May 24, 2010. I did it! I hiked...dragged myself, kicked, screamed, complained, nearly passed out...but made it out of...the Grand Canyon! No not really, but I love the quote! This was my third time hiking from rim to rim and I feel my best one! I came out of the canyon with both legs pushing ahead (since in the past either one leg has completly died on me and I have dragged it out). We began hiking around 5:30am and finished about 5:30pm, so all in all, 21 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim took about 12 hours. Awesome! ***Warning, this post contains a lot of pictures, look further at your own risk of time, yet...I hope you do look on.***
Starting out on the south Kaibab trail. It was very windy and cold...two elements we've not had to deal with in the past. Yet we were prepared with gloves, hats, and layers! This picture shows the canyon straight ahead that we'd be hiking through!
The descent down from the south rim!
I had my own little photo shoot on the hike down, so excuse myself for my nerdy pictures, but I just love taking them!
Can you say cheese? I'm such a cheese, sorry, but I think they're funny! :)
What beauty! It's truly breathtaking to hike down into the canyon and witness the beauty from within!
The trail, this point was pretty windy!
I then turned around and caught a snapshot of the gang behind me! Emily and I led everyone most of the day! They said they were trying to keep up, but we were just trying to keep ahead of them and keep us all going!
I love this picture of the sun streaming in on the canyon!
Emily and I, she humors me and my obsession with taking pictures! It was also at about this point that I decided it was ok "time wise" to put in my contacts. Well you can probably guess that with the big gusts of wind that there was, I was successful with getting one contact in, but not the other. I should've guessed! Oh well, it makes for a good memory! So yes! I hiked the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, with one contact in. After time, my eye compensated and I felt like I had it in, but then I'd notice the difference! I did ok though, besides the huge headache on top of the sore muscles at the end of the day.
Just beautiful!
Dad coming down the south rim Kaibab trail. He had his camera out too, which he bought last November, so it was fun seeing him taking pictures along the way! He's never been a huge photographer, but he's beginning to be!
Hello switchbacks!
The trail running along this plateau region. I remember getting to that point and looking up at those rocks and wondering when they might fall. They were leaning over so much it appeared that they could fall!
I love this picture! Axle, Whitney Wasden's husband, decided to jump off the ledge (which was only 10 ft or so), but it made an awesome photo opportunity and picture!
Phantom Ranch...as seen from above
The Colorado River carved and continues to carve the Grand Canyon! This bridge connects our journey down the south rim on the Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch and then onward and up to the north rim!
The mule team on their way down with another load.
The group camping off the side of the trail for a few minutes in order to let the mule train passby! Fred Wasden (an old neighbor and friend from Layton and his two girls Camille and Whitney) and Whitney's husband and family (John, Sherrie, and Carly) hiked with us.
The Colorado River seen from the bottom of the Grand Canyon!
Emily and I at Phantom Ranch! I love the name of this ranch. I have no idea why it's named that, but I always think of "The Phantom of the Opera", naturally, and it makes me smile!
After leaving Phantom Ranch, where we reenergize, change socks, fill up on water, and unload, we begin hiking again along the bottom of the canyon and along the river. Beautiful scenery!
The next stopping point for water and restrooms is called "The Cottonwoods". It always feels like it should be around the next bend, but then it isn't! This is a view of the endless beauty we kept seeing.
Now these "things" are called Agaves! We all think they either look like they should be in a Dr. Seuss book or he saw them and drew them in his books. Whichever, they are funky but cool!
One little obstacle we crossed! We dunked our hats and shirts in the river here and were refreshed. It was cold, but felt so good! It did warm up after Phantom Ranch, probably about mid 60's, just perfect!
I had to take a picture of these beautiful flowers on the cactus plants! Amazing that something so pretty can grow on something so ugly! :)
We saw plenty of these little guys along the trail!
Roaring Springs on the way up the north rim! It appears that it just comes out of the canyon! The water has to come from somewhere, I'd like to track it!
Emily coming up the switchbacks on the north rim.
Me on the switchbacks on the north rim of the Kaibab trail. By this point, I was just putting one foot in front of the other, it was about 10 hours of hiking at this point. We were starting to talk about what sounded good to eat, but we quickly changed our focus back to getting out of the canyon first. At the end, Emily and I took off with John, Sherrie, and their daughter Carly. We had a great time getting to know them while hiking with them.
The last picture I took of the canyon as I ascended upward. Oh man, the switchbacks up the north rim are just brutal! Only because you are so tired!
I took this picture of the canyon from the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge! We had a nice dinner there, but since I was so tired, I headed back to the cabin after we were done and crashed!
Brighty of the Grand Canyon!
The view from the next morning, it's the area we hiked through the day before, hard to believe, it looks so different from above!
Again...did we really hike that whole way...yup, we sure did! Amazing to look at it and think we did!
There is a cute little squirrel out on the rock. I zoomed in on the picture on my computer and after thinking he was looking out on the canyon, he's actually looking at me! It made me laugh!
Mom and Marla Peterson relaxing and enjoying the view of the Grand Canyon! These two were our awesome drivers, without them we wouldn't have had a way back to our vehicle!
I did it!
Our cabin #304 on the north rim. It overlooked the canyon rim, really it was just 20 or so feet away! Pretty cool!
May 24, 2010. I did it! I hiked...dragged myself, kicked, screamed, complained, nearly passed out...but made it out of...the Grand Canyon! No not really, but I love the quote! This was my third time hiking from rim to rim and I feel my best one! I came out of the canyon with both legs pushing ahead (since in the past either one leg has completly died on me and I have dragged it out). We began hiking around 5:30am and finished about 5:30pm, so all in all, 21 miles from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to the north rim took about 12 hours. Awesome! ***Warning, this post contains a lot of pictures, look further at your own risk of time, yet...I hope you do look on.***
Starting out on the south Kaibab trail. It was very windy and cold...two elements we've not had to deal with in the past. Yet we were prepared with gloves, hats, and layers! This picture shows the canyon straight ahead that we'd be hiking through!
The descent down from the south rim!
I had my own little photo shoot on the hike down, so excuse myself for my nerdy pictures, but I just love taking them!
Can you say cheese? I'm such a cheese, sorry, but I think they're funny! :)
What beauty! It's truly breathtaking to hike down into the canyon and witness the beauty from within!
The trail, this point was pretty windy!
I then turned around and caught a snapshot of the gang behind me! Emily and I led everyone most of the day! They said they were trying to keep up, but we were just trying to keep ahead of them and keep us all going!
I love this picture of the sun streaming in on the canyon!
Emily and I, she humors me and my obsession with taking pictures! It was also at about this point that I decided it was ok "time wise" to put in my contacts. Well you can probably guess that with the big gusts of wind that there was, I was successful with getting one contact in, but not the other. I should've guessed! Oh well, it makes for a good memory! So yes! I hiked the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, with one contact in. After time, my eye compensated and I felt like I had it in, but then I'd notice the difference! I did ok though, besides the huge headache on top of the sore muscles at the end of the day.
Just beautiful!
Dad coming down the south rim Kaibab trail. He had his camera out too, which he bought last November, so it was fun seeing him taking pictures along the way! He's never been a huge photographer, but he's beginning to be!
Hello switchbacks!
The trail running along this plateau region. I remember getting to that point and looking up at those rocks and wondering when they might fall. They were leaning over so much it appeared that they could fall!
I love this picture! Axle, Whitney Wasden's husband, decided to jump off the ledge (which was only 10 ft or so), but it made an awesome photo opportunity and picture!
Phantom Ranch...as seen from above
The Colorado River carved and continues to carve the Grand Canyon! This bridge connects our journey down the south rim on the Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch and then onward and up to the north rim!
The mule team on their way down with another load.
The group camping off the side of the trail for a few minutes in order to let the mule train passby! Fred Wasden (an old neighbor and friend from Layton and his two girls Camille and Whitney) and Whitney's husband and family (John, Sherrie, and Carly) hiked with us.
The Colorado River seen from the bottom of the Grand Canyon!
Emily and I at Phantom Ranch! I love the name of this ranch. I have no idea why it's named that, but I always think of "The Phantom of the Opera", naturally, and it makes me smile!
After leaving Phantom Ranch, where we reenergize, change socks, fill up on water, and unload, we begin hiking again along the bottom of the canyon and along the river. Beautiful scenery!
The next stopping point for water and restrooms is called "The Cottonwoods". It always feels like it should be around the next bend, but then it isn't! This is a view of the endless beauty we kept seeing.
Now these "things" are called Agaves! We all think they either look like they should be in a Dr. Seuss book or he saw them and drew them in his books. Whichever, they are funky but cool!
One little obstacle we crossed! We dunked our hats and shirts in the river here and were refreshed. It was cold, but felt so good! It did warm up after Phantom Ranch, probably about mid 60's, just perfect!
I had to take a picture of these beautiful flowers on the cactus plants! Amazing that something so pretty can grow on something so ugly! :)
We saw plenty of these little guys along the trail!
Roaring Springs on the way up the north rim! It appears that it just comes out of the canyon! The water has to come from somewhere, I'd like to track it!
Emily coming up the switchbacks on the north rim.
Me on the switchbacks on the north rim of the Kaibab trail. By this point, I was just putting one foot in front of the other, it was about 10 hours of hiking at this point. We were starting to talk about what sounded good to eat, but we quickly changed our focus back to getting out of the canyon first. At the end, Emily and I took off with John, Sherrie, and their daughter Carly. We had a great time getting to know them while hiking with them.
The last picture I took of the canyon as I ascended upward. Oh man, the switchbacks up the north rim are just brutal! Only because you are so tired!
I took this picture of the canyon from the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge! We had a nice dinner there, but since I was so tired, I headed back to the cabin after we were done and crashed!
Brighty of the Grand Canyon!
The view from the next morning, it's the area we hiked through the day before, hard to believe, it looks so different from above!
Again...did we really hike that whole way...yup, we sure did! Amazing to look at it and think we did!
There is a cute little squirrel out on the rock. I zoomed in on the picture on my computer and after thinking he was looking out on the canyon, he's actually looking at me! It made me laugh!
Mom and Marla Peterson relaxing and enjoying the view of the Grand Canyon! These two were our awesome drivers, without them we wouldn't have had a way back to our vehicle!
I did it!
Our cabin #304 on the north rim. It overlooked the canyon rim, really it was just 20 or so feet away! Pretty cool! 
