Day One Below Rim: Grand Canyon - Sep 16, 2019
Five a.m. arrived earlier than normal (or seemed to) as we awoke Monday morning to our alarm. Our plan for this first day of five on our Rim to Rim (R2R) hike was to make it to Cottonwood Campground, which is 6.5 miles from the North Kaibab Trailhead on the North Rim and a 4200 foot drop in elevation. Reaching the North Kaibab Trailhead from our site at the North Rim Campground via the Transept and Bridle Trails would add another mile to our hike for the day. We didn’t want to hike in the dark, but, since this was our first time backpacking in the Grand Canyon and we were not sure what our hiking pace would be, we at least wanted to get an early start.
Left Buddy (LB) was a little cold during Sunday night in our tent. The temperature overnight dropped down into the low forties. He only had his Enlightened Equipment Torrid APEX Jacket and sleeping bag liner since he decided to not take his sleeping bag to save weight, but he survived. A cup of hot coffee and hot oatmeal for breakfast warmed him back up. Right Buddy (RB) was glad she had her Enlightened Equipment Revelation down quilt, because she stayed comfortable all night. By the time we finished breakfast, packed up, made a trip to the restroom, refilled our water, and hiked to the North Kaibab Trailhead, it was 7:15 am. We’re not the fastest people in the morning, but that’s OK.
The first two miles from the rim to the Supai Tunnel were steep, but the trail was somewhat wooded and there was a pleasantly cool breeze. There was plenty of evidence of mules along this section of trail which we didn't expect to see, so we had to watch our step. We met several day hikers and even some northbound R2R hikers. During a short conversation with a man from Flagstaff, he told us this was his 22nd Rim to Rim and this time it was from south to north. He claimed that north to south is easier.
We stopped at the rest area just before the tunnel to refill our water, have a snack, and use the vault toilets. As we were sitting there, a group of people on mules came in, so we had a small crowd. On the trail, restrooms and water sources are the coffee shops. Just past Supai Tunnel there was a park ranger answering people’s questions (and probably assessing who might run into trouble if they continued past that point). Our question was about the mules we had seen. We knew that there were mules that used the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails to ferry people and supplies between the South Rim and Phantom Ranch, but we didn’t know there were mules on the North Kaibab Trail as well. The ranger told us that the North Kaibab Trail mules are just for day tourists, not gear, and they only go from the North Rim to Supai Tunnel and back. That news meant that we would not have to dodge any piles and puddles from here to the bottom.
Right after the Supai Tunnel there are several tight switchbacks. They were lined with agave and flowers which provided a pretty backdrop for the trail. A little while later, RB overheard another hiker complaining about having to dodge rocks raining down on her as she was in the switchbacks. We’re not quite sure if her rockfall incident was natural or caused by hikers above her as we did not have any problems with falling rocks when we passed through the switchbacks.
From the switchbacks, we could see the Redwall Bridge which was 0.6 miles from Supai Tunnel. When we reached the bridge, we took our packs off and ate a small snack. There were a couple of women there doing the same so we engaged them in a conversation. They were on a day hike. The bridge was their destination for the day and they would be heading back up soon.
From the bridge, it was another 1.8 miles to Roaring Spring Junction. We were still about a mile away from the junction when we started to hear the roar of the waterfall of the Roaring Spring. Our pace so far had been quite slow, but the sound of the water encouraged us to pick up the pace a little. There had been plenty of signs around the park that informed us that the water was off at the Roaring Springs Day Use Area, but our map still showed a restroom there. RB needed to go, so we headed down the 0.3 mile spur to Roaring Springs.
We were expecting the rest area to be next to the Roaring Spring, but found out that the trail stays on the opposite side of the canyon from the falls. The trail offered poor footing in spots and continues further up the canyon to a little oasis on a small creek that is upstream from where the Roaring Spring feeds into it. It was a refreshing little spot and there were restrooms, but the restroom doors were locked shut. The restrooms don’t use water, so why were they closed? RB would have to "hold it" until she reached Manzanita Rest Area, which was about a mile away. There were not really any good spots at Roaring Springs to wander off to that were far enough from the creek and away from the view of other people. However, the shade of the creek bank and cool flowing water were inviting, so we sat down and ate our lunch. There were a handful of other people who were also enjoying the location.
We found out later from an official source that the spur trail to the Roaring Springs Day Use Area is no longer being maintained, which is why the restroom was closed. We did notice that the spur trail was a little rougher and rockier than the North Kaibab Trail. Now it makes sense as to why that was. The Grand Canyon does a pretty good job of providing an appropriate number of restrooms along the Main Corridor, with pretty good spacing between them. That is a good thing, because, unlike the Appalachian Trail, there are not a lot of places to “go” along the trail or to dig a hole and squat.
RB made it to the Manzanita Rest Area with her bladder intact. It is a large rest area nestled under a few trees and alongside the Bright Angel Creek. We met up with some of the people we had met the day before. The Shelbyville group was cooling off their feet in the ice cold creek. They started at the trailhead after us, but they did not go down the Roaring Springs spur trail and must have passed us while we were eating lunch. Dale and his brother Dave from Michigan were just finishing up their lunch and packing back up to continue down the trail. They had spent Sunday night in a cabin on the North Rim and had taken the 6 am shuttle from the lodge to the North Kaibab Trailhead. RB walked down to the creek and soaked her bandana in the creek water. Then, after a short rest, we hit the trail again to finish the remaining 1.4 miles to Cottonwood Campground.
Just after leaving the Manzanita Rest Area, we crossed over a bridge, rounded a corner and then the heat hit us. The cool breeze from earlier had stopped and the heat was radiating from the red stone walls around us. It was after 1 pm. Most people say you shouldn’t be out hiking in the canyon between 10 am and 2 pm because of the heat. Up to this point, it had been partly cloudy with a nice cool breeze blowing most of the time, threatening to rain. But all of that disappeared in an instant and we were really feeling the heat.
By the time we reached Cottonwood Campground at 2 pm, RB was feeling ill. After picking out a campsite, dropping our packs and taking a potty break, RB headed over to Bright Angel Creek to cool down while LB put up our tent. The creek runs along the edge of the campground and because the Roaring Spring was not that far upstream, the water was still extremely cold. RB took off her shoes and stuck her feet in the water. She even managed to stand up, bend over and dunk her hair in the water. She really just wanted to sit down in the creek, but the water was too cold to do that. So she took off her hiking shirt (she had a sports bra on underneath) and soaked it in the creek. It was so cold that it almost took her breath away when she put the shirt back on. Using her bandana to wet down her face and neck a few times started to revive her and she was feeling a little better.
The creek seemed like heaven. It was so peaceful and refreshing. The view up the creek, with the water flowing over the rocks and tiny waterfalls, with willows lining the banks and hanging over the water, gave RB a feeling like she was in a secret little paradise. She would hate to think what it would have been like to suffer from the heat and have no creek to seek refuge in.
When RB got back to the campsite, she sat down and ate a snack. She was feeling better, but still not fully up to par. Because of the heat, LB opted to leave the rainfly off of the tent so we could have more airflow. In the meantime, the Shelbyville group arrived at the campground. Quite a few members of their group were feeling the heat as well and also took advantage of the creek. Because they were a group of ten, they got to use the large group site which looked like the best site in the campground, with lots of shade. We were jealous.
The topic of conversation among the hikers in the campground for the afternoon was when to go to Ribbon Falls. Ribbon Falls is a 0.3 mile spur trail along the North Kaibab Trail which leads to a beautiful waterfall and is just a little over a mile south of Cottonwood Campground. If you hike it in the evening, that will give you more time to get through “The Box” the next day before the heat of the day. However, that also means an extra three miles of hiking. Most of the other hikers who wanted to go to Ribbon Falls chose to hike over in the evening. However, RB was not ready to hike another three miles, so we decided to try to work it in the next morning as it would be on the way and would just tack on a little over half a mile.
We originally said we were not going to hike in the dark because the whole purpose of hiking the Grand Canyon was to see it and enjoy it, not just pass through it. However, after getting a small taste of the effects of the heat that day, the thought of hiking through The Box was making us anxious. The Box is the last several miles of the North Kaibab Trail flanked on both sides with steep, black rock that bakes and radiates the sun's heat. The goal is to get through it before 10 am. It is just a little over seven miles from Cottonwood Campground to Bright Angel Campground, our destination for Tuesday. Adding on the spur to Ribbon Falls brings the total miles for Tuesday up to 7.7 miles. So, doing the math, if we can average two miles an hour, plus an hour to enjoy the falls, that means we need to start hiking at 5 am.
So can we average two miles an hour? Let’s see. It took us almost seven hours from the North Kaibab Trailhead to Cottonwood Campground, a distance of about seven miles, including the Roaring Springs spur trail. That’s only one mile an hour! However, Monday's hike was a 4200 foot drop in elevation and Tuesday there would be only a 1500 foot drop in elevation. We know we go slower on steep downhills due to our old legs and knees. After a conversation with a northbound hiker who said the trail itself was pretty flat and easy with quite a few places to access the creek if we needed water or needed to cool off, we felt a bit better about the idea. Yes, let’s do this!
Before dinner, we both went back down to the creek for a refreshing soak. RB had lucked out by not bringing her rain gear. Although it threatened to rain most of the day, we did not get wet. Had RB gotten wet at the start of the day, she probably would have gotten cold. However, getting wet later in the day would have felt good. After a relaxing evening to recover from the day’s hike, we turned in early and we were in our tent by 7 pm, with our alarm set for 3:15 am. Ouch! But Ribbon Falls, here we come!
Check out our related video: Day One Below Rim - North Rim to Cottonwood: Grand Canyon.
(RB)