“Hey babe”
“Yes”, I replied with trepidation.
“Remember when we went to the Grand Canyon with the kids. There were some fun short hikes – and great restaurants. We should do that for Thanksgiving”.
“Sure”, I said. Famous last words of a fool –
This trip was not an easy hike and a few restaurants. It was a parking lot dubbed “RV” park with warm bathrooms and showers that close at 6pm. As usual, we showed up at midnight – no shower despite the 10 hours of dusty roads and bad travel stops.
Of course, in an RV, you typically have your shower in the car. This trip was different. We arrived about the same time as the first of the winter storms, with lows around 19F. Our rig is not insulated for those temps, so the antifreeze filled the water lines.
But it’s ok, the days surrounding hell day – I mean the hike day – we reserved the El Tovar hotel. Bad start, but the bed was warm and the food was good.
Our hike day starts at 5:30am. We needed to finish packing, eat and catch a 7:00am bus. The temperature was unpredictable, so the gear debate raged. We ended up making it and set off on our trail by 7:30am. The Kaibab trail from the south rim was steep, open air, and windy. A few times we feared for being blown off the cliffs, but were more afraid of the steps on our knees. After a few miles, each step was a special agony.
We made it – to the phantom ranch – around 11. There was a small cantina with foods approximating what we packed in, and beer. Not exciting, but a good place to sit and reconsider our lives choices.
Then the ascent. The Bright Angel trail is a 9.5 mile hike from the Colorado river to the south rim – it starts out deceptively simple, with pretty scenery and gentle rolling hills. DO NOT BE FOOLED. The last 4.5 miles, the grade literally increases with each step. I swear by the time we made it to the top, we were walking backwards – but we did make it to the top.
Half delirious, dehydrated, and covered in sweat despite the 19F weather, we reached the top in time for a LOONG shower and our dinner reservations. No food ever tasted better.
We made mistakes – we over dressed, carried too much gear, had the wrong foods, and probably 1,000 other mistakes. Fortunately my wife and I are both reasonably well versed in running (her much more than myself), so while it was horribly uncomfortable, we made it without needing to be rescued. We even got a few pictures – despite the camera becoming so heavy after the first 10 miles, I nearly decided to leave it in the afore mentioned river.