Grand Canyon Loop: South Kaibab to the Bright Angel Trail
After parking at Mather Point and shuttling in on the free bus to Yaki Point's South Kaibab Trail, Sam and I descended from the Rim, picking our way along dizzing heights into the world's most famous canyon.
We left the Rim 9:30 a.m. We should've begun at 8 a.m., and would have for the 16-mile rim-to-river-and-back trip. But doing a 14-mile loop across the Tonto Platform was more realistic with the shorter afternoons of late October.
Each step down presented spectacular views under the relentlessly bright sun. While I was cold (even wearing a fleece vest over a long-sleeved jersey) at the South Rim - a 7200-foot elevation - it became necessary to peel off layers as I dropped.
It kinda went like this, a strange game of strip poker...
Ooh Aah Point (.75 miles down, 6320'): Lose the gloves and ski cap. Unzip the fleece.
Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles from the top, 6060'): Kinda windy but warmer. Fleece into the pack. Sunglasses on.
Skeleton Point (3rd mile in, 5200'): Ditch the fleece. Add a ball cap to get the sun off my face.
Tonto Trail Junction (4.4 miles from the Rim and 4010'): Change into shorts and a tank top. Break out the sunscreen.
It's a great drop, all the way down. We took our time because the steps were steep and uneven. Four mule trains came up while we hiked down, ensuring that the trail stays dusty and loose. It's important to stop when you see them plodding along. Yield by stepping off the trail on the uphill side and make no sudden moves. Grand Canyon mules don't startle easily but it isn't polite to try anything.
It's also important to yield to uphill hikers. Step aside. You'll appreciate the same courtesy when you're grinding along, later.
There are bathrooms but no water on the Kaibab. Cedar Ridge and the South Kaibab Junction boast composting toilets and mule hitches, and these are good day hike destinations for shorter excursions into the Canyon.Interestingly, we noticed less Americans the further down we hiked. Plenty of Germans and large Japanese families, though.
It's at Skeleton Point that we first saw the river. Sam Jones is a landscape painter and Canyon Expeditions river guide. A veteran of 80 down-river trips, Sam pointed out rapids and landmarks along the way.
"That's Zoroaster Temple," he said, facing the stark walls and high buttress almost directly opposite the Kaibab trail. The landmark dominated the entire morning's effort.
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