Beckham Celebrates 8 Years

Megan invited us over to the Sheppard's home to attend a birthday party for Beckham who turned 8 years old today.  Several members of her family were there, and we had a chance to visit with them.  Beckham opened gifts and cards, and then they sang 'Happy Birthday" and served birthday donuts.  It was a nice evening.  

A Fun Day in Utah and Cooper Turns 13 Years Old

We spent the day in Utah today.  Wendy had been wanting to go down to visit and Jeffrey drove her halfway down on Saturday and met up with Ashley who took her the rest of the way.  She spent the day with Ashley and Camden and spent the night at their home.  Jeffrey and I drove down this morning, and we had a breakfast of Crepes in a variety of flavors from The Crepery Syracuse.  Then we drove down to Saratoga Springs and met up with Tyler, Jaylen, Baylor, and Murphy at Fat Cats to go bowling and play some games.  In the afternoon we enjoyed the community pool near their home, and then we went to Texas Roadhouse for an early dinner.  Jeffrey drove us home after dinner, but the car kept overheating on the way home, so we had to stop a couple of times to let the car cool off.  We also stopped at Edson Fichter Pond to give Cooper his birthday card and gift.  He and Beckham have been going fishing at the pond nearly every day since they arrived in Idaho.

Jeffrey Celebrates his 19th Birthday

Jeffrey organized a birthday party with several of his friends.  He set up all of the lawn games including the badminton net.  He had about ten people over.  While it was too windy for badminton, they did use the net and played volleyball for a couple of hours.  Then they came inside and played indoor games for the rest of the night.  We cooked hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.  We also served cake and ice cream and sang Happy Birthday to him.  Some of the kids stayed until midnight while Wendy and I just tried to stay out of the way.

Rim to Rim Final Thoughts

I left in the morning, and I was finally able to eat my Subway sandwich on the way home.  I got back home about 10:30 a.m.  My right knee was very bruised and swollen, and I had trouble walking on it, but I managed fine with pain relievers. The nails of my big toes on each of my feet were black.

So would I do this hike again?  I told the kids during the hike that this would be my one and only experience hiking from rim to rim, and that I wasn’t adequately prepared for the physical demands it required.  The ascent out of the canyon is brutal, and not to be taken lightly.  The heat at the bottom of the canyon is intense, and not easy to deal with.  I’ve thought about it since then, and if I could reduce the amount of hiking each day by overnighting at Havasupai Gardens and Cottonwood, and if I could schedule it in late fall when the temperature might be cooler, and if I strengthened my legs and knees with squats, steps, and weights, then maybe I would try it again.  Honestly, I don’t think that will happen, but I am glad that I was able to accomplish it without a helicopter rescue!

The North Rim

None of us slept very well due to the heat.  I did eventually drift off for a couple of hours and was able to get a little rest.  We got up after 2:00 a.m. and broke camp.  We repacked our bags and ate breakfast.  Caz had packed a portable cook stove, and he was able to boil water rapidly.  I managed to eat a bowl of oatmeal and raisins without too much trouble.  It was very dark, and we only had the light from our headlamps to work with, but the sky was filled with stars.  I could clearly see the Milky Way.  We were ready to begin hiking at 3:00 a.m. and the temperature was about 80 degrees.  We left the campsite and the trail followed Bright Angel Creek.  We soon arrived at Phantom Ranch where we topped off our water supplies.  All of the cabins and buildings were dark except one that looked like a kitchen, and we could smell bacon being cooked.  Ashley was a bit disappointed that we didn’t experience any of that area in the daylight, and I was too, but that was how I had it worked out.

We continued on the trail that wound alongside the creek and through a tall canyon.  It was too dark to see the creek, but we could hear it rushing beside us, sometimes loudly, and then fading away.  The trail crossed the creek by bridges several times.  Tyler and Caz were in the lead, then Ashley, and I brought up the rear.  It was almost surreal.  I could see the three of them ahead of me with their headlamps shining on the trail and off the rock walls of the canyon cliffs.  We were spaced about fifty feet apart from each other, and I could only see where the light touched.  Now and again I would look directly above me to see the stars shining brightly between the edges of the canyon walls high above us, but I mostly watched the trail to make sure I didn’t trip on anything.  It made me think of images from The Lord of the Rings.  The trail was rising gradually, and we made good progress.  A description of the North Kaibab Trail from the National Park Service describes this section of the trail like this: 

“Between Cottonwood Campground and Bright Angel Campground the trail enters the Inner Gorge, a narrow canyon within the canyon where the trail is boxed in on either side by 1.7 billion year old Vishnu Schist. Though the trail here is not challenging from the perspective of elevation profile, be aware that this is a particularly dangerous stretch of trail during summer months. Because the entire 7.2 mile stretch is at low elevation, it becomes extremely hot from early morning to late afternoon. The gorge of black rock through which the trail passes becomes like an oven and can be compared to walking through a parking lot in Phoenix or Las Vegas in summertime.”

After a couple of hours the sky began to brighten with the approaching dawn.  We had hiked about four miles already, but we were starting to get a little tired and sore.  My knee was bothering me, so I continued to take Ibuprofen as needed to reduce the pain.  The others were experiencing soreness as well, and Tyler had painful blisters on the bottom of his feet.  By 6:00 a.m. we could turn off our headlamps, and we decided to take a break in the creek.  I sat on a rock and dipped my cooling towel in the cold water and squeezed the water over my head.  I did that several times until my shirt and pants were completely soaked.  It felt really good, and I started to get chills from the cold water.  We kept hiking and taking breaks near the creek to cool off until we reached Cottonwood Campground about 7:30 a.m.  We had hiked a little more than 7 miles in about four and a half hours.  We had been in the shade of the canyon from the start of our morning hike, and we had gained about 2,000 feet in elevation.  It was not as hot as it had been, but I was still struggling to eat even though I was drinking plenty of water.  We definitely thought Cottonwood Campground would have been a cool place to stay at.  Ashley suggested that the next time she hiked the canyon that she would plan an overnight at Havasupai Gardens and an additional overnight at Cottonwood.  I think that would make for a less stressful, more casual hiking experience.

For the next two miles the trail continued to follow Bright Angel Creek, but it became steadily steeper.  We were now hiking between shade and full sunshine until we reached the Manzanita Rest Area.  There were picnic tables, trees, toilets, and cold water to drink and cool off in.  I used all of them.  The kids walked down to the creek, sat on a large rock and dangled their feet in the cold water for several minutes.  Caz said he felt like a new man.  I decided to rest at the picnic table.  My knee didn’t want to go down anymore, but I could still step up with it.  We spoke with other people at the rest area, and I don’t think any of us were too eager to begin the steep trail ahead of us.

When we felt ready we left the Manzanita Rest Area and began hiking the trail up the canyon.  The trail began to switch back and forth and there were large steps to get up.  I used my trekking poles and my arms to help lift myself up as I encountered each step.  We were now in full sun and the heat was intense.  We no longer had the creek next to us.  We did come across the shade of a tree or rock overhang, and we frequently stopped in the shade to cool down and rest our legs.  Ascending the canyon was hard work.  We did enjoy the view of the Roaring Springs waterfall, and we were amazed by the flight of a helicopter as it came into view below us.  The pilot did a 180 degree turn and swooped down to a landing pad that was located near the rest area we had just left.  We thought that it was probably picking up one or two of the hikers we had seen at the rest area.  There are about 300 people who are airlifted out of the canyon every year which probably averages out to about two helicopter rescues each day between May and October.

I began to feel extremely tired.  I was not dizzy or nauseous, and I was still drinking a lot of water and electrolytes, but I didn’t have enough food in me to keep my energy up.  We stopped to rest in the shade of a rock overhang, and there was a large log to sit on.  I lay down between the log and the cliff, and I could feel myself wanting to fall asleep immediately.  I sat up and remained still, but I had hit a wall, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep going without resting for a long time.  The high temperatures, my sore knee, my lack of sleep, and my lack of food were all combining to bring me to a complete stop.  Ashley shared some energy snacks with me that I tried to nibble on and swallow.  Then the kids offered me an energy drink that had about 300 mg of caffeine.  I was a little concerned about taking it, because I don’t normally drink that much caffeine at one time, but I knew I just couldn’t sit there while the kids waited for me to rest.  It took me about 10 minutes to drink all of it, but I started to feel strong enough to stand and continue hiking again.

Shortly after we began ascending the trail again, the weather changed.  Clouds covered the sun until the sky was completely overcast.  A cool breeze began to blow through the canyon, and the temperature dropped noticeably.  It even started to rain a little, but the drops we saw hitting the trail and rocks quickly evaporated.  This change in the weather was exactly what I needed.  I could see the different layers of rock in the walls of the canyon, and I would make the top of each layer my new goal.  We eventually made it to the next rest stop at Supai Tunnel.  The elevation at this point is about 6,800 feet.  It was still overcast and cool, but I didn’t hesitate to use my cooling towel to get my shirt completely wet again.  We continued hiking up the trail until we reached the Coconino Overlook.  Caz and Ashley had reached this point long before Tyler and I got there, so they were ready to go when we removed our backpacks and sat down.  Caz and Ashley took the car key and headed up the trail.

Tyler and I sat on the large rock overlooking the canyon we had just hiked up.  The temperature was probably less than 80 degrees at this point, and the cool breeze felt great.  We were soon joined by an older couple who had hiked down from the North Rim, and they sat to talk with us.  They were from Manitoba, Canada, and they were on the trip of a lifetime visiting many of America’s National Parks.  They described their journey, and they were amazed to find out that we had hiked from the South Rim.  We visited with them for about half an hour before we resumed our final stretch.  Tyler and I talked as we hiked this last section, and somehow the time and trail passed quickly.  Suddenly, Tyler pointed ahead and told me we were at the top.  I had to look twice before I was convinced, but then I saw the trailhead too, and I got a little emotional.  I was just so glad and relieved to finish.  We took a long drink of water at the North Kaibab Trailhead, and sat down in the parking lot to wait for Caz and Ashley who had left to change clothes and purchase drinks for us.  It was 3:45 p.m. which was more than 12 hours from the time we had left Bright Angel Campground, and almost 3 hours longer than I had anticipated.

We left the North Rim shortly after 4:00 p.m. and drove to Kanab, Utah.  We stopped at Subway to eat sandwiches, but I could only take one bite.  I still found it too difficult to eat.  Tyler drove us from Kanab to American Fork where his vehicle was parked.  It was about 11:00 p.m. when we dropped him off.  Caz drove us to their home.  Ashley made up a bed downstairs, and I climbed in.

The South Rim

We woke up early Wednesday morning to find the sun streaming through the windows.  We showered and dressed and walked to the patio of the Kaibab Lodge.  It was still too early for breakfast so we sat there waiting for the restaurant to open at 7:00 a.m.  We visited with a lady from Texas who had just finished the rim to rim hike.  She told us about her experience and the difficulty she had with the knee high steps in the trail.  She must have been a well trained hiker because she said her group was able to descend and ascend in times that I thought were very fast.  We ate our breakfast that included waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, juice, and milk.  The shuttle arrived after 7:30 a.m., and we found seats in the middle.  There were 10 passengers and the driver going to the South Rim.  I had taken some Dramamine, and I allowed myself to relax and try to sleep if possible.  The road from the North Rim to Highway 89 was winding, and it dropped in elevation considerably.  I was very glad when the road finally straightened out and leveled.

We stopped at a gas station in a tiny town somewhere in the Navajo Reservation along Highway 89.  I was struck by how barren, hot, and dry it was.  It was hard for me to imagine anyone living in those conditions for any length of time.  I bought an ice cream cone and used the restroom, and then we were off again.  We eventually turned off Highway 89 towards the South Rim, and it didn’t take too long before we arrived at the Grand Canyon Village.  The whole drive only lasted a little more than four hours.  We took our gear and walked to the South Rim to get our first view of the Grand Canyon from that direction.  We could see the Bright Angel Trail heading down, passing through Havasupai Gardens Campground, and then disappearing towards the Colorado River.  It didn’t look too far from that perspective.

Because of the high temperatures we decided to wait until after 2:00 p.m. before descending into the canyon, so we looked for a place to eat.  Tyler left us with our gear to go inside the Village and he found a table at the Harvey House Cafe.  He called us on the cell phone and told us where he was.  We walked inside just as a huge line was forming with visitors who had just arrived by train.  We went directly into the restaurant, dropped our gear in a space provided for strollers, and found Tyler already sitting at our table.  It was good timing because had we been ten minutes later we would not have found a table.  Our server told us that they were expecting over 600 people on that train's arrival.  I had a chicken sandwich with fries.

After lunch we walked to a small visitor’s center and gift shop with restrooms behind it.  This is where we put ourselves together for the long hike and topped off our water supplies.  We walked past the Lookout Studio and the Kolb Studio to the Bright Angel Trailhead.  We had someone take our picture and then we started down.  It was clear, sunny and warm with a rim temperature around 90 degrees.  We took several pictures as we started down, and we passed several people who were slowly going up the other direction.  As we passed through a rock tunnel we saw a family with young children struggling up the trail, and we all agreed that they did not look prepared for the hot hike out of the canyon.

At some point along the trail, and before we reached the 1.5 Mile Rest House, my foot slipped on a sandy rock and I went down.  I was up almost as quickly as I went down, and I didn’t think much of it, but I think this is where I bruised my right knee.  It didn’t bother me right away, but the ache and pain of it increased as I continued the rest of the hike.  There was a park ranger sitting in the shade of a rock overhang as we approached the 1.5 Mile Rest House and he had us stop to talk with him.  He wanted to know why we were hiking in the heat of the day and what our destination was.  We explained that we were camping overnight at Bright Angel Campground, and he agreed that we could continue.  He suggested that we get our clothes completely wet in the water spigot at the rest house, along with several other words of advice.  He also said that we would probably be the only ones on the trail going down.  We each had a cooling towel that we used to get ourselves wet, and I was so glad to have it.  Getting wet really went a long way to cool us off.

We continued hiking until we reached the 3 Mile Rest House.  We sat in the shade of the shelter along with several other people who were also trying to escape the heat.  We topped off our water supplies and got ourselves wet again with our cooling towels.  I believe the temperature was now approaching 100 degrees.  There were restrooms here as well, and we stayed for about 20 minutes to rest our feet and legs from the steep decline of the trail.  All of the people using the shelter were hiking up the trail.  We spoke with one man who told us that they had left the South Rim early in the morning and hiked to the river.  This was their return trip, and he said that he was not going to do that again.  I still can’t believe that people hike to the bottom and back in a single day.

We left the 3 Mile Rest House and the trail quickly descended into several sharp switchbacks.  We found ourselves in the shade of the canyon and out of the direct sunlight, however the temperature did not go down at all.  The trail eventually straightened out until we reached Havasupai Gardens.  We were again stopped by a park ranger who asked us about the details of our hike.  She also provided several words of advice.  We topped off our water and cooled off again.  We were still in the shadows of the canyon, but Tyler found a thermostat that showed the temperature over 100 degrees.  The trail returned to several switchbacks that descended quickly into what I could only describe as Hell.  It was very barren, rocky, and hot.  A wind was blowing, but it felt like a furnace.  It seemed like forever before we reached the Colorado River.  While I was happy to see the river, we couldn’t stop because our day was quickly fading, and we knew it would be completely dark soon.  We wanted to reach the campground before it got too dark, so we trudged along on a sandy trail that followed the river until we reached the pedestrian bridge that crossed the Colorado River.  We had made it to the North Side again.  The campground wasn’t too much farther.  We found a campsite near Bright Angel Creek and set up camp.  I had difficulty with my tent stakes that kept bending when I tried to hammer them into the hard ground.  After bending three of them I was finally able to get my tent staked and my air mattress ready.  We ate dinner, but I found it very difficult to eat anything.  I would chew my food for a long time, but it would take a large gulp of water to get it down.  I wasn’t nauseous or dizzy, but I wasn’t getting enough food in me.  I went to the water spigot several times to cool my head and get wet. We retired to our tents around 9:30 p.m.

Dinner at the Grand Canyon Lodge

This morning I loaded up my gear and checked my list a couple of times.  I started driving around 8:15 a.m. and arrived at Caz and Ashley’s home about 10:15 a.m.  LaDonna was there.  She was going to tend Camden while Caz and Ashley did the hike.  We loaded up and said good-bye to Camden and LaDonna.  I let Caz take over the driving while I relaxed in the back seat.  About an hour later we met up with Tyler who was waiting for us at a Park-N-Ride in American Falls.  He settled in and we drove for another hour to Spanish Fork where we stopped for lunch at Culver’s fast food.  After lunch we continued our drive, and then we stopped to top off our fuel in Kanab, Utah.  We arrived at the Kaibab Resort after 4:30 p.m.  We checked into our cabins and unloaded the gear that we planned to take with us on the hike.  Then we continued our drive into Grand Canyon National Park and arrived at the North Rim after 6:00 p.m.  We found a parking space near the lodge, and we walked over to the rim for our first view of the canyon.  This was Ashley’s first time to see it, and she said, “We are going to hike across that?”

We walked over to the Grand Canyon Lodge and checked in for our dinner reservation at 6:30 p.m.  We took in the views from the big windows overlooking the canyon, but we didn’t have to wait long for our table.  We were seated in the middle of the dining room, but we still had nice views of the canyon.  I ordered a pork chop with Au Gratin potatoes and vegetables which turned out to be spicier than I would have liked.  Tyler had a steak, Ashley had a rice dish, and Caz had chicken and pasta.  The sun was setting while we ate so we went outside at different times to take pictures with the sun glowing on the peaks inside the canyon.  We returned to the table for desserts.  I had a chocolate ice cream, Tyler had a slice of carrot cake, Ashley had a Creme Brulé, and Caz had a Banana Bread Pudding.  After our meal we walked down to an overlook below the lodge, and then we spent some time in the gift shop.  I bought a spoon for Wendy and a patch for myself that showed the Grand Canyon and the words, "Rim to Rim” on it.  It was about 9:00 p.m. and it was getting very dark.  I called Wendy to wish her a good night and watched a deer pass through the cabins and parking lot.  We drove the minivan to the parking lot at the Kaibab Trailhead and waited just a few minutes before the shuttle arrived to pick us up.  Our driver was from Mexico and California.  He shared some of his experiences and pointed out the bison that were near the road in the dark.  We got back to our cabins about 9:30 p.m. and went straight to bed.

Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike

In 2023, I decided that I wanted to hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim.  I have visited the Grand Canyon a few times in my life including short hikes from the South Rim and to Coconino Overlook from the North Rim with Wendy, Tyler, and Jeffrey.  Since looking over the canyon from the rims I’ve had a growing desire to hike across it.  I knew I would need support, and I invited my family to participate.  Tyler, Ashley, and Caz were on board and when Megan heard about it she wanted to join us as well.

I knew that I would need to overnight along the way.  It was nearly impossible to get a room at the Phantom Ranch, and so I decided to try to get a backcountry permit in order to camp overnight at the Bright Angel Campground.  This required that we participate in a lottery system.  Each of us entered the lottery, but only Megan was able to reserve a spot.  When her time arrived to login in and capture a spot we were able to reserve a campsite for six people on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.  It was the earliest date we could find, and I was hoping that it would still avoid the extremely hot days of summer.

I started planning our trip around that date.  I reserved cabins at the Kaibab Resort about 30 miles from the North Rim for Tuesday, June 11th.  Then I reserved a shuttle from the North Rim to the Kaibab Resort for 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11th.  Next, I reserved a shuttle from the Kaibab Resort to the South Rim at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 12th.  Finally, I made dining reservations for the Grand Canyon Lodge Dining Room at the North Rim for Tuesday, June 11th, at 6:30 p.m.

My plan was to park our vehicle at the North Rim Kaibab Trailhead on Tuesday night, eat dinner at the lodge, take the shuttle back to our cabins at the Kaibab Resort and spend the night.  On Wednesday morning we would take the shuttle to the South Rim which would take about five hours, and then hike from the South Rim to Bright Angel Campground.  We would camp overnight on Wednesday night, and then leave in the early morning hours to hike from Bright Angel Campground to the North Rim Kaibab Trailhead where our car would be waiting for us.  Then we could simply drive home.  I thought it was a good plan.

I started using the elliptical machine to strengthen my legs, and the others started exercising as well.  I started gathering my gear into my backpack and planning for food, snacks, and water.  As the weeks went by my enthusiasm for exercising waned, and I thought that I would be able to complete the hike without too much more conditioning.  Megan was not able to find child care and decided it would be best to cancel.  She transferred the backcountry permit to my name, and it was now just the four of us.  I extended invitations to others, but I realized that it is difficult to find people who could take time off at short notice to complete a challenging hike.

The week before we were scheduled to go we received bad news.  A heat wave was moving through Arizona, and the National Park Service was warning hikers to not go below 4,000 feet before 4:00 p.m.  The floor of the canyon was reaching temperatures above 110 degrees during the day.  I was disappointed to see such high temperatures, and my anxiety about the trip increased a bit.  

On Monday, June 10th, I finished packing.  I filled my Camelback and water bottles to see how heavy my backpack was, and I realized that it was pretty heavy.  I would discover that the others had managed to pack more efficiently.  I rented a minivan for us to drive, and it worked out well for us and for our backpacks.  I was nervous and excited when I tried to go to sleep.

Dinner with Mom at The Lodge

This afternoon, Wendy, Jeffrey and I drove to North Ogden to have dinner with Mom and family at The Lodge.  We arrived at 4:45 p.m. along with Ashley and Camden and Tyler, Jaylen, Baylor, and Murphy.  Caz had flown to Boston on a business trip.  We went inside to the dining room and met up with Blaine and Stacy who had driven down from Washington a couple days before to spend time with Mom and David.  We were then joined by Ben and Gayle and Renee who introduced us to her boyfriend, Eric.  It was great to see everyone again.  Mom sat at the head of the table, and it was good to see her feeling a little better.  David wasn't feeling well, so he wasn't able to join us.  We enjoyed our dinner, and we had a nice visit with everyone.  We returned home right after dinner.