Rim to River to Rim

Grand Canyon, October 10, 2015

South Kaibab to Bright Angel Rim-River-Rim Loop: 17 miles

Sunrise is earned. The darkest hour is right before the dawn. The greatest time to be alive is during sunrise, a symbol of a brand new day and a brand new life.







It’s no surprise that we started our hike at 4:30am when we woke up at Mather Campground, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Walk to the restroom, back to camp, reach inside the cooler to grab some food, zip up the backpack and take off for the shuttle system.



It’s dark. Hikers wear headlamps just to navigate the visitor center. Andy, Esteban and I hear someone say the shuttles don’t start until 6a. It’s almost 5. We’re rushing a bit to hop on a bus in case it takes off right away.

The group finds the correct bus after asking one of the bus drivers for some info. The bus shows up a little after 5 and we board.

Bad news: we can’t board the South Kaibab shuttle. There is a bus stuck in the South Kaibab Shuttle Loop and we must hoof it from the Bright Angel head to the South Kaibab head.

The LED sign on the bus is surreal: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2015. 5:25am.

I guess this is what I’m doing with my life on this day. Thanks for the reminder.

A pack full of water, food and supplies, my boots, a few layers because it’s early, a hat, a beanie, my wrist watch and two weeks of preparation for 17 miles in and out of The Grand Canyon.

The previous morning, we were on the road by 4am, at the park by lunch and at the rim after we set up camp.

Esteban drives us to the visitor center. I slip in and out of consciousness, look out toward the trees and see tourists on the beach. I’m in a haze but swear there are people setting up chairs and towels just beyond the trees. No. Wake up, Greg. Those are Grand Canyon tourists walking along the paved rim path. I sit up and come-to.

With hundreds of tourists among us, we step toward the edge. It’s a busy day but we gaze toward the hazy canyon. It’s like painting. It’s unreal; so massive you can only think it’s fake. If you trust me, believe this: it’s more than real, it’s spectacular. Millions of years of history embedded in the canyon. A slice of earth’s evolution within a chunk of the ground so massive that all of the world’s water can fit inside with room left to add more.





“Not sure exactly but I want to let you guys know what might be happening,” says the shuttle driver. The Kaibab Shuttle is down but we head toward the transfer point anyway. We unload from the Bright Angel shuttle and hop on the Kaibab Shuttle. Looks like the bus that was stuck is free.

A quick ride to the trail head. One last pit-stop where I peel off my base layer that helped me sleep in the 30 degree cold, last night.

It’s time.

The first steps down the trail tell us how steep the decent is. We are please that this is not the way up. It’s as steep as steep gets but not too bad.. To climb this would be hell.

It feels like we’re in mountains on a trek written by J.R.R. Tolkien. Looking down, there are little groups with headlamps that break the fog. A line of miners, maybe. Hikers, definitely.





Down, down, down to Ooh Aah Point and a stop at Cedar Ridge for sunrise.





The trek continues. No more than 5 minute breaks at a time unless it’s for a meal, to refill our water packs or take a piss.

The guys are ahead of me after the first few hours. Fatigue sets in and my knees start to give. I can push it, and do, but my knees don’t hold as well as I want them to. Still, after an injury in 2010, I’m stronger than ever. I don’t need a brace anymore.



We hike, sip from our packs, swallow electrolyte gels and snack along the way. I shed another layer. The sun warms the land.

The dudes are about 5 minutes ahead of me. We meet just before the cave that leads to the Kaibab Bridge.





From the bridge, looking upstream.

From the bridge, looking downstream.





We continue to cross.

As we cross, we see a beach. There’s no better feeling that to see something, point, think, “Let’s go there,” then go.







9:30a, Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona





On to the next stop: Indian Garden





There are signs like this throughout the park. There’s a poster warning hikers to stay away from the rim-to-river trails with a dude on the trail dying as his wife stands over him in despair. It’s possible. The hike is not easy or for the ill-prepared but possible.





If the group were lost or someone mysteriously disappeared, these would be the last photos. The guys went ahead of me and took my camera by mistake. Below, if there were a tragedy, are great, “This is the last time we were together” photo. Fortunately, we met again in a few hours.











Andy snapped these from Indian Garden, a lush spot inside the canyon where agriculture was once abundant. You can see, from the photos, that the area is green, a kind of green I recognized. It’s vibrant like the plant life off the coast of California. Beautiful.

From Indian Garden it’s about 4.5 miles to the top. It was about 12:30p when we stopped for a snack and to refuel.





The view from the Bright Angel Trail. A demon of a trail with switch backs that lead around corners, inside caverns and below ridges to…more switch backs.

At some point, pictures are pointless. You’re drained. You’re depleted. You braved miles down, miles up, the devil’s corkscrew, you missed the last bathroom but want a sip of gatorade. Your mind starts messing with you and you understand more about yourself than ever. What drives you. Who you love. What your priorities in life are. This hike did that for a few moments but not enough to whittle away my spirit. It’s as easy as taking a few breaths, gaining your composure and moving one step at a time. At no point did I think I would not make it. I could see guys with guts breaking, women panting and resting, children skipping around – There is no way an average person who is well prepared can fail this hike.

The end of the trail, at 330p, is in sight. Andy yells at me from the top. I pick up my step a little, find him and tell him I’m ready to do it again.

We kill some pizza at the cafe then head to camp for a fire and bombers by the fire. Beer hits you hard after a day in the canyon. Another night under the big starry sky.





Home sweet home, Mather Campground.

The next day we rise, say goodbye to GC and hit the road. Breakfast in Williams and the road. Andy almost runs out of gas on the way to Ludlow. We pull up to the gas station below E. I fill my tank with 15.5 gallons of gas and we take off toward Socal.

