I’ll admit my plans for hiking the Grand Canyon wasn’t too original. It was going to be the same hike I had done before: Down the South Kaibab, stay at Bright Angel Campground, hike ½-way out on the Bright Angel trail to Havasu (formerly Indian) Gardens, spend a night and then the last day out.

And I’ll admit I had some reservations. Well a few. Not reservations for permits to do the hike, which is a good thing with how much my schedule has changed. But reservations about if I COULD do the hike. I’m not as young as I once was and I’m not as in much shape as I’d like to be.  And of course, perhaps it was time to do something different. But, sometimes when playing it by ear, it’s easier to fall back on what you know.

Well, turns out it didn’t matter. The segment of the Bright Angel trail from the river up to Havasu Gardens is closed. So, with a change in plans I decided to still hike down the South Kaibab trail, across the Tonto Plateau and then spend just one night in the Canyon. It won’t be quite the same as reaching the Vishnu Schist and seeing the Colorado River up close, but it’ll be good enough to get the experience I want. I always joke about the scene in National Lampoon’s Family Vacation where Chevy Chase’s character stands at the Rim by one of the hotels, looks at it for about 5 minutes and then gets in the car and they leave. Many do close to that. Some are pressed for time. Some have been here before. Some will come back. But I do think if one has the opportunity to get below the Rim, even if it’s just down one of the trails for a mile, I think they should. The experience of being in the Canyon is very different from standing on the Rim. I’m not sure how to describe it, but it’s more visceral, more real. You feel both isolated from the outside world, but also more part of the world itself. There’s far less hustle and bustle. It’s quieter, but full of sound.

Having made my hiking plans I realized I had to make plans for tonight. Fortunately I was able to snag one of the few remaining campsites in Mather Campground. Ironically, it was right next to the one I had last night.

After that I headed out. Since I really had no plans, I decided to heed Horace Greeley’s advice and go West. I had never been west of the Grand Canyon Village so decided to head out to Hermit’s Rest and see how far I got. I walked most of, but did catch the shuttle to cut out two segments and then road the shuttle home. I am so glad I did. I had never seen that part of the Canyon before and there are some magnificent views. I think perhaps next time I’ll try to do a hike down to Hermit’s Rest. Taking the Rim trail west reminded me that no one has truly seen the Grand Canyon. They see slices. Some have seen more slices than others, but ultimately it’s truly impossible to see the entire thing.

Tonight I rest before my hike tomorrow. I know where I’m sleeping tomorrow night. The night after that is still up in the air.

That said, tomorrow’s post will obviously be delayed at least one day.

Note: Pictures will be added later, right now tight on bandwidth.