Grand Canyon Pics

As I mentioned in my last post, almost two weeks ago now my girlfriend and I headed out to the Grand Canyon for a much needed vacation. On telling anybody this, the first question I inevitably got was: "Are you going to do a Rim to Rim to Rim Run?"

My answer, for this trip, was no. Since I was going with my girlfriend, and she is not a runner, I thought it would be poor form to take a full day to run across the Canyon and back, and then be wrecked for the rest of the trip. Instead I treated this trips as two things: first, a much needed break in running mileage and second, a scouting trip.

The view from our 2nd and 3rd night campsite

That said, I did run a few miles, and hike a significant amount. We hit the North Rim, which is much more pleasant (in my humble opinion) than the South Rim. The Kaibab Plateau drops off precipitously into the canyon at its edge, but until you get to that edge, you are in a wide open ponderosa pine forest, with little indication that as little as a few yards away the land drops thousands of feet into one of the most spectacularly scenic areas in the country.

We were fortunate enough the second and third night to get one of the prime campsites on the very edge of the canyon. As many of the people walking by said, sleepwalking, or even wandering around at night without a headlamp, could be fatal.

As I mentioned, I did not run much at all while we were there. I took a couple early morning runs along the transept trail, leading from our campsite to the Grand Canyon Lodge, but aside from that G and I went hiking, and took a mule ride. Initially I was a bit frustrated with not getting a chance to run as much as I would have liked, but as it turns out, I think the break, and relatively mild hiking we did throughout the trip, helped my legs recover significantly from the miles I have been putting in this year.

We took several hikes, along the Cape Final trail (where the prickly pears were in bloom), as well as along the Wildforss Trail and a few other smaller trails. We were lucky enough to get the Cliff Springs trail to ourselves. This particular trail leads from one of the most popular areas on the North Rim, Cape Royal, to a secluded smaller offshoot of the canyon where a seep spring has carved out a ledge from the rock.


I think that's enough talk from me for a while. Here are some pictures from the rest of the trip.

Yours truly, the first night at the canyon watching the sun set from Bright Angel Point.

Prickly Pear, and a happy insect.

G at the edge of Cape Final. Helicopters were flying by below us.

Cliff Springs Canyon

My mule. Her name was Smurf. Mules, FYI, are smelly, but Smurf was an extremely obedient mule.