Day 7: Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Trip
Sunday, October 16th.
Light rain began last night and carried on through the early afternoon. I decided that today would be shopping day and began my journey at the hiking equipment department in the general store. There I got expert help to replace the leaking valve on my hydration pack. The new Camelback one is so much simpler than the old Osprey style and I have a pack of three extras in case this one ends up having issues. Glad to have that resolved.
My next stop was the back country office to get some trail guides and maps. After talking with the rangers I decided I would hike from Shoshone Point to Yakii Point tomorrow morning early. The general store opens at 7:30 and I plan on stopping there first to finalize plans to hike with Danni (sales person who helped fix my hydration pack). I found someone to hike the Hermit trail with… so excited. She has another friend who will also come along… sure hope this works out.
Next I went to Bright Angel Lodge to the Fred Harvey Burger restaurant and got a reservation for lunch. The burger wasn’t the greatest but I was hungry and ate it anyway. While waiting on the text message (it took over an hour) I walked up to the Verkamps Visitor Center and looked around. I enjoyed the gorgeous scenery on the rim and the rain clouds added a layer of interest. I waked back towards Bright Angel Lodge and went to another small shop called the Lookout. There were two really neat overlooks from this store. It was getting close to time for my table so I went and waited inside the lodge. After lunch I visited Kolb Studio (near the Bright Angel trailhead) and admired all the various artists visions of the canyon.
Next I drove out to Shoshone Point to make sure I know where I am going tomorrow. I downloaded the trail map from All Trails so I am ready. My next stop was the Visitor Center and I looked in the store there… and then I wandered by the Mather Point amphitheater and just beyond on the rim trail. The canyon looked so pretty with the sun out and all the clouds and mist from the storm that moved through. The last thing I plan on doing is driving over to Grandview to see the sunset. That’s it for day 7… another splendid day at the Grand Canyon.
