Our visit coincided with the "supermoon" event, which was great for us but not so much so for the astronomy buffs who'd come for the supposed light-free skies.
Despite some high clouds and an occasional thunderstorm, conditions on the Rim - at around 8000' - were great for hiking, with high temperatures only into the high 70sF or low 80sF (as opposed to 100F+ along the Colorado River 6000' below).
HIKE 1
The Widfross Trail - at 10mi RT but with only 800' EG - seemed like a good choice for our first day hiking at 8000' - it's also one of the classic along-the-rim hikes. The NPS has discretely marked the first 2.5 mi with items of note and provides a brochure (for a small donation) describing what those items are. Here we ponder a rock...
Unlike the South Rim, hikes along the North Rim are through forests,
past meadows,
and through areas still recovering from a massive fire that swept through here in 2010.
But, being on the edge as it is, there were plenty of opportunities to gaze across to the South Rim,
and out toward Oza Butte and the canyon of The Transept.
There are also places where - carefully - we were able to get out from the rim,
and look directly down the length of The Transept.
Animal life - particularly birds - is abundant in this area, but only a slightly over-fed (not by us!) squirrel,
and a horned lizard,
would sit still long enough for a photo. This out-and-back trail doesn't actually go to Widfross Point but to a place where you can see the point and also the Grand Canyon to the S and SW.
We'd gotten an early start (because it's cooler and there are often thunderstorms in the afternoon) and thus had this popular trail mostly to ourselves going in. It pays to start early because we went passed 30+ folks on the way out!
HIKE 2
My attempts to elicit interest in descending the North Kaibab Trail (one of the Park's signature corridor trails) were unsuccessful in the face of other's inexplicable interest in going for a mule ride. So I got up at 0500 for a 9.4 mi out-and-back hike 3000' down (and up) to Roaring Springs - which the NPS suggests is enough for a dayhike given the return gain, lack of shade, and heat. The trail leaves the rim and descends through the Coconino sandstone,
to reach the Supai Tunnel, 1400' below, in about 1.5 mi. This part of the trail is open to mule trains and is easy to follow by odor alone.
The trail returns to hikers only past the tunnel and continues descending - enthusiastically in spots - to the bridge across upper Roaring Springs Creek.
Past the bridge, the trail did some cliff-clinging,
before turning a corner to give me a view of my destination (the trees) and the pump station (building just above the trees) that pushes water uphill to both the North and South Rims.
Looking back, I could see two backpackers (arrow) I'd passed earlier dwarfed by the scale of the canyon. Parts of the canyon are so deep, and steep, and huge as to be both awe inspiring and almost over-powering.
As I approached my destination, Roaring Springs came into view, bursting directly out of the canyon wall.
Roaring Springs features trees, water, and a composting toilet - all a welcome relief (for different reasons) for the weary hiker.
After a snack and much re-hydration (this ended as a 2 gallon hike), I turned around and started the 3000' climb back to the Rim - stopping at Supai Tunnel for yet more re-hydration. From there I could see down almost the entire route to the Springs. What got my attention on the way up were the number of people coming down with seemingly no water, no packs, no nothing other than a camera! There must be a special patron saint for idiot hikers - even then the NPS handles 400+ SAR events per year.
I've hiked the South Kaibab from the South Rim to the river and back, and now part of the North Kaibab - it would be great if I could keep all my parts working long enough to do a rim-to-rim on these trails (with possibly an overnight at Phantom Ranch for medicinal purposes). We'll see. I don't really have the words to adequately describe what an amazing and beguiling place this is.
