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After hiking down to the bottom of Grand Canyon to Phantom Ranch, reservations required, I didn’t see the river until I left the bunkhouse at 6am to hike out of the canyon and up to the South Rim.
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Bright Angel Bridge
Two foot bridges cross the Colorado River. East of camp .5 mile the Kaibab Suspension Bridge leads to the South Kaibab Trail which climbs just under 5,000 feet along a ridge in about 7 miles to top out on the South Rim near Yaki Point. This route offers no water or shade.
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Bright Angel Bridge
The Bright Angel Suspension Bridge carries hikers and the transcanyon water pipe across the Colorado River. Water from Roaring Springs is gravity fed to Indian Gardens then pumped to the South Rim supplying all water needs.
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Colorado River
I opted for the slightly longer 9.3 mile Bright Angel Trail with three nicely spaced water sources. Then I didn’t have to carry the added weight of four large bottles full of water.
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Devils Corkscrew
After crossing the bridge, the sandy River Trail winds above the Colorado for 1.5 miles before veering away from the river up the Pipe Creek drainage to a series of switchbacks called the Devils Corkscrew.
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The trail tops out onto the Tonto Plateau to follow Garden Creek to Indian Garden, about a 1500 foot climb. This is a great stopping point to eat, fill water containers and rest for the final 4.6 mile climb up to the top.
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Mules at Indian Garden
If you don’t feel up to hiking the canyon you might consider riding a mule. But no matter how you get there and back, something is going to hurt.
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Gaelyn with North Rim on horizon
A side trip from Indian Garden 1.5 miles on the Plateau Point Trail leads to a dramatic view of the canyon and river below. Many day hikers make the 12.2 mile round trip from the South Rim.
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Looking up to the South Rim
I didn’t add those extra miles.
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Jacobs Ladder
After the first rather gentle half mile, there’s a series of tight switchbacks called Jacobs Ladder that continues a 2860 foot climb.
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Three-mile house on upper right green ridge, green patch on the flat is Indian Garden
Three-mile House was a welcome sight to stop, rest, eat and fill water bottles. And it meant only 3 miles to go.
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Almost to the top
There’s another rest shelter 1.5 miles further up the trail. From there I was so tired I basically walked 60 steps and stopped, 60 steps and stop. In fact being it was Cinco de Mayo I repeated a mantra, “salty crusty Margarita.” I was on the trail for 12 hours, granted not hiking the entire time. I stopped a lot to eat, drink, rest and take photos. I certainly wasn’t the first of my fellow rangers to make the rim, but I wasn’t the last either.After a meal, long soak in a bathtub and a good night’s sleep, I could barely walk in the morning. Yet I attended three days of training before returning to the North Rim to prepare for the summer season.
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
