All Hikers - Preface

It has been a year since my first hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon with my daughter. Tim DeClerck, one of the local attorneys here, began talking about doing a Canyon hike. I was concerned that the terrible knee pain I had on my first hike would return, but he talked me into it. We agree to do a North Rim to South Rim hike. I apply for a permit for a late September hike and get my first choice. We leave Oklahoma at 6:30 A.M. on September 22, 2000, drive straight though, and arrive at the South Rim at 8:30 P.M. local time. After camping at the Ten-X campground just outside Tusayan, my usual pre-hike breakfast at McDonalds is in order. And of course, we have to get our picture taken by the park sign just outside the south entrance.


	Richard and Tim 9-23-2000

After a little shopping and sightseeing, we park our car at the Bright Angel trailhead and walk to the Bright Angel Lodge to take the Trans-Canyon Shuttle to the North Rim. As advertised the shuttle ride takes five hours, arriving just after dark. A cold front has just passed through the area and it is very cold. I immediately put on my sweat suit, as shorts are simply not appropriate for the cold temperatures. I buy two prepackaged sandwiches at the General Store, one to eat then and one for breakfast the next morning. We also decide to buy some cotton gloves for the freezing temperatures we know we will have tomorrow morning. The campground attendant gives us a campsite next to the store and bathroom, which cuts down on our walking. Even with my sweat suit and socks on inside my down sleeping bag, it is really cold. The temperature gets down to 26°, which is no fun at all.