Cross The Canyon!

by Mike Fournier 5/27/2001

I completed a big hike in the Grand Canyon. A rim-to-rim-to-rim hike. I started on the South rim and hiked all the way to the North rim in one day (21 miles in 11 hrs). The first 7 miles is almost 1 vertical mile down to the Colorado river. The next 7 miles is a gradual incline. The last 7 miles is about 1 vertical mile back up to the North rim. Phew, what a hike! I only carried a 15 pound pack with water and munchies (granola, peanuts, raisins and energy bars). There was drinking water every 7 miles. I had enough powder to make 3 quarts of Gatorade. I drank that and at least 5 quarts of water.

That night, I met up with the rest of the group (6 other people) and spent the night on the North rim. One of my friends took my pack to the North rim (they took a 200 mile bus ride to get to the North rim!). Two other guys from the group (about 12 years younger and in better shape) also did the one-day rim-to-rim hike. They got a much later start than I did, and had problems from the heat. They finally arrived at the North rim about 8:00 pm. I left the South rim at 5:45 am and arrived on the North rim at 4:45 pm. I actually felt great, as long as I didn't have to walk downhill (ie, walking down 5 steps was a bit painful).

The very next day, I had to hike back down into the canyon (a 7 mile hike). At this point, I am wearing my 40 pound backpack for the remainder of the trip. It is safe to say that I was a bit sore from the previous day, but made it nonetheless. We spent that night at Cottonwood Campground. The stars are awesome from the bottom of the canyon. The next day, we hiked 7 more miles to Phantom Ranch and spent the night at Bright Angel Campground. We splurged and had a tremendous beef stew dinner at Phantom Ranch. My friend Steve and I couldn't stop drinking water and iced tea. We both got dehydrated after spending too much time at Ribbon Falls (a gorgeous waterfall), then hiking in the heat for the next 6 miles with only 2 quarts of water, then drinking 3 beers soon after we arrived at Phantom Ranch (oops!). It was 115 degrees at the bottom of the canyon each day (ouch)!

The next day, we hiked 5 miles (about 1/2 way from the river back to the South rim) and spent the night at Indian Garden’s Campground. We then hiked a couple of miles to a plateau where we had a gorgeous view of where we were and what we still needed to accomplish. We stayed and watched the sunset. The final day was the big hike out (4.5 miles) back to the South rim. Almost everyone in the group suffered from the heat one way or another. All-in-all, it was a trip we will never forget or regret. We are already planning our next trip in October.