Winter hike in the Grand Canyon

On New Years Day, I drove to Williams, Arizona with Sue, Molly, Justin, Sue's sister Karyn, and Sue's dad, Bob. We did some sightseeing in Williams and spent the night there. On Friday we drove to the Grand Canyon for some more sightseeing after a stop in Tusayan to see the Grand Canyon movie at the IMAX theater. I've been to the Grand Canyon several times but have never seen it with snow. There was about a foot of new snow and we were all treated to absolutely amazing views. After a night at the Maswik Lodge near the Canyon rim, Molly and her husband Justin and I were dropped off by Sue, Karyn, and Bob at the South Kaibab Trailhead. It was pretty cold but we dressed for it and were happy to be there. We adjusted our gear, took a bunch of photos, and started down the trail around 8 o'clock. I'm accustomed to semi-gingerly lowering myself down the endless steps of the South Kaibab Trail, but this time we were treated to the spaces between the steps being filled in with packed snow, so it was just like a hard-packed ramp rather than steps for the first couple of miles. We wore Kahtoola Microspikes over our shoes - they gave us great traction on the hard-packed snow and were even more helpful on the icy spots at lower elevations where there had been some melting and re-freezing. My jaws hurt a little for the first couple of miles because I couldn't stop grinning - partly because I'm always happy to be starting down the South Kaibab Trail, partly because of the incredible views enhanced by the new snow, and partly because I felt so lucky to be able to accompany Molly and Justin on their first hike into the Grand Canyon. After a few miles, we were able to remove a couple layers of clothes and the Microspikes from our shoes. We had a snack, gawked at the views, saw a Bighorn Sheep, and made our way down to the Colorado River and then Phantom Ranch. It was strangely quiet at Phantom Ranch compared to previous trips there in the Spring and Fall. The only person there when we arrived was the counter clerk inside the dining room. We eventually saw a few other hikers, had lunch, and then headed back toward the river. We crossed the Silver Bridge and fell into a good pace on the River Trail. After we turned onto the Bright Angel Trail, we only went about 30 minutes before there was a little snow in spots along the trail. When we got to the rest stop at Indian Garden, the snow was a little more evident, it was getting colder, and we put more clothes back on. We had a snack, filled our water bottles, and started up the trail out of Indian Garden at 4:15 with four and a half miles to go. Justin led with the same brisk pace that we'd used since crossing back over the river. I was still feeling good, but by the time we reached the rest stop 3 miles from the top at 5:00, the last few hours of brisk uphill hiking had taken their toll and I needed to slow down. A little while later, we needed to put the Microspikes back on our shoes, some more clothes on our bodies, and some more calories in our bellies. We did all of that pretty quickly because it was getting to be too cold to sit around relaxing. The last few miles were just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other for 2 hours and 15 minutes with our headlamps lighting the way. It would have been nice to take some rest breaks but it was too cold for that and best to keep moving. Justin and Molly led the way, turning around frequently to look my way and wisely never once saying "Are you okay?" Eventually their patience was rewarded with the end of the trail, a hot dinner with Sue, Karyn, Bob, and lots of laughs, a hot shower, and a warm bed just a stone's throw from edge of the Grand Canyon. It was a good day.

Lunch the day before the hike: Karyn, Dad (Bob), Sue, Molly, Justin, and me



Cellphone screenshot before heading down the trail on January 3, 2015

Sunrise view at the South Kaibab Trailhead (you gotta click on this one!)

Me, Molly, Justin at the top of the South Kaibab Trail

Molly and Justin on the South Kaibab Trail

Molly and Justin on the South Kaibab Trail

We saw this guy as we were getting close to the Colorado River



Entering the tunnel just before crossing the Colorado River



Molly and Justin at Phantom Ranch

Me with Molly and Justin at Phantom Ranch

Winter view from Phantom Ranch

One of the resident deer at Phantom Ranch

A short way up the Bright Angel Trail - the first stream crossing

Taking a break at Indian Garden

At Indian Garden: "Please leave faucet dripping to prevent freezing."

The trail leaving Indian Garden

A look back toward Indian Garden as we run out of daylight

At the top of the Bright Angel Trail!