The first mile below South Bright Angel trailhead was a slow crawl. Ice and mud from snow melted during in the day slowed progress. Headlamps allowed us to see what was in front, but avoid looking at what was beyond the narrow beam. Many sections of crab walking on hands and knees. Equipment was intentionally light. Trail shoes with sheet metal screws, but no heavy crampons. Crampons appropriate for heavy hikers carrying frame packs of 20-30 lbs+. We went in with light packs of 10 lbs, with the intention of running where we could. Each of us carried 80-100 oz of water. No water to be had until the bottom of the canyon at Phantom Ranch.
We reached the bottom of the canyon and the Colorado River about 6:00 am, with the first traces of dawn. We ran where possible, walked and stopped unhurried. For grins, we turned off our headlamps on the descent, while stopping for food every hour. Nothing heard but the gurgling stream. Pure and utter darkness after the moon set behind the cliffs. The greatest silence I have heard in a long time.We crossed the Colorado River about 6:30 am and reached Phantom Ranch. Restrooms and water...and a pay phone?! No cellular service, out of line of sight with the towers on the south rim.
Friendly animals....deer and squirrels at Phantom Ranch. Along with signs telling us not to feed them. We left food and supplies cached for the return trip and set out on the 14 mile hike up the North Kaibab trail. Up the narrow slot canyon, with bridges crossing many times. It was warm...60 degrees. We had shed jackets halfway down, and then then proceeded in shorts and long sleeves. Eventually down to short sleeves and mobens as the temperature rose and we hiked higher up towards the north rim.Water consumption was a concern for me. D was concerned about food, so I carried water filter gear. About 4 hours worth of water, considering 20 oz every hour consumed plus 20 oz in reserve we carried. This itself was the biggest part of the pack, weighing 5-6 lbs.
We rose higher and higher on the North Kaibab trail, with ever more spectacular views. Passed camp grounds closed for the season, we met three other runners trying for the same double crossing we were. Three young men had come down South Kaibab, and reported it muddy but ice free...good news for our return. Food consisted of typical trail fare...sandwiches, bagels, clif bars, trail mix, dried fruit.Higher we climbed, up towards the 8000 ft north rim from the 2500 ft bottom of the canyon. The trail narrowed with switchback after switchback. Spectacular views of cliffs and waterfalls. Billion year old sedimentary rock, originally deposited horizontal, turned 90 deg to the vertical in the rock face.
The trail going was slower than planned, with rocks and logs covering the three foot wide shelf carved in the cliff face. Neither of us likes heights much, so we come to grips with the mild euphoria of great hight by looking at the path in front and staying close to the inside cliff face.
At around 11:30 am, we were about 22 miles into our ascent, and we started to find ice and flowing water across the path. Several of these ice crossings were made on hands and knees, one at a time by unspoken agreement. We were nearing our goal...closing to within 1000 ft elevation and a mile of trail from the North Rim.
And then we came to a large ice field, with a steady drizzle of flowing water from melting snow above, across glaze ice. We looked at this awhile. It was about 4 feet wide, with a 10 ft fall at 45 degrees, and then straight down to oblivion. Decided to push on across, hand shivering in the freezing water, clothes and packs wet from the shower downpour from above. So close.
We ran into another runner, the last of the group of three we passed previously. He was coming back as were were going up. We had run into his friends, one by one as they had turned around. He reported knee deep snow up the trail, more ice and impassible conditions with just trail shoes and shorts. Decision time. It was 12:30 pm. Time to turn or time to push on, risking an after mid-night return to the south rim?
Continued in Part 3.
-Larry
