Grand Canyon Down and Out

Click on photograph to enlarge

South Kaibab & Bright Angel Trails

Total miles:                   17.2 mi.

Total time on trail:         Shortest:           10 hrs.  15 min.

                                        Longest:           11 hrs.  45 min.

Starting Elevation:         7,200 ft.           South Kaibab Trail head

Lowest Elevation:           2,461 ft.           Silver Bridge

Ending Elevation:           6,840 ft.           Bright Angel Trail head

Calories burned:             5,101               Mine.

On Friday, March 23, 2007, I, my daughter and eight others proceeded to the Grand Canyon to accomplish a “Down and Out” hike on the following day.  A Down and Out is a hike from the rim to Phantom Ranch, and then again back to the rim in one day.  The trails we were going to hike were the South Kaibab Trail down and the Bright Angel Trail back out, a total hiking distance of 17 miles.   This is a hike that is never recommended by the National Parks Service due to its difficulty.

 The Weather, when we left Phoenix was cloudy but appeared all right.  We had had some conflicting weather reports but were hoping that it would hold.  As we approached the Canyon in the afternoon, the weather became worse and actually was rain mixed with snow.  When we arrived at the canyon, the ground and trees were covered with snow and the fog prevented us from even seeing down over the rim.  The temperature was cold and the wind was blowing.  All we could foresee was a miserable hike but we were going to hike anyway.

Here we go!	Weather, what weather?

When Saturday morning arrived we were pleasantly surprised.  Since the first shuttle departure was at 7 a.m. we ate breakfast at the Lodge before departing.  Although the weather was cold there were some breaks in the clouds and it looked as if it would be a good hike.  We reached the South Kaibab Trail head at about 7:30 p.m. and the weather was cloudy, but clear and the temperature was about 35 degrees.  We could see across the canyon to the north rim where the clouds hung low enough to touch the ground.

 As we started down the trail there were many puddles but there wasn’t any ice so footing was good.  Going down the South Kaibab Trail produces some of the most beautiful scenery in the Grand Canyon and with the cloud cover we were not disappointed.  As we proceeded down the trail, the temperature rose rapidly and soon we had to remove some of our layers of clothing.  By the time we arrived at the lower rest stop and were ready to drop into the inner ravine the temperature was about 75 degrees.  At about 11 a.m. we approached the tunnel and the black bridge which crosses the Colorado River to the north side where Phantom Ranch sits in the Bright Angel Canyon.  Shortly after crossing the Black Bridge we met the junction of the trail where we could either go back to the rim, or proceed to the Ranch.  We opted to go to the ranch where we arrived at about 11:30 for our well deserved rest.

A switch in the trail	Picture time!
Tracy and Jay take a break	This must be non-hikers.
The long trail down	First sight of Phantom Ranch

 After taking about a half hour break to eat, buy t-shirts (the shirts that can only be purchased at the ranch), we proceed back to the rim via the Bright Angel Trail.  After crossing the Silver Bridge we paralleled the Colorado River on the river trail.  After arriving at Pipeline Canyon we started up toward the Devils Corkscrew.  The Temperature was still on the 70’s which was far better than the 110 temperature we encountered on the previous rim to rim hike.  Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike   The difficulty of the Devil’s Corkscrew never let’s anyone down.  It is very difficult and climbs about 900 feet in a very short time by many switchbacks.  This tires a person out even before Indian Gardens or the hike up the canyon walls and to the rim.  As we approached Indian Gardens the greenery became beautiful which re-energized us.  In Indian Gardens we replenished our water, ate and got ready for the final ascent.  It was now getting later in the afternoon and the temperature started dropping but we knew we only had four miles to go, even if it is all up hill.

Here we are!	The route back up
The Devil's Corkscrew	Into Indian Gardens
Out of Indian Gardens	Approaching the 3 mile stop
The trail up	The beauty is done for the day

We departed Indian Gardens at about 4:30 p.m. and proceeded across the plateau into the switchbacks of our final ascent.  As we approached the three mile rest stop we had all spread out and were hiking at different paces.  We knew there wasn’t any water at the three mile or mile and a half rest stops so we had to carry some extra which is more weight.  Never the less, we all made it all the way up the trail and I crossed the rim with the last hiker at 7 p.m.  A very successful hike had again been accomplished by ten of the greatest hikers on this earth.  This is one more accomplishment to be placed in every hiker’s life.  The Grand Canyon is one of the ultimate hikes that we all work so hard to accomplish.

The hikers

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Larry Wayt (gnhikn@cox.net)