A few years ago I was at the Grand Canyon staying at one of the lodges on New Years Eve.
On a lark and taking a self dare I decided I would hike from the rim down to the Colorado River & back the next day. I set out before dawn with makeshift water bottles and layered clothing and headed off. It took me nearly the whole day to make the round trip and the final climb out was a huge effort (it was a mile drop from rim to river) made more difficult with my being out of shape.
There was snow at the top (rim) yet it was warm weather at the bottom so better served to be wearing short sleeves down there. The views from within the canyon are worth hike and with my doing this early in the morning there were herds of deer crossing my path along the route. Sunrise coming down from the lip of the canyon gave a special light to the surroundings and one of these days I hope I can make it back to camp down there for a day or two.
Nice that you could stay at one of the lodges. Did you get to explore at all or just continue driving the next day?
Staying on the rim of the Grand Canyon
On a lark and taking a self dare I decided I would hike from the rim down to the Colorado River & back the next day. I set out before dawn with makeshift water bottles and layered clothing and headed off. It took me nearly the whole day to make the round trip and the final climb out was a huge effort (it was a mile drop from rim to river) made more difficult with my being out of shape.
There was snow at the top (rim) yet it was warm weather at the bottom so better served to be wearing short sleeves down there. The views from within the canyon are worth hike and with my doing this early in the morning there were herds of deer crossing my path along the route. Sunrise coming down from the lip of the canyon gave a special light to the surroundings and one of these days I hope I can make it back to camp down there for a day or two.
Nice that you could stay at one of the lodges. Did you get to explore at all or just continue driving the next day?
Robert