The Grand Canyon – a Retrospective

Me at the South Rim, 1975

I have had a 43-year love affair with the Grand Canyon and it started with a "blind date" I didn’t want to go on.

Back in 1975, the year after Scott and I got married and right after I graduated from college, Scott and I took a trip west. We had had a very brief honeymoon in New Orleans, but I like to think of this trip west as the real honeymoon.

We had no jobs, hardly any money and not much more than an orange VW Beetle. We packed up and headed to Colorado, which is where everyone wanted to go in the 1970s – you know, John Denver …

Rocky Mountain High

Coors Beer …

Scott and his Coors, 1975

The whole Rocky Mountain thing …

Scott and me, Colorado, 1975

Tom and Lois

We also decided that, after the Rocky Mountain adventure, we’d swing down to Arizona to visit Scott’s Uncle Tom (his mom’s brother) and Aunt Lois. Scott’s grandmother made us promise that we would visit the Grand Canyon. We were not thrilled about the idea. 

We thought, "who wants to go see a giant hole in the ground?" When I think back, I realize what a ridiculous position that was. Now, I am always appalled when people tell me they have never been there, especially people who live in the West.

Yes, we went in 1975. We arrived after a harrowing drive through the Apache reservation, where we ended up staying the night in a very seedy motel in Kayenta, Arizona, simply because the cattle sleeping on the warm highway made driving treacherous and painfully slow.

South Rim

It was raining when we arrived at the South Rim and set up our tent, but the weather cleared. We knew practically nothing about the park. Or National Parks or nature or wilderness or hiking or, well, anything. We putzed around. We drove the roads (this was pre-shuttles when you could drive practically everywhere). We did short walks, but didn't really think about hiking. We originally planned to stay two days. But as we were getting ready to leave, we decided to stay an extra day simply because the beauty of the place so overwhelmed us that we didn’t feel that we “got it.” 

And, that's when the blind date turned to true, enduring love.

The last day, we just walked slowly along the edge, sat quietly and contemplated. It is just that gorgeous and that mind-boggling. And, these photos are from the '70s -- forgive the fashion.

Grand Canyon, 1975

I told you that we were clueless. The best example was our reaction to seeing a Grand Canyon rafting business advertised in town. We had been whitewater rafting in North Carolina, so that seemed like a good idea. We walked in to inquire. Why, yes, they did offer rafting trips through the Canyon. Seven to 14 days. Minimum $1,500 per person. 

Rapid on the Colorado River

Whaaaaaa??? Who knew it took seven days??? Who knew it cost that much??? Oh, and who knew you needed to book far in advance???

Colorado River

Needless to say, we didn’t go. But, we often talked about doing it some day in the future.

Life went on. We got jobs. We had a baby. We moved from Florida to the Chicago area. Then, we moved to Arizona – home of the Grand Canyon.

Me, Grand Canyon, 1985

Now, the Grand Canyon was our go-to place. 

Scott, me and Caty, South Rim, 1984

We took visitors there. 

My parents and Caty at the South Rim, 1987

We went for weekends.

Caty and Becca, South Rim, 1987

We went camping with friends.

Camping with Donna and Rick Wilson, 1984

We did short day hikes.

Scott going to Indian Gardens, early 80s

We had an opportunity to join Scott’s cousin on a rim-to-rim hike he did with friends every year. They always started at midnight, hiked to the bottom from the South Rim and then hiked out on the North Rim. That’s 4,460 feet down and 5,850 feet back up over about 23 miles. I was very excited about doing it, although I would probably be the only woman on the trip.

Scott on Rim-to -Rim Hike, 1985

But, I got pregnant and decided that doing that kind of activity with morning sickness wasn’t a great idea. Scott did do the hike. I was a driver, picking up Scott’s car at the South Rim and driving it the 215 miles to the North Rim to pick up the hikers.

North Rim

That was my first visit to the North Rim, which is perhaps even more beautiful than the South Rim. At over 8,000 feet in elevation, it sits about 1,000 feet higher than the South Rim, which provides a more interesting view.  

When you look north from the South Rim, you see just the Canyon and a straight horizon line because you are looking up. When you look south (down) from the North Rim, you see the Canyon and the plains and mountains beyond. 

The North Rim's climate is different and it is greener and denser than the South Rim.

Me at the North Rim, 2014

Only about 10 percent of Grand Canyon visitors see the North Rim. I have been there multiple times since 1985.

The next year, I did get to hike. Not rim-to-rim, but down the Kaibab Trail (6.3 miles), spending the night in the bunkhouse at Phantom Ranch and then back up the Bright Angel Trail (7.8 miles). 

Scott, me and Dianne,1986

We planned to hike with two other couples – Jeanne and Hal Elliott and Dianne and Will Jones. Hal had a bone spur and Will had another issue that I cannot even recall, so it ended up being Scott, me, Jeanne and Dianne. 

We did the hike in November so we didn’t have to contend with heat. 

It was difficult because I wasn’t in shape, but not as bad as I had expected. I think a great deal of the difficulty was that I was afraid that I couldn’t do it – so I couldn’t relax and enjoy myself.

Me at the South Rim,1986

We did it the easy way. We did not camp; we stayed a Phantom Ranch. For hikers, Phantom Ranch has bunkhouses – male and female – with indoor plumbing and delightfully hot showers. For mule trips, Phantom Ranch has cabins.

We also booked dinner, breakfast and a sack lunch. So, we didn’t have to carry much with us -- just lots of water, a few snacks and clean socks and underwear! 

That meant I could do the overnight hike with just a fanny pack. And, that is so much more comfortable than a backpack.

The food at Phantom Ranch is delicious. The first dinner seating is steak; second seating is stew and I can't even remember which we had. I think we had stew because we didn't know how long the hike would take and we didn't want to miss dinner. 

Breakfast has killer pancakes. Phantom Ranch has potable water, so you can also refill your bottles for the hike up. That's important, because you need lots of water. The sack lunch had lots of goodies -- fruit, trail mix, summer sausage, cheese and what has become my standard hiking lunch ever since – a bagel and cream cheese. 

My brother Mark, with a GC bagel

Bagels can hold up to being crushed in your pack and the cream cheese in a small packet stays fresh. Now, I usually add tomato and sometimes avocado. But, it is the best hiking lunch ever.

On our first hike, I learned that hardest thing about hiking the Grand Canyon and staying at Phantom Ranch is getting reservations. It is virtually impossible. 

I can’t recall how long it took in 1986, but I know that the last time I did it, I had to reserve 18 months in advance and all I could get was weekdays! 

Beginning in 2019, reservations will be issued monthly via a lottery system and the maximum window is 15 months.

Oh, yes, I did it again. In 1993, our family hiked together. Becca was seven and Caty was eleven. 

1993 family hike

This time, we did not have advance reservations. Rather, we went up to the Canyon and Scott stood in line at 5 a.m. to see if there were any cancellations. The first day there weren’t. But, on day 2, we hit the jackpot. Not only did we get four slots with dinner, breakfast and sack lunches, we also got a four-bunk cabin. We got our beds from a mule ride cancellation.

1993 family hike

This trip was in March, also to avoid heat. We did have to deal with snow, ice and melting icicles on the first part of the hike, which was a bit scary when you are hiking with your babies. But, in general, the weather was pleasant. At the bottom, we found out that they usually don’t see hikers younger than seven, so Becca was a bit of a celebrity. And, this was the 80s -- so forgive the fashion.

1993 family hike

Ten years later, my brother Mark and I started talking about doing the hike. That was the one that took 18 months of planning. We did it in October 2005 and it was as glorious – but with better photos – as the trips before. And, the fashion was better.

Mark and me, 2005

 I even managed a stop at the North Rim before meeting up with Mark for the hike.

Me at the North Rim, 2005

We were very lucky because the day before our hike was one of the worst rainstorms the Grand Canyon had seen in ten years. Mark had never been to the Grand Canyon before, so it was an extra thrill to introduce him to this incredible place – and it revealed itself to him about as spectacularly as it could. When we first arrived, the rain had just stopped and the Canyon was completely fogged over. We could see nothing from the first few viewpoints. So, we went out to Hermit’s Rest on the far west end, where we watched the clouds rise from the Canyon just as curtains would open to reveal a beautiful stage set. Amazing.

South Rim, Hermit's Rest

We were afraid of mud and damaged trails – especially because the mule trip was cancelled that day. Instead, we got gorgeous weather, just a few puddles and no mules. Of course, because we were afraid of what we would find, we carried a bit more gear – clean pants, extra socks, more rain gear than normal. Everything turned out fine.

Me and Mark, 2005

On all our trips, we followed the National Park’s advice and took the Kaibab Trail down. It is shorter and steeper and pretty much travels along a ridge. Then, we took the South Bright Angel Trail back up. Because it is longer, it is slightly less steep (although the steepest part is the top, so you tend to forget that fact as you are finishing your hike) and it follows a lush streambed part of the way. This way, you get two different perspectives on this magnificent place.

On the Kaibab Trail, 2005

Why didn’t we go by mule on any of these trips? Because it looks awful. Mules are big and very wide. People riding them look generally miserable. You don’t get many chances to get off, you are at the mercy of the schedule and you are sitting up soooooo high.

Mule trip

Nope. I would rather walk, setting my own pace, taking pictures when I want to and not having to smell mules (and smell like mules) the whole way.

Now, since we have moved to Colorado, both Scott and I have made numerous trips to the Grand Canyon -- together, alone or with other friends. After all, it’s only 10 hours away.

Me at Desert View, 2015

In 2014, I even made up (somewhat) for missing the rim-to-rim by hiking on the North Bright Angel Trail from the North Rim. I didn’t have reservations at the bottom, so I did a day hike down. I just set a turn-around time and went. I made it to Roaring Springs, which is 4.7 miles (9.4 miles round trip). That’s the maximum recommended for a day hike. Of course, that's well short of the 14 mikes to the bottom, but it did give me a taste of the North Rim route. 

North Rim, 2014

It was June, so it was fairly warm. OK, it was hot. There is a long exposed stretch that was brutal because of the combination of heat and altitude combined with the fact that I didn't snack enough on the way down. A bagel and some water gave me my energy back, making the final leg fine.

Whenever I do an up-and-back, I always assume that the trip up will take longer and I budget more time to return. Generally, however, my pace stays about the same both ways. Pace depends on things like traffic and shade and how many things there are to photograph.

North Rim, 2014

The North Rim is open from mid-May to October, so spring and fall hikes aren’t really possible. At 8,200 feet, it can have heavy snows pretty late and pretty early. 

Me on the Kaibab Trail, 2005

During all these years of visiting the Grand Canyon, Scott and I talked on and off about doing that rafting we could not afford in 1975. 

Grand Canyon rapids

There were always reasons not to -- money, time, physical limitations. But, after Scott turned 65 and I was facing down that birthday, we thought that we better do it before it’s too late. (Just a side note -- look at the color of the water below. It had just rained. The water is not brown, but it isn't bright blue-green either).

Colorado River

So, we bit the bullet and booked a 6-day/5-night motorized raft trip with Arizona River Runners, which I will talk about in my next posts. (The photo below is when we went -- look at that water -- more on that later.)

Colorado River at Horseshoe Bend

Here’s a spoiler: It was fantastic and I would definitely do it again, even though it was a bit rustic and it cost a small fortune (yep, more than the $1,500 we were quoted the first time).

The McIntyres, 1932

Perhaps the Grand Canyon is just in my blood -- those are my Great Grandparents there in 1932 on the left. Visiting the Grand Canyon has been part of my family's heritage for years. And, it's been part of the national landscape for more than 100 years. We need to protect it so that future generations can enjoy its beauty and grandeur.

Photo: Scott Stevens, 2016