Kaibab Trail, 3 miles

Beautiful, expansive views from the Kaibab Trail.

Rain, rain, go away!

Watching the storm roll over the canyon.



Grand Canyon hike (day 2) – by Jeremy

Hiking one of the natural wonders of the world was one of the things that I was most looking forward to on the trip. I thought the hike would be challenging, but I’d be just a little tired, especially looking at the other folks going up and down the trail. After all, I’d like to think I’m in much better shape than most Americans (which I know isn’t saying a whole lot). I’m far from my physical peak and still a ways from being in good shape after getting into a rut after the holidays, but I thought I was ready for the trek.

I underestimated just how difficult it would be. In the last mile or so, I was sweating like a horse, red as a beet, and huffing like a chain smoker. Each time we passed a ranger, they asked me with a concerned face, “Are you ok?”

I looked much worse than I actually was. Needless to say, walking three miles up-hill with a 30 lbs. bag on my back brought about some perspiration. When I got to the top, I kept thinking that the helicopter pick-up option in the brochure in the hotel lobby seemed like a great idea. Day 1 of hiking brought me to physical exhaustion.

After that experience, I wasn’t really looking forward to getting up at 3:45 am to hike a different trail, especially since we’d have to drive six hours later that afternoon. We decided to do a shorter hike as part of trip mantra to seize each day. However, I was still hoping for a reprieve.

At about 1 am, there was a pretty big lightening storm, but it made its way through the area before our wake-up call. No luck.

Then we the alarm went off, I stood up and stretched. My knee immediately locked up and I fell on back on the bed. But, it straightened out. No dice.

Then, we got out to the trail-head. It started raining not even two switch-backs into the trail. But by this time, we were out there and wanted to keep going, especially since the rain-clouds appeared to be blowing away from us.

I am ecstatic we went. South Kaibab trail had by far the most amazing views of the entire weekend and my previous trip to the Grand Canyon. We got there at the perfect time – the sun was rising and we could see the light illuminate various parts of the canyon as it got higher in the air. It was truly majestic.

Unlike the other trails, South Kaibab was constructed by the National Park Service with a full view. The other trails that were originally used by Indians and start in side canyons, limiting the views. The downside is there is not water, so make sure you bring enough.

And yes, I survived the second hike. In fact, I’m not as sore as Laura, which is a little source of pride.