Our final day was all about the hike out (and up). Bright Angel Trail is the easiest of the trails out but it is still a 4.7 mile climb with full packs… almost none of the trail is level, some of it is very steep and rough. We left about 9am and reached the trailhead at the top of the Canyon at about 1:30pm. It was a gorgeous day for hiking: mid-60’s when we left Indian Gardens, light breeze and not a cloud in the sky.
Jodi’s knee issues created real problems for her hiking: a lot of the trail is made up of “mule steps” (steps that are a bit too big and too long for people to hike with any kind of rhythm) and she couldn’t bend her knee to step up. She persevered and, with a little help from Mike, we all made it to the top. The last 3000 feet or so of the trail is inundated with tourists who don’t know the basic rule of hiking– give those climbing up right-of-way– so we had to struggle through them as well.
This pinnacle is named “Battleship.” It was named in honor of the USS Iowa by Teddy Roosevelt.
The Bright Angel Trailhead at the top of the Grand Canyon. The end-point of our journey.
The Grand Canyon is a magical place. Its beauty is overwhelming and hiking through it is a challenge that forces everything else to insignificance. This was our second trip and it was more awesome than the first. I had the pleasure of outstanding traveling companions who shared in the awesomeness of the journey (severe overuse of the word awesome, but it just fits too well). Our Grand Adventure was a life’s milestone, over way too quickly… a memory to be cherished and valued. Pain and discomfort fade to triviality in light of the total experience. The Rangers say 4-5 million people visit the Grand Canyon every year and less than 1% go to the base of the Canyon. If you factor out the “mulies” and the “rafters” the number is even less. I am blessed that Jodi, Mike and I are part of that small number who have fully experienced the Grand Canyon.
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