siphon off the water from Bright Angel creek as to avoid the federal restrictions that'll be coming down soon.

I was lucky to get the coolest day of May as my hike day with a high of only 80 at the bottom. This allowed me to start quite a bit later as I wasn't getting picked up until 6 at the top of the North side. I started at exactly 7 with a horde egested out of the tram. Everyone decided to take pics at the TH as I rushed ahead to try and get some quiet time on the trail. Since it is the only way down now it is very busy regardless. I got off some shots as the sun continued to rise.

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There was a French couple that kept up close to my pace as I hiked down. One of the enjoyable parts of the hike is that for some people this is on their bucket list and they are very talkative. I met an older woman who this was her 30th time coming down to the bottom since she retired in 2000. There was an interesting group of Amish young women in full garb huffing down with their backpacks. There was also some trail runners doing the R2R2R that were moving at incredible paces. I got about half way down and got this pic.

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I finally got to the bottom in about 2.5 hours.

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Another 15 minutes and I was at Phantom Ranch and took a rest. I was now only 1/3 done with the hike. The next six miles is pretty mellow as you climb up the drainage to the North. The first three miles are interesting with a narrow canyon.

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The next three miles are the most unpleasant portion of the hike where the canyon widens and feels like you're hiking in the desert. Finally you get to Cottonwood Campground which is quite uninviting but the canyon starts to narrow and steepen as you go up the last four miles. This section was the coolest part of the hike as the canyon is steep as hell and you sometimes wonder how the trail is going to ascend it. After two-three miles you finish with that section and the canyon again widens as you cross a bridge. The grade does not lessen but the hike becomes more of a standard switchback up the slopes. You can always see how much further you have by looking across the canyon.

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Finally you get to the top. The fire didn't affect too much of the trail, maybe .5 of a mile. Once at the top as you drive back you can see the devastation much more. The numbers were 21.5 miles with 6,200 feet elevation gain in just over 9 hours.

[Sean]

Thanks for the report. Those are some pretty pictures. Does "interesting" mean what I think it means regarding the young Amish females? There should be an Indiana Jones-type bridge for those wishing to risk their lives over the river.