NOV 25, 2015 – I left my campsite around 9am on November 23rd to drive to nearby Grand Canyon. The scenic viewpoints along the way gave me a first impression of what the Grand Canyon was like. I think mostly its length is impressive – the depth and steepness is comparable to many canyons and valleys I have seen. The Desert View watchtower was one of the best places to see for how long the canyon continues in each direction: It is about the same length as Switzerland.
The area around the visitor center was very crowded despite rather cool weather. By the time I had obtained backcountry permits, prepared my baggage and made my way to the trailhead, it was almost 3pm. I spent the first night at Cremation Creek, which was a 2-hour hike, so I still had time to pitch my tent before sunset. The next day I hiked down to Bright Angel campground, set up my tent and left for a day hike to Ribbon Falls. My original plan was to make it to the North Rim and back, but I then realized that is about the distance of a marathon, and only about a quarter of it goes uphill or downhill. So I went back to the campground and ran up to a viewpoint to see the sunset in the canyon instead. On the third day, I left early and was back at the South Rim by 11am, early enough to drive all the way to Tucson that same day. I passed through Sedona with its spectacular red rocks.
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