Days 172-175: From the North Rim to the Colorado River

From the North Rim to the Colorado River: Grand Canyon

Days 172 – 175

June 18 – 21

Grand Canyon National Park

Everyone needs to have a brother like Jonathan: always down for an adventure at the last minute.

On the morning of June 18^th, I awoke feeling much more rested than I should be after five hours of sleep.  I checked my phone to be sure, finding that I slept an hour past when I told Jonathan I would pick him up at the bus station.  At the drop of a hat, Jonathan was able to join me in St. George, Utah, just before I went to tackle one of the major stops on my trip: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  I hurried to pick him up. 

I’ve never been to the North Rim before, although I have seen the South Rim four times.  And I’ve never hiked from the rim of the canyon down to the Colorado River.  So I decided to do both in one go, and Jonathan was ecstatic to hop on the bike and tackle this adventure with me. 

Buffalo roamed the plains in the Kaibab Forest north of the Canyon.

 

We rode straight to the canyon later that morning, arriving midday to the North Rim Backcountry Permit Office.  Here is the place to beg for a last-minute permit to camp below the Rim when you didn’t apply for one of these in the lottery six months ago.  When we told the ranger what we were here for, she had to roll her eyes back to keep them from popping out of her head.  To entertain us, she checked her computer.  Praise Buddha, she landed us our first night at the river and our second night halfway back to the top.  We were going into the Grand Canyon!

We scoped out our route: along a fault line into Bright Angel Canyon!

Jonathan was playing hide-and-seek with the Grand Canyon (he found it!).

We spent all day descending past two-billion years of geological history, stopping halfway at an oasis with a waterfall tucked away behind an alcove of towering strata. 

We used the natural amphitheater to make amplified animal sounds in an
attempt to scare other hikers.

We reached the first river in Bright Angel Canyon.  We still had half a day
to go before we reached the Colorado, though.

At the oasis, the waterfall poured over a bullet-shaped rock.  Moss has grown
where the water drizzles down the sides.

Near the basement rocks, large slabs stay intact even when they crash
to the bottom.

We unpacked at the base and hurried to the Colorado River with our dinner just before sunset and tossed two beers tied to strings into the rushing water.  Twenty minutes later, our food was hot and our beers were cold, and we toasted to the descent down; it’s only up from here.  

Beer tastes better in the Grand Canyon.

Jonathan gives a toast to the Colorado River.

The next morning, we gave one last look at the Colorado River
before ascending to the rim.

Just at the edge of the North Rim, we looked back at how far we've come.

Back in civilization and in desperate need of a shower and a hot meal.