Yearly Pilgrimage to the Grand Canyon - on the North Kaibab Trail!

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!