A Grand occasion

With Smokey Bear on the Grand Canyon rim
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We get our first taste of the Grand Canyon (and it's hoards of tourists) almost as the sun is going down. So come back the following day and decide to do it properly walking miles along the south rim and securing backcountry passes to hike to the base of the canyon the following morning. The challenge was set. Following advice, we get up at 3.30am to catch the first hiker's shuttle bus at 5am - the start the seven-mile trek along the Kaibab Trail. We start so early to avoid trekking too much in the heat of the day - and good job we did as we don't arrive at the bottom until gone 10am when the sun is already high in the sky. At the bottom we set up camp and stay cool in the heat of the day by sitting in Bright Angel Creek. The night is cooler but still at warm 20C, if a bit windy. Then it is up again at 4.30am to start the dreaded ascent. The last three miles to the top is the worst - a seemingly endless trail snaking up and up the canyon wall in the hot sun. We eventually make it back to the rim just after noon. Phew. What a hike, but what an adventure.

The challenge was set