Desert Southwest - The Checklist Edition - Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Traverse, Day 3 - Cottonwood Campsite to North Kaibab TH - September 2014

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Grand Canyon, Rim-to-Rim Traverse, Day 3

Cottonwood Camp to North Kaibab Trailhead

Monday, September 22

4:30 a.m. I awoke in the dark from a very pleasant open-air sleep. It was a very pleasant 18 degrees C (64F) outside, and the sky above was clear. It was well before sunrise.

Pre-dawn Breakfast

Cottonwood Info Sign

Hiking out of Cottonwood

We set about having breakfast and packing up our gear under headlamp light. Our group was quite fast - especially given its large size - and we were all breakfasted up, packed up, and on the trail a few minutes before 5:30. I was impressed.

With the faintest glimmerings of twilight showing beyond the rim high above us, we started off north along the North Kaibab trail. Much like our hike along the North Kaibab the day before, the tread was good and not at all rough. The only difference was that the grade of the trail was slightly steeper. Overall, though, for the first half hour, we only gained about five hundred feet of elevation.

Hiking in Dusk

South Rim now far behind.

Placid Bright Angel Creek

Shortly after 6 a.m., we crossed one final trademark heavy-duty North Kaibab steel footbridge and arrived at a stop called the Pump House Station. Along with seats and a trail interpretive sign, this location had the seemingly-standard 3-post composting toilet building. It also had a potable water tap.

The North Kaibab trail has several potable water taps along its length, and we were using these today to help lighten our load. We would only carry as much water as was necessary to achieve the next stop. We were slightly confused by a sign posted at the Pump House Station, therefore, that proclaimed that this was the Roaring Springs stop, which we thought was the next rest stop up the trail.

courtesy RHanel

Final Bridge

Pump House Station

Incorrect!

After checking and re-checking our maps and my GPS, we determined that this sign was very likely in error. Still, we decided to carry enough water to get us all the way up to the 6800-foot Supai Tunnel rest stop.

Starting Real Ascent

Immediately beyond the Pump House Station, the North Kaibab Trail started to get serious about elevation gain. After all, we were only about 5 trail miles from the North Kaibab Trailhead, but were still down at 4,500 feet. We still had nearly four thousand feet of ascent yet to come.

The trail steepened and - switchbacking in places - began a rising traverse through greenish Bright Angel shale. The footpath itself was actually in excellent condition - flat, smooth, well-graded - whatever positive descriptor I could think of. It also indicated to me that there were no mules allowed along this section of trail. For that, I was quite grateful.

Nice Shale Track

Roaring Springs

Up Roaring Spring Canyon

As we gained real altitude, we also began to curve west, away from Bright Angel Canyon and into a smaller (but still very large) side canyon. This side canyon - Roaring Springs Canyon - would be our home for the rest of the hike up to the rim.

Soon after turning into Roaring Springs Canyon, we could see and hear its namesake - Roaring Springs. It was fairly impressive - a large gushing stream of water coming directly out of the rock on the opposite side of the canyon from where we were. It is my understanding that this large spring is the water source for the Phantom Ranch area (and presumably the water station at Cottonwood campground and Pump House station).

The stop at Roaring Springs is actually not directly along the North Kaibab trail. Instead, one must descend on a side branch trail down to the canyon floor. Perhaps that was why the sign at the Pump House station was trying to mislead us into believing that that was the Roaring Springs stop.

courtesy RHanel

Roaring Springs Canyon

Fire in the Redwall

Precarious from a distance

We continued uphill along the excellent track, deeper into Roaring Springs Canyon. The walls varied between very steep and completely sheer in this side canyon, and as a result, the trail began to be more cleverly cut into the steepening slopes. It remained wide and well-graded, however, and a joy to hike on. The gradient of the trail eased through here, and we began a series of relatively flat traverses below and/or atop cliffs, punctuated with periodic rises. It was still early in the morning and the canyon was deep; therefore, we were far into shade and in no danger of being in direct sun for quite a while yet.

courtesy PChen

Hatko Ascending

Our little group from above

Little Hikers

Winding and contouring around the base of soaring cliffs on an expertly hacked-out ledge, I was thoroughly enjoying the North Kaibab Trail. So far, it was definitely exceeding my expectations. Being in a narrow canyon didn't have to mean a lack of views or interesting situations (that had been my thinking before the trip, that a closed-in side canyon would be less interesting than the open views elsewhere).

courtesy RHanel

Getting closer to sun

Careful Construction

Overhanging Walls

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