I told you about my first hike in the Grand Canyon, many years ago. It was so amazing that I’ve never forgotten it. Let’s jump ahead to the most recent hike my wife and I did. In this case, we went down from the south rim, to the Colorado, and then came back up to the same rim – a 30 kilometer hike or so. We assumed it wouldn’t be too difficult for us.

We had everything ready the night before – clothes, shoes, water, snacks, poles and backpacks. We got up early in the morning at four o’clock, and were on the trail (Bright Angel Trail) by five. It wasn’t hot yet (15C) and the sun hadn’t risen yet. We had a good pace and were making good progress.

Fossilized remains

My wife Sinéad is an archaeologist, and she saw a large rock by the side of the trail with noteworthy markings. She immediately recognized them as animal fossils, and we spent time looking at them and taking photos. Later, after the hike, Sinéad did more research on them, and it was an interesting story. In 2016, a Norwegian geology professor, Allan Krill, was hiking with his students when he saw a large rock with fossilized markings. Krill was curious, and sent a photo to his colleague, Stephen Rowland, a palaeontologist at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

The tracks along the trail are even more remarkable than Krill first imagined. “These are by far the oldest vertebrate tracks in the Grand Canyon,” says Rowland. “Even more remarkable,” he said, “they are among the oldest tracks on Earth of animals that lay eggs without shells, such as reptiles, and the earliest evidence of vertebrates walking in sand dunes.”

The large rock that contained the track fell from a nearby cliff – in the Manakacha Formation. Researchers were able to date the tracks to 313 million years old. It’s incredible that the rock fell right next to the trail – and that Sinéad saw it too. I didn’t see it at all. But that’s the kind of thing you see in that canyon, because you’re walking back through the history of the earth itself. While the Grand Canyon is only 5 or 6 million years old, some of the rocks there date back as far as 1.8 billion years – from the Precambrian to the Paleozoic Era! The hike was worth it just to see the tracks.

Native Heritage

We continued walking and before long, we reached Havasupai Garden. The name was changed from Indian Garden to Havasupai Garden in 2022 to honor the Havasupai people, a tribe that had lived in the Grand Canyon for generations. The area, known as Ha’a Gyoh (“where the water comes up”) in the Havasupai language, was used for farming and seasonal migration.

In the 1920s, the Havasupai were forcibly removed from the Canyon by the National Park Service when Grand Canyon National Park was established. Captain Burro was the last of the tribe to be evicted. Indian Garden was a derogatory name that did not acknowledge the tribe’s valuable heritage in the canyon.

After many years, the tribe’s request to change the name to Havasupai Garden was granted. This is a recognition of the indigenous heritage, historical injustice, and the tribe’s ongoing cultural connection to the place.

The Grand Canyon is a historic place, not only geologically, but also in terms of human history. While the Havasupai have been here for over 800 years, Native Americans have been there for about 12,000 years. There are 11 tribes associated with the Canyon.

We had food and drinks at Havasupai Garden and then walked about 4 kilometers down towards Pipe Creek. The Bright Angel Trail descends gently through red cliffs and steep bends like Devil’s Corkscrew, with steep slopes in some sections. We crossed the creek a few times before reaching Pipe Creek. We ended up near the Colorado, but the River Trail – a trail along the river leading to Silver Bridge – was closed, due to work being done on the trans-canyon pipeline.

Slogging our way back, step by step

We turned around at that point, and retraced our steps back to Havasupai Garden. The heat was rising rapidly by then. The temperature was about 27 degrees Celsius at 11am between Pipe Creek and Havasupai Garden. The hike from Havasupai Garden to the 3-Mile Resthouse was challenging, especially in the midday sun. Water, regular breaks, and protection from the sun are essential here. We weren’t feeling great by the time we got to the resthouse and sat in the shade to rest for a while. It took another hour to get to the 1.5-Mile Resthouse, where we took another nice break. Then, we walked slowly, struggling, step by step, until we reached the edge. We were exhausted and a little sick from the heat. The temperature was about 32C when we finished the hike.

We were so happy to be out of the canyon, and decided to go to the Grand Canyon earlier in the year next year, and to be on the trail earlier in the day as well, at four o'clock. Despite the difficulties we faced, we are really looking forward to our next visit to the Grand Canyon.

In the last paragraph, we reached our ‘Shangri-La’, when we entered the restaurant at Phantom Ranch. There was only one problem - we would have to leave that sanctuary soon. The relentless sun was waiting for us, and was getting stronger and stronger in the meantime. Finally, our leader - a muscular middle-aged man named Joe - stood up and urged us into action.

“It’s almost nine o’clock already. We’ve done 16 kilometers, with 23 more to go. And there won’t be much shade on the way up. We’ll have a break after 11 kilometers, and water will be available there. Get some water now, and put water on yourself and your berets, sun hats and scarves. Let’s go!”

We all stood up, and off we went. It was as if we had entered a hot oven, and we were stunned. We did as Joe said, and were back on the trail in no time. Although it was warmer than it had been, we were fine as long as there was water on us still. There was some shade for a while, with colorful vertical walls close to us on both sides, acting as shade from the sun. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long, and we had to walk out into the blazing sun again. And the temperature kept rising. From time to time, we were able to wet our clothes, and cool ourselves in the stream next to the trail, a stream called Bright Angel Creek. Finally, Cottonwood Camp appeared ahead of us, as if it were a mirage We took a short break there – filled up with water, wet ourselves, and had a quick bite. We then continued on to ‘Roaring Springs’. You would think it was a traditional waterfall, but you wouldn’t be right. The water comes out of a rock wall, cascading down the slope like a waterfall, but it is actually a natural spring. It also creates a big, continuous sound like a waterfall – hence its name. ‘Roaring Springs’ is the main source of water for both sides of the ridge via a trans-canyon pipeline. We gathered there and Joe spoke to us again. “It’s going to be difficult from here on out,” he said. The path gets very steep, and we will be walking in a much higher area, up to 2,500 metres. This ridge is 300 metres higher than the other ridge. So, let’s stay together from here on out, with Donncha in the lead and me behind. Let Donncha set the pace for the climb, and if anyone has any problems, stop and wait for me. It is essential to drink enough water. You will be able to get water easily from here on out, and I will have extra water too, if needed. We will be on the path until up to four o’clock. Now, good luck to all of us, and let’s go!”

The real work began then.

From Roaring Springs to the North Rim

In the remaining 6 kilometers, we climbed from 1,500 to 2,500 meters – that’s a steep climb. The trail is no longer near Bright Angel Creek, so we couldn’t get our clothes wet. All of that with no shade and challenging and almost unbearable heat— until the last mile, when we found shade through the forest that gradually eased the heat. We were all struggling on the trail, and we had to take frequent breaks, as one or another person got sick along the way. Joe was great in those situations – he helped us all out and encouraged us to keep going. I felt like puking myself one time, and Joe gave me a piece of orange, and sat with me for a while, until I recovered again. He told me that this happens to almost everyone, due to a combination of altitude, temperature and the strain on your body when working very hard.

The Rim!

Finally, we reached the rim, and we all sat down after taking a few selfies. We were all happy but tired at the same time, and we were very happy to see Anne (one of our group who didn’t do the hike with us) coming towards us in her van. She jumped out, and congratulated us warmly. “Get in the van,” she said, which she didn’t have to repeat. We all got in at lightning speed, and we were very happy when she handed us all a bottle of cold water. “How did you do?” she asked us, and Joe answered. “Although it was damn hot, and although we all had some minor problems, the whole team made it through, finally making it. It had been a long day, but I think we all need a nice shower, before a nice meal in the wonderful restaurant at the Grand Canyon Lodge.” We all agreed and indeed we had a nice shower and a wonderful meal too. We were telling story after story and we were all happy with the great achievement we had made. I didn’t hear anything about another hike across the canyon, and I didn’t raise the subject either. That was not the time to even think about another big hike like this, with our bodies still suffering from this one! At the same time, we knew very well that we would be back together again walking across this beautiful canyon before long. It also occurred to me that I was looking at the ground most of the time when we were coming up, and that I would have to do the walk again to address that problem!

At the end of the last article, a group of hikers had gathered at the start of the hike at four o’clock this morning, including me. We were about to set off from the south rim to the north rim, dressed in our battle gear. A down jacket, a pair of gloves, a beanie, a scarf, and hiking boots with micro-spikes on. Despite that, I was still shivering with cold.

We started walking down the canyon, our headlamps on. It was a constantly steep still trail, but there were pine logs laid on the trail as steps, like railroad ties. Their main purpose is to stabilize the trail, especially on the steep sections. But hikers also use them, although they are sometimes far apart.

I didn’t know it at the time, but the trail layout is great in terms of rest stops and water. There are rest stops and/or water stops every two and a half kilometers on the way down to the Colorado. You hike another three and a half kilometers, and after crossing the Silver Bridge, you reach Phantom Ranch– a cure for sore eyes and a place with all the amenities – including water, food and drink, hot meals, and even lodging.

I brought five liters of water with me on the hike, which I didn’t need. It’s not good to carry too much weight. But I was a rookie hiker and still had a lot to learn about hiking. First of all, it’s not good to carry extra weight. Secondly, you don’t drink as much going down as you do coming up – especially if it’s not too hot going down. Thirdly, if there is water available along the way, that is also worth considering. But it is better to be overly cautious than to be careless!

After a while, when we were quite warm, we took off our jackets. After another while, when there was no ice left on the path, we took off our micro-spikes. Then, when the sun came up, we also took off our headlamps. The temperature was around 20ºC and we were all quite comfortable. We took a short break at the third stop to go to the toilet and to refill our water if necessary. We had a quick bite there and then continued on to the river. It was 28ºC when we reached the Colorado. It was no longer comfortable, but the temperature did not stop rising either. When we reached Phantom Ranch, it was 35ºC – damn! Then, we entered the restaurant where the air conditioner was working hard. A nice, fresh breeze blew in our direction, and it was nice to be able to cool off for a while, while sipping on iced lemonade. The real hike would begin after the break!

But before that – I haven’t said anything about the views from the rim. In fact, that would be hard to do properly. Suffice it to say that the views are almost supernatural. Deep tunnels have been cut through the rock several kilometers down to the Colorado River, a river that is still working its magic. Starting out on the Bright Angel Trail from the rim, you feel the grandeur of the universe, with the Milky Way clearly visible high in the sky. As the sun rises, the stars gradually disappear and the beauty of the massive walls around you is illuminated, as you descend, step by step, into the view itself. It's like walking back through the layers of time itself. The different rocks have different colors:

• Kaibab Limestone (limestone formation) – greyish white, 270 million years old
• Toroweap Formation (mixed formation) – greyish brown, 273 million years old
• Coconino Sandstone (sandstone formation) – sandy white, 275 million years old
• Hermit Shale (shale formation) – dark red, 280 million years old
• Supai Group (mixed formation) – red to brown range, 285–315 million years old
• Redwall Limestone (sandstone formation) – blue grey – red colour comes from iron clay in
• Muav Limestone (sandstone formation) – greyish green, 505 million years old
• Bright Angel Shale (shale formation) – olive green, 515 million years old
• Tapeats Sandstone (sandstone formation) – golden brown, 525 million years old

Layer upon layer of rock emerges sharply, its strong colors: gray, brown, white, red, blue, green, and gold, all constantly changing with the light. As you approach the inner canyon, sharp peaks and natural towers with tall, tapered spires loom above you, like ancient temples, shaped by the mighty waters of the Colorado. And then, finally, the majestic river itself is revealed. You have left the ordinary world on the edge and gradually entered the nethermost parts of a different world altogether, full of natural magic that is seen nowhere else. It has a profound effect on you. Although you feel very small, your mind is expanded at the same time. You realize that this is also a spiritual experience, and you are completely in tune with nature here at the bottom of the canyon. …More to come.

My wife and I went on a pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon in Arizona last week. In fact, it’s become a regular part of our lives now – we go there every year at the same time. Sometimes, it’s hard to find the time, but we try our best to go there despite the difficulties of life.

Why, you say? Let me answer your question with another question: have you ever been there? If you have, it’s easier to explain. If not, I would recommend you go there if you can – and I promise you won’t regret it. There’s no such vast beauty to be seen in Ireland. The reward is worth the trouble. And if you go there, you can visit Vegas on the same trip! And yet the story doesn’t end there.

The Size of the Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Sixty million years ago, the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau, of which the Grand Canyon is a part, were formed by tectonic activity. Gradually, the Colorado River carved its way through the ancient rock, digging ever deeper.

Today, it is a steep-sided canyon – 446 km long, up to 29 km wide, and 1,857 metres deep. It covers a vast area of 5,000 km² – that’s half a million hectares.

That’s not easy to imagine. To put it in context: imagine Counties Kilkenny, Waterford and Carlow combined – and every inch of it covered by one deep canyon. And you could almost hide two Carrantuohills in its depths from top to bottom.

While there are other great canyons in the world, the Grand Canyon is the most famous. Around 5 million people visit it every year. It’s an awesome sight to behold from the rim. Most visitors head to the South Rim – it’s not as remote as the North Rim.

Staying at the Bright Angel Lodge

When I first saw the Canyon, my eyes almost popped out of my head in awe. Seeing it on Instagram or TV is one thing – but experiencing it in person is another. It takes your breath away.

After our first visit to the South Rim, my wife and I were completely captivated. There’s magic – not just in the canyon itself, but also in the quiet village on the rim (Grand Canyon Village). We love staying in the village at the Bright Angel Hotel – in a small log cabin on the edge of the canyon.

The hotel has shops, a restaurant and a pub – everything you could possibly need. You can have a lovely dinner, and then take a walk as the sun sets – perfect subject for your next selfie!

Preparations for the Crossing

After several years staying on the rim, we heard about an exceptional hike that a friend of ours had done – a complete crossing from the south rim to the north rim, about 40 km in length.

The descent is not the most challenging – it is the steep ascent that is, especially in the heat of the season. When I heard about this hike, and despite the difficulties he mentioned, I asked to go with them – and they accepted me without delay.

I started training seriously. There were mountains nearby and I did a long hike every weekend – between the altitude and the desert heat.

Oddly enough: In the Grand Canyon, you can experience two climates in one day – freezing at the top of the canyon, with desert heat up to 40°C at the bottom. Therefore, comprehensive preparation is required – layers of clothing, a food strategy, and above all, water management.

If you are going ‘rim-to-rim’ – that is, from one rim to the other, you will be on the trail for up to 15 hours. You need to have a plan for hydration – how much water to carry, where the fill points are, and how to balance your weight. 3–4 liters is essential, but 4 liters weighs 4 kilograms.

The Big Day: Crossing the Canyon           

I met up with the group of hikers later in the year as we had planned. There were about ten of us. We spent a few days at the north rim first to get used to the altitude – 2,500 meters.

At four o’clock in the morning, by the light of the stars, we met up and set off. The temperature was below freezing at the time, but we were prepared. Dressed appropriately, we set foot on the famous Bright Angel Trail – and into the Grand Canyon.