Desert Southwest - The Checklist Edition - Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Traverse, Day 1 - South Kaibab TH to Clear Creek Campsite - September 2014

Return to alavigne.net home

NOTE: You have javascript disabled in your browser. This presentation will continue to function, but with only basic capabilities. In order to view this presentation will full capabilities, please enable javascript in your browser, then refresh this page.

[< Previous Page]

[page 1] [page 2] [page 3] [page 4] [page 5] [page 6] [page 7]

[Next Page >]

courtesy PChen

Cedar Ridge and O'Neill Butte

About 2.5 km (1.5 mi) down the South Kaibab trail, we arrived at a large flat area with a modern 3-stall chemical outhouse building. This point along Cedar Ridge is where many day-hikers stop both for a break and to turn around. A rock-lined tree provided a perfect spot for our first rest and snack break.

courtesy JInnes

Cedar Ridge Station

Snack and Break at Cedar Ridge

Commiserating with Pu

It had turned out - at least so far - to be a fine day. The temperatures were moderate, roughly in the 70s (low 20s C) at our 6000-foot elevation.

It had taken us about forty minutes to hike the 1.5 miles down from the trailhead to here. Given that we had another roughly 8 miles to go, we were hiking at a rate that would allow us to reach our destination - the start of the at-large camping zone along the Clear Creek Trail - before dark. We were hiking at a faster pace than I would have preferred, but that was the price to be paid for our late start.

courtesy RHanel

Recreating History

Continuing Down

Mule Train from Below

We continued down the South Kaibab Trail from the Cedar Ridge rest area. A few more step-eroded switchbacks brought us down to a col in the ridge below scenic O'Neill Butte (now looming as a huge tower above us), and from there, the trail started to flatten out into a nice easy stretch along the widening top of lower Cedar Ridge.

courtesy PChen

courtesy RHanel

courtesy PChen

Andrew and O'Neill Butte

Nearing Saddle

O'Neill Butte

courtesy RHanel

courtesy PChen

More than 1000 feet down

Marching on

Roland captures the Grandeur

Buttes Near and Far

Stephanie and Roland

Redwall Switchbacks

The open flat walk across lower Cedar's Ridge's wide crest abruptly ended, and we arrived at a rounded point with steep dropoffs on three sides. With the exception of one final tower of rock further down, Cedar Ridge ended here. A sign marked this spot as Skeleton Point.

We had doubled our trailhead distance, now, to 3 miles (5km). It was noontime now; we were roughly maintaining our 1.5 mile-per-hour pace.