South Kaibab to Cottonwood Campgrounds and back

With a side trip to the north rim for some of us.

(Yes, this is just what the Spring 2004 trip said!)

April 9 - 14, 2008

Editors Note: Like I said back in the spring of 2004, this down and back trip is one of the most popular hikes in the canyon. In 2004 we scheduled this hike so that some backpackers with less experience could enjoy the wonders of the Canyon without being overly challenged (at least by Grand Canyon standards). One of those hikers was Ginny Ralston, Tom's mom, who was celebrating her 76th birthday by doing the hike. So when Ginny told us this year that she wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday by doing the same hike, well, how do you refuse something like that? OK, now stop and read that last sentence again. Ginny was celebrating her 80th birthday! She carried her own pack, slept on the ground and asked for no xxxxx. I want to be like her when I grow up. Ginny wanted to take along some of her good friends and regular hiking buddies and so Tom and I tagged along with Ginny, Janice, and Mike and Anne.

April 9, 2008

Ginny, Janice, Mike and Anne arrived at the Canyon the night before the start of the hike and spent a comfortable night in a rim hotel before heading down the Kaibab Trail the next morning. Tom and I meanwhile, left from Tucson at 4am on the morning of the hike. For once he was actually ready to go when I got to his house. The trip was planned to allow for a somewhat leisurely pace. Night 1 in the Bright Angel Campground, nights 2 and 3 at Cottonwood, night 4 at Bright Angel again and night 5 at Indian Gardens. Because of the length of the trip, and because we weren't able to make dinner reservations at the Phantom Ranch Lodge, the first group hired a mule to take down some of the food and beverages that we'd be using for the next 6 days.

When Tom and I do this hike, normally we go down the Kaibab and up the Bright Angel, mostly for the variety. This time we decided to go down the Bright Angel so we could cache food at Indian Gardens. We left 2 bottles of wine and some dinners (yes, glass bottles with the corks still in them. We take a lot of liberties on shorter trips!) just beyond the campground in an easily recognizable location. When caching food, always take care to completely hide it. We also cover it with rocks so even if the small animals happen to smell it, which they shouldn't be able to do if you're careful, they will still not be able to get at it. We continued down the trail, crossed the bridge and headed into the campground. We found Ginny, Janice, Mike and Anne enjoying a bottle of wine and some smoked salmon which Janice and her husband had prepared themselves. It was a little after 1pm. I liked this group already.

April 10, 2008

We broke camp the next morning and headed north to Cottonwood campground. This is simply a beautiful hike as the trail meanders from one side of the creek to the other within the high walls of the North Kaibab trail. There have been considerable improvements on this trail since 2004. Where once we trudged through a reed filled marshy area, there is now a raised platform path. The change prevents people from trampling the delicate water vegetation in that area. The group started out together but everyone was also comfortable going at their own pace. Consequently, we would fragment, come together, and then fragment once again. By the time I had reached Cottonwood, the rest of the group had picked out a great campsite on the east side of the main trail. I had taken the side spur to Bridalveil Falls, a side trip well worth taking. It's less than a mile. The distance from Bright Angel campground to Cottonwood campground is a relatively flat 7 miles, making for a leisurely hike.

At Cottonwood camp we set up camp, relaxed, read, ate, drank, talked, laughed, probably played cards, washed up in the creek and enjoyed the beautiful surrroundings

April 11, 2008

On the layover day Tom and his mom decided to stay at Cottonwood and visit Bridalveil falls. Janice, Anne, Mike and I headed to the north rim. We got an early start and the first part of the walk was uneventful. As we climbed to a higher elevation a few interesting things happened. At one point there was a rockslide which covered the rather narrow trail from the sheer rock wall on the left all the way across to the dropoff on the right. I was following the group at this point and knew that this slide hadn't been there four years ago. Well, it was like it wasn't even there this time either! The group simply climbed right over it and continued along, as if picking your way through boulders next to a 100' dropoff is something they do every day. I was liking this group more and more every day.

Again I dropped behind with a more leisurely and to enjoy the solitude of the canyon. Upon rounding a turn, there right in front of us was a frozen waterfall. Not exactly frozen actually. The water was cascading down from above and where it hit the trail it froze, creating a slippery sheen of ice on the rock path. Normally a waterfall is not a problem and in 2004 we had simply walked behind the falls, getting a little wet but no big deal. There was no way to do that this time as the entire area was a sheet of ice. Downstream of the cascade thawed out again but the only way to get downstream was to scramble down a steep, very muddy enbankment to the creek bed and then scramble back up the same thing on the other side. Again, this group did not hesitate. Once they assessed the situation they simply slid down the muddy embankment, wiped themselves off and climbed up the other side. We continued along.

Toward the top the snow started getting deeper and deeper but for the most part it was firm and we could walk over it without post-holing. Janice and I arrived at the top first. A little later Mike and Anne arrived. We had lunch, took some pictures andeventually were back on our way. We probably stayed at the trailhead for about 45 minutes to an hour.

April 12, 2008

After breaking camp we headed back to the Bright Angel Campground. We got the same camp area as the first night, the sheltered one already having been claimed. Most of us decided to forego the tents and just sleep under the stars. There was very little chance of rain, we could watch the stars, and it was one less thing we had to pack up in the morning. We decided to take advantage of the lodge and headed over there for Happy Hour as soon as it opened. We played cards and drank as many beers as we could before it closed, which was only a span of maybe two hours. (3pm-5pm?) That night we had reservations for dinner at the lodge, a steak and potatoes feast.