We had ambitions to get up early and head back to Grand Canyon NP this morning, but our best laid plans did not work out and we did not hit the entrance gate for the NP until 12:15. There was a ¾ mile long line to get through the 5 entrance gates. That’s when we suddenly realized this was Columbus Day weekend! So the park was going to be packed and parking was going to be painful. We were right, the park was packed and it took us 30 minutes to find a parking spot. Our plan was to visit the western portion of the South Rim. The only ways to get to visit the western portion was to either hike the Rim Trail or take a shuttle bus. Eyeing the line at the shuttle bus station, we decided to hike the Rim Trail for a ways, then pick up the shuttle at one of the overlooks. We hiked the Rim Trail from the top of Bright Angel Trail to Hopi Point (2.8 miles, 351 feet of elevation gain, 1120 calories burned). The trail is paved up until just before Hopi point. From that point on, the trail is rocky and rough. We decided not to rick Leslie’s knee and ankle on the rough trail and jumped on the shuttle to Hermits Rest. The views along the trail are gorgeous and we stopped repeatedly to gawk. We found a really nice site to sit and enjoy our lunch while watching the shadows in the canyon change with the sun. Hermits Rest was pretty cool and well worth the trip to visit. We then had to wait 30 minutes to get a shuttle back to the village. Once back, we considered going to the lodge to get a beer before leaving, but one look at the swarms of people in the village area was enough to convince us to head back to the Wanderer. Having avoided big crowds has served us well so far and kept us safe and healthy.
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| You can see sections of the Bright Angel Trail |
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| Leslie getting close to the edge |
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