If I have to rank my fitness levels, I would consider my aerobic fitness at average and muscle strength and endurance below average. I am moderately active, I do a hike every weekend and I sometimes go for long walks during the weekdays. I dislike running as a regular fitness activity due to the jerks and the slight impact it has on my knees. I have been an athlete during my college days and I am comfortable swimming for up to an hour.
When I learned about the plan to backpack the South Rim to North Rim Trail at the Grand Canyon, I was anxious about my fitness levels, but I didn’t really feel that I couldn’t do it. I read a bunch of reviews on All Trails, where hikers and runners had completed the 23-mile trail in 6-8 hours in a single day. I convinced myself that if they can do it in 8 hours, I can definitely do it in 3 days with 2 nights of camping.
Well, we did it. Here’s how.
We flew to Las Vegas from Oakland (cheaper flights than San Francisco) on Thursday night and then drove 4.5 hours east to Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. By the time we were in our beds, it was 1.30 AM and we were tired.
In the morning, we woke up at 8, had breakfast at the dining center in Maswik Lodge (limited options for vegetarians), filled our water bottles, and packed our rucksacks. We parked our car at Parking Lot D, there are enough spots and it wasn’t difficult to find one. It’s safe to park here as per the receptionist at the lodge.
We started our descent from the South Rim via the Bright Angel Trailhead on Friday, May 13th at 11 AM. We should have ideally started before the sun was at its peak. There are enough eerie warning signs in the initial part of the trail which caution visitors about the intense physical toll, heat exhaustion, and heat strokes and urge hikers to not be another “statistic” adding to the count of rescues. The signboards advise you to avoid the sun, to hike before 10 AM and after 4PM to prevent heatstrokes, to drink water with electrolytes, and constantly wet your body with water to keep it cool and rest in shaded areas whenever you are tired. We acknowledged the signboards and hiked on.
The Bright Angel Trail is crowded, with a constant flow of hikers and runners. It’s peppered with water stations, shaded resthouses, and restrooms and is a popular route for day hikers, and visitors who want to do a short hike in the Grand Canyon.
I was slow during the initial mile as I was still getting used to carrying weight on my back and I generally don’t like downhill sections as I am scared of slipping and tumbling down into the depths below.
Our first stop was at the 1.5-mile resthouse which had a shaded seating area and water source. I discovered that my chocolate bar which was in the brain of my rucksack had melted and spread all over the brain creating a mess. Thankfully, everything was wrapped in plastic and I didn’t have to discard/throw anything. There are no trash cans across the trail, and hikers have to mandatorily carry their own trash back out of the Canyon.
The views during the initial miles down the trail are lackluster in comparison to what lies ahead. It was mostly about getting used to being in a limited resource environment, understanding your body, and adjusting to the heat.
We reached the Indian Garden campground at 3.30pm and we had our lunch here. It was my first time ever using a jet boil, eating rehydrated dried food, and having instant coffee prepared in the wilderness. Jet Boil is surprisingly quick, true to its name, it easily brings to boil a cup of water in less than 3 minutes.
Indian Garden campground is at 4.8 miles and is a popular rest spot. It has multiple shaded rest houses, campsites, and restrooms. I was already pretty tired by this time even though in the larger scheme of things, this was not even the mid-point of the Day 1 hike and we still had 5.5 miles to go before we reached Phantom Ranch.
I was mildly surprised and impressed by a group of overnight campers doing Yoga in the middle of nowhere at Indian Garden. Yoga isn’t heavy on equipment, and it’s definitely possible to do it anywhere. However, the idea of doing Yoga in the Grand Canyon wasn’t something I was aware of. It broadened my outlook on the possibilities in life a little bit.
At this point, the temperature was 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The view from the trail after Indian Garden starts to open up 360 degrees. I could see miles ahead, miles below, and miles on each side. It’s scary and breathtaking. The trail starts to decline and we start losing elevation at a steady rate with a constant thread in the brain telling me that I have to climb this on the way back.
All along, you are quite close to the bright angel creek and there’s access to water in case you run out of it. This part of the trail had a lot of vegetation and shaded areas and it was very pleasant to hike.
We had pre-booked dinners at the Phantom Ranch to be served at 6.30 pm and we were in a rush to make it in time. We also didn’t want to pitch our tents in the night and sunset was at 8pm. We, therefore, didn’t stop till we reached. This 5-mile stretch was hard as we were already tired and the phantom ranch seemed to be just around the corner, but never quite in sight.
Phantom Ranch is right across the Colorado River and is an oasis in the desert. Colorado River is majestic and is a happiness-inducing, delightful sight when you first spot it, for it meant we had made it, and because it is broad and powerful and you see why it’s the reason Grand Canyon was created. I thanked the river mentally for all it has done and then focused on making it to the meal.
We had our well-earned meal consisting of hot stew (beans for Vegetarians and chili for Omnivores), salad, a delicious brownie, and lemonade. It was the most satisfying meal I have had in a while. One of our fellow hikers even enjoyed a beer that he bought at the Phantom Ranch.
We met a bunch of other hikers, campers, and runners with disparate itineraries. Some were in the middle of their return from the North rim and were expected to make it back to the South rim, others were yet to reach the north rim for the day, but were expected to make it back to Phantom Ranch by night. The itineraries were incomprehensible, sounded implausible and I couldn’t make sense of it. I just made peace with the fact that they are going somewhere and they are fit enough to be safe.
Phantom Ranch had an amphitheater where they were showcasing a star gazing session. The rangers were enthusiastically welcoming the visitors. However, we didn’t have time as we had to pitch our tents. We struggled initially to erect the tents, however thankfully discovered the instructions sewn into the tent cover. We changed into comfortable clean clothes and retired for the day.