Over the week of November 5 through November 15, Joanne and I traveled to Arizona for some hiking and camping to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We had decided on our previous rim to rim hike (North Kaibab to Bright Angel) through the Grand Canyon that one night at the bottom was not enough. Reaching the bottom, eating, sleeping, and having to hike out the next day was a tough 2 days. For this trip we had planned on 2 nights at the bottom so we could relax, have a break, and enjoy more of the inner canyon.

We flew into Phoenix and drove north to Camp Verde, AZ. We camped for one night (Clear Creek CG) before moving on to Oak Creek Canyon for 2 nights. We then drove north through Flagstaff and on to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, camping at Mather CG.

The following morning we began our hike into the canyon from the South Kaibab trailhead. We started on a snow covered trail (it had snowed about 2 inches the night before) but before long the snow had disappeared and the trail was dusty as expected. We reached the black bridge at about 2:30 and made our way to Bright Angel CG to find a nice campsite.

We had pre-arranged to have meals at the Phantom Ranch, so we had a light food load going down. We actually had two breakfasts and one dinner since the 1st dinner was sold out by the time we made the reservations.

The next morning we did a day hike along the River trail, which is a cliff hugging trail along the south side of the river between the Bright Angel trail and the South Kaibab trail. After lunch, we packed some munchies and some water and hiked up the North Kaibab trail to the Clear Creek trailhead. We followed the Clear Creek trail up about 2 miles to the beginning of the plateau, where we met one of the rangers and took some pics of the South Kaibab trail across the river.

The following morning we packed up and began our trek out along the Bright Angel trail. When we reached Indian Gardens we stopped for a break and to re-fill the water bottles. We decided to add the extra 3 miles RT to Plateau Point. We left our backpacks at Indian Garden and just carried a fanny pack with lunch and drinks. We spent about 45 minutes at the Point, enjoying the views of the river below and the walls of the canyon all around us. Being out on the Tonto Plateau gives a much different view of the canyon around you (probably due to the openness of the landscape - compared to the closed in feeling of the Bright Angel Trail in the side canyon).

We picked up our packs at Indian Garden and continued the trek upward along BA Trail. We were sure to start with full water bottles as water had been shutoff at both 3 mile and 1.5 mile rest houses. As in past hikes we have done here you know you are getting close to the top when you see people in sneakers and sandals.

We finished a great hike at the Bright Angel Lodge with hot chocolate and a pretzel. We took the shuttle bus back to the Backcountry Office where we had left our rental car. We drove back to Mather CG for our final night at the canyon before heading back to Sedona. In the Sedona area, we did a few more day hikes before flying back to Phila.

Another great trip! We are already planning our next trip to the GC. Next trip might be Hermit Trail to Tonto Trail to Bright Angel Trail. Although Erik has suggested a rim to rim in 1 day - hmmm, sounds intriguing.

We'll see.