Rim to River - Grand Canyon

Phoenix, Arizona

I just got back from my latest adventure in Arizona. I was there for a week for work, and managed a day or so off and headed the 4hrs north to the Grand Canyon.

What do you do if you are at the Grand Canyon?



I chose to run to the bottom and see the Colorado River, and then run back up to the top!

It started out as a simple plan. I was only going to site-see for a day. But somehow I thought about getting to the bottom of the Canyon and back in a day, and coincidentally a friend called me while I was in Phoenix and suggested that I go for it!



It was quite cold at Yaki Point; about 25oF (-5oC), and there was a fair bit of snow around. I reached the starting point of the trail, and saw an ominous sign saying "Crampons Recommended".

I totally ignored the sign. I didn't have any crampons with me, and could see that the path cleared of ice and snow after about 100 vertical descent (about 500m along the path).


I headed down, wearing very minimal clothing (fleece and down vest, jeans and runners), with 1 litre of water and a muesli bar. I didn't intend to get to the bottom, but only to see how far I could go.

The South Kaibab trail is a steep descent along a ridge line that starts with a number of switchbacks. The trail is not for the faint-hearted, as it drops significantly down in the first few turns. There were no mules about to cause me grief either (they tend to try to push people off the edge).

As I passed a few hikers coming up, I received a few weird looks. Someone finally asked if I was traveling a little light considering the magnitude of my undertaking?

After about 3hrs descent, with much warmer conditions and the Colorado river in full view, I decided to turn around less than a mile from the bottom. I was concerned about the time it would take me to return up the trail, especially with the large amount of altitude to gain, and the minimal food and water I had left.

I shouldn't have worried. It took me far less time to go up than come down.