Grand Canyon: Bright Angel Campground to Cottonwood Campground

It finally got cold enough for me to put a sheet on at around 3:00am. We woke up at 5:00am and were trail bound at 5:45.

This morning's hike was amazing. We had a 7 mile hike covering about 1500ft of elevation so we knew it wasn't going to grueling. That turned out to be true but we weren't anticipating the narrow canyon with sheer cliff walls we would be following the majority of the way. I was amazed at the intense beauty but also at the serious amount of work the trail crews must have done decades ago to make it possible. We crossed at least 6 bridges, countless places where rock had been blasted away from the wall to make way for a path and then retaining walls had been built as well. Our path also followed the water pipe and phone line that service Phantom Ranch below. It turns out the same water supply is pumped up the hill along the Bright Angel Trail for thirsty hikers on the south side of the canyon too.

Shot of the crew (Patrick, Michel and I) on one of the many creek crossings during the morning's hike.

During the hike I became nervous because all downhill slopes began inducing pain on the outside of my left knee. I think I may have done some damage on the descent yesterday. At a minimum it is very sore.

Our campsite is in a nicely wooded area that provides some shade now that the canyon has opened up. After arriving and putting up a fly for shade, I ran down to the creek for another dip. This time it took a lot more courage because it was so much colder. It was still very refreshing.

We arrived at camp at 9:30. I ate lunch at 10:30 and now I needed to figure out how to spend the rest of the day....

While we were hiking, I kept thinking about how awesome and big this canyon is and how it is only a small part of a much bigger canyon and that that canyon is only a piece of the whole Grand Canyon. It helped me put into perspective the sheer size and severity of the place.

After getting a little bored of swimming and waiting, I headed over to Ribbon Falls. We had passed it on our way up. Patrick and Michel both opted to stay at camp instead of tire their legs some more. It ended up being a nice (but hot) walk (~1.5-2 miles each way). The walls were like 80-90ft tall and halfway through the fall, the water hit a huge monolith that was covered in moss. The whole place was shaded and I couldn't help but lay down and soak it in.


When I got back to camp, it was time to get back in the stream, of course. That stream was the only real respite from today's heat which seemed even hotter than yesterday. Luckily the canyon is narrow enough that shadow from the neighboring mountain hit was around 5:30pm. Ah... relief.

We ran into 2 groups (2 halves of the same group actually) that had come from the South Rim... this morning! They were pushing on to the North Rim tonight as well. Ouch! Tomorrow's 7 miles and 4200ft climb will be enough as it is. I couldn't imagine doing our full itinerary, with a full pack, in one go.

All in all. Today was a great day. It was full of relaxing and avoiding the heat but I never really got bored. I just enjoyed the peace and was thankful for my chance to have been there.

Best food - The pepperoni stick I bought at the Grand Canyon Village.