April 10, 2022
- Start: Cottonwood Campground (mile 698.8)
- End: DeMotte Park Camp (AZ Hwy 67 )
- Distance: 22.9 miles (6.7 miles to the N. Kaibab Trailhead + 16.2 miles of roadwalking)
A noisy group of hikers came rolling into the Cottonwood Campground around 9 pm last night. It was well after dark, and they weren’t runners from the rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) event.
The group was probably only four or five strong, and they got busy setting up in two campsites across the trail from each other. As they did this, they were 100% in “bro” mode and were laughing and shouting back and forth to each across the campground to each other without any regard to the other hikers staying there (or the fact that they’d arrived after dark when most of us were trying to sleep).
After several minutes of the nonsense and the realization that these guys weren’t going to simmer down on their own, Blissful hollered at them from inside her tent, yelling at them to “quiet down the F*** down!” in a surprisingly loud voice. I was both grateful and shocked. Who knew she could amplify her voice so much??
EARLY MORNING FOOTSTEPS
The group’s late-night entrance wasn’t the only disruption to my sleep though. I was also woke up by a stream of hikers coming through camp – and walking mere feet from the head of my tent – between the hours of 4:30 am and 6 am.
I have no clue whether all these early bird hikers camped at Bright Angel, or Phantom Ranch, or whether they were doing their own one-day R2R2R through the canyon, but it seemed like a ridiculous early time to be hiking past us this morning. Who wants to hike the Grand Canyon in the dark when you can’t even see any of the good views?
Other than those annoying events though, it was a pleasant night and surprisingly warm sleeping down here inside the canyon. I don’t think it even dropped below 60 degrees. And I ended up drinking a full two liters of water throughout the night to quench my thirst from the prior day’s exertion and the dry air.
Blissful was already packed up and gone by the time I got up to relieve my full bladder around 6 am. She’d told Volt and I at dinner last night that she planned to get an early start this morning. She wasn’t one to sleep late or linger around camp over breakfast. And she wasn’t lying! There wasn’t a trace of evidence that she’d camped with us when I returned from the bathroom!
Meanwhile, Volt and I tended to take a more relaxed to our approach to our mornings. But even we had to abbreviate our breakfast routine thanks to all gnats that seemed to be swarming around the campground this morning. And so, we were on trail before 7 am too.
This morning we would hike up the North Rim, and I knew it was going to be a doozy of a task. It’s only seven miles from Cottonwood Campground to the North Kaibab trailhead, but hikers need to ascend over 4,000 feet of elevation gain in that distance. That’s more elevation gain than you get climbing pretty much any mountain on the entire east coast of the U.S.!! It’s just so much steeper than you expect it to be.
Nonetheless, the views of the canyon were so stunning during this climb, especially when the sun hit the vermillion rocks above our heads that it made up for the exertion.
Barely a mile and a half into our morning, Volt and I stopped at the Manzanita Rest Area to celebrate passing the 700-mile point of our thru-hike.
This milestone seemed more special that all the others – partially because it came while we were hiking inside one of the seven natural wonders of the world. But there was another reason too. This was the last major milestone of my journey with less than 100 miles left before we got to the Utah-Arizona border!
As I took in my surroundings, I was surprised to see how much this little rest area had improved from my last visit. It’s as if the park built a legitimate stop here, with bathrooms, picnic tables, and even a piped water spout.
When I’d hiked past here back in 2017, this stop was called the Pumphouse Ranger Station, and it was barely even noticeable when you walked by. There was just a quiet little ranger hut and not much more. But now, it really was a decent place to stop and rest if you needed a break and some shade.
It’s All Uphill from here
The next few hours were a mixture of physical difficulty and taking in the unspeakable beauty of the Grand Canyon. The two sensations pulled at each other like a Chinese fingertrap in my mind.
In the distance I could hear the rush of water pouring down the walls of the canyon. My eyes were drawn to the spectacular waterfall off to my right as I neared the junction for the trail to Roaring Springs, but then it was just more slow uphill climbing as we trod above 5,000 feet elevation then 6,000 feet.
Volt and I hiked in single file along the narrow trail that switchbacked along the red cliffs as the sun climbed directly overhead in the morning hours. It wasn’t particularly scary or nerve-racking until you looked back on where you’d come from and realized that one lazy stumble was all it would take for a catastrophic fall.
The day seemed like it was turning going into a nice one, and I began to wonder whether the weather forecast about the impending storm heading our way was incorrect. The sky was a deep blue overhead. The sun was out and shining bright, warming the red rock walls. And it seemed as if the north rim was super close.
Of course, I knew this was just an optical illusion. There was so much climbing ahead of us. At 9:30 am, we finally made it to the Supai Tunnel, the narrow opening through the rocks near the final rest stop below the rim. It had taken us 2.5 painfully slow hours to climb the first four miles up toward the rim, and we still had the steepest three miles left to go yet!
After a quick break on the far side of Supai Tunnel, the sky above us seemed to suddenly change. Clouds were rolling in and completely obscuring the sun. Shades of dark gray began to replace blue sky overhead. The deep red of the canyon walls faded to shades of dull orange, and mustard yellow without the sun’s rays illuminating them.
Trees began to slowly appear again as we climbed that final 1.6 miles, signaling that the rim was nearing. Above us , snow clung to the rocks in patches, foreshadowing what lie ahead of us once we made it up to 8,200 feet.
My body felt even more tired than normal as the altitude hit me. The 10% grade of the trail was grueling. Then a pair of R2R2R runners wearing shorts, t-shirts, and small running vests asked us yield the way as they ran past. I couldn’t figure out how they had the energy to run up this crazy slope.
The air temperature seemed to continued to grow colder with each switchback. Then Volt and I finally reached Coconino Rim – a flat rock overlook that normally afforded some of the best views back toward the south rim. Only today, the views were hazy, and and we couldn’t really see the entire distance across the canyon in sharp relief.
Despite the somewhat limited views, I knew the Coconino Rim meant we were almost to the top. Only a little bit further and we’d be done with this physical task of climbing out of the Grand Canyon. And soon my insanely tight, cramping calves could finally relax again.
NORTH RIM
I crested the north rim near the North Kaibab trailhead a full five minutes ahead of Volt and spied the ample snow waiting for us. It was 11 am, but the temperature up here was in the mid-40s. That meant it was now about 20 degrees cooler than the spot where I’d woken up this morning down inside the canyon.
The two trail runners who’d past me on their way up seemed to be shivering as they focused on refueling with some food before heading back down for their return journey.
Meanwhile, a pair of black ravens seemed to be working together to steal the one of the runner’s food. They’d start out walking on pine needle-covered ground directly in from of the guy. Then they’d split up – with one bird prancing around to hold the runner’s his attention while the other bird circled around behind him and tried to swoop in and snatch the sandwich he was eating.
Each time the guy shooed the two ravens away away, they’d regroup and try it from a different angle. It was rather hilarious to watch! These birds knew exactly where their next meal was coming from, or so it seemed.
As I watched this charade play out, one of the runners turned his attention my way and asked if I was Sisu. When I confirmed that I was, he told me that I’d just missed Blissful. She had been waiting up here at the trailhead for us, and just left with one of the rangers who’d offered to give her a ride north.
I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this information. I assumed we might catch Blissful later today, but now I had no idea if I’d ever see her again. Especially since I had no clue how far was the ranger taking her. Was she headed to the park boundary 10 miles to our north? Or to the town of Jacob Lake, which was nearly 45 miles away? Who knew?
Volt soon joined me at the trailhead and dropped his heavy pack as I shared the news about Blissful. We took in our surroundings, quickly realizing there was a lot more snow than either of us had was expecting up here on the north rim.
In some areas we could see the ground. But in other areas up near the road, the snow was piled more than five feet high. Would we even be able to find the Arizona Trail as it paralleled the main road (Highway 67)? Or would we need to roadwalk all the way to Jacob Lake?
As we debated our options, the trail runners said goodbye and set off again. They were heading back down into the Grand Canyon to return to the south rim later this afternoon. But, before they even disappeared from sight, they needed to dodge another backpacker who was just cresting the trail.
And that’s when I had to do a double take! The newly arrived hiker was Elliot! He’d camped at the Bright Angel Campground last night and gotten up at 5 am to try to catch us! What a pleasant surprise. Our little trio was back together once again.
TOO MUCH SNOW
The reunion was a quick one, as we were all growing cold standing on the north rim as a cool wind whipped around us. So we took off north following the paved road looking for some sign of the Arizona Trail.
When we spotted the trail it wasn’t promising. An AZT sign and a plastic trail marker poked through the field of white snow between some trees and we knew there was no way we were going to hike in that knee- to thigh-deep mess. At least not yet. We’d just have to roadwalk a bit farther and keep our eyes peeled for a better place to join the trail.
Luckily, Highway 67 was still closed for the season, so at least we had the luxury of walking right down the center of the line without worrying about road traffic. Only park personnel who stayed and worked here year-round were allowed to drive past the locked gate leading to the north rim – and none of them seemed to be out here driving today.
As we headed north, Volt, Elliot and I spent the next few miles catching up on everything that happened since we parted ways back in Flagstaff. Elliot told us about his hike up to the summit of Humphreys Peak and return to Flagstaff to spend the day with his friend.
Volt and I shared our own adventures, telling Elliot about our the crazy postholing on the north side of Humphreys, our time overlapping with Clothesline and her brother. And then we discussed the mysterious 16 AZT hikers who were purportedly ahead of us, which we now knew was complete bunk.
Walking on the road was gentler than the climb out of the canyon, but it wasn’t totally flat. It was slowly taking us up to 9,000 feet elevation and toward the Kaibab Plateau. The snow seemed to disappear for brief periods, but then we’d turn the next bend in the road and it was back again in full force. So we decided it was best to stick to the pavement until we reached the park boundary and reassess then.
NOT WHAT I EXPECTED
The three of us settled into our own paces on the road. Eventually, we made it to the park entrance, past the locked gate and the snow continued north as far as the eye could see. The idea that we’d just hop onto the AZT here was a foolhardy one. The landscape was still frozen (or covered in water) and it would be miserable and slow to have trudge north through the elements, so we decided to sticking with the dry pavement of the highway and continue road walking.
Just beyond the park entrance, a green road sign informed us it was 200-mile drive back to the south rim. This seemed a surprisingly long, given that it only took us a mere 35 miles to get here on foot!
This huge disparity has everything to do with the Colorado River. To get around the Grand Canyon’s gorge, drivers have head north to Jacob Lake, then turn east to Marble Canyon (to get to the closest bridge over the Colorado River), before boxing back around to the south.
This massively long drive is why the vast majority of Grand Canyon visitors only see the canyon’s south rim. The south rim is an easy drive 75-mile drive from Flagstaff. But getting to the north rim is anything but easy (or fast). Yet Elliot, Volt, and I would count ourselves among the lucky ones who’ve seen both rims.
As we continued walking north along the highway, I was beginning to wonder where the heck we were going to camp with all this snow and the water flowing beside the road. We weren’t on trail, and there really wasn’t anywhere good to set up camp when the sun went down.
Luckily, the map showed a seasonal USFS campground up ahead another five miles north of the park boundary. If we continued on the highway, we should be able to make it there and maybe set up camp on something dry. It would be a long, hard 23-milesday, but what other choices did we really have?
As the late afternoon wore on, the temperature continued to drop again and the wind was beginning to pick up and chafe my face. It was going to be a cold, cold night. Yet I pushed these worried thoughts out of my mind and tried to stay focused on my surroundings. There might be another danger out here that was even more pressing. The wildlife…
The Kaibab Plateau
I kept my eyes peeled for bison out on the plateau, but alas, the only thing I spotted was some water fowl and bird. That is until I honed my attention in on a lone pickup truck driving toward me in the distance. It must a park employee heading south toward the entrance to the north rim. There was no other reason to be out on the desolate highway this time of year.
As the driver got within a quarter mile of me, I could see it was one of the park rangers. He slowed his truck to a crawl and then rolled down his window to ask me if I was an AZT hiker. When he confirmed I was, he told me it was good I was sticking to the road. There was a lot of snow still ahead.
Then he reached down onto the seat beside him and then produced a honeycrisp apple and handed it out the window to me. I gratefully accepted the gift and thanked him before sinking my teeth into the coldest, juiciest apple I’d eaten in a long time.
Nearly two hours after passing the Grand Canyon’s northern boundary, I finally made it to DeMotte Park. This was the USFS campground we’d been aiming for, and I was the first of us to arrive there so I went to scout our options.
The campground was still completely closed for the season. The pit toilets were locked. And there wasn’t a soul around. But there were lots of nice flat (and, more importantly, snow-free) campsites to choose from, which was critically important since the temperature was supposed to drop down into the mid-20s tonight.
It’s amazing to think I was actually sweating down at the bottom of the canyon when I set up my tent last night. But now I had goosebumps and it was only going to get colder once the sun went down. I guess that’s the difference you get with nearly 5,000 feet of elevation gain!
As I waited for the guys to catch up to me, I studied the map one more time. Jacob Lake was still another 26 miles north by the road. If the AZT continued to be inaccessible tomorrow, I think the best option is to push another big day and make it all the way to town ahead of the storm.
As much as I hate roadwalking, I’d much rather be indoors at the tiny hotel in Jacob Lake than endure another raging snow storm inside my tent tomorrow night.
Highlights
- Hiking through the Grand Canyon and up to the north rim was downright gorgeous. Words cannot do it justice!
- I passed mile 700 on the AZT this morning! It’s simply amazing to think this journey is almost over. I’ve walked across nearly the entire state of Arizona.
- Volt and I were reunited with Elliot once again! It’s fantastic that he pushed so hard to join us, and I really hope the three of us can finish this trail together. It’s been quite the journey.
Challeges
- The steepness of the North Kaibab Trail to north rim is no joke! It was just as challenging as I remember from my R2R2R adventure. Maybe even more so because I was carrying a full pack this time.
- While I’d hoped to hike the AZT the entire way from the north rim to the Utah border, that doesn’t look possible. There’s just too much snow, and we had to make our northern progress on Highway 67 instead.