Around and under the rim

Five days here at the Grand Canyon was not time enough.  After our day of biking, we did a six mile rim walk, because we just couldn't get enough of the awesome views.  We kept wanting to head down into the canyon and explore.  With the weather being ideal for this early March visit, walking the rim trail was the perfect choice for the day.

The next day, we selected the Hermit's Trail, which was built in the early 1900s for the Fred Harvey Company to avoid the toll on the Bright Angel Trail.  When completed it was advertised as the best engineered trail in the Canyon, where the hiker could stroll down to the specially constructed campground, a couple of thousand feet below the rim.




We found the Hermit Trail to be steeper than our prior hikes below the rim.  What once was a trail of man made pavers in the steepest sections, now unmaintained, has become a rocky trail, where we had to watch our footing.  Still the two miles down and back made for a great hike.  We found different views of the Canyon, and the remnants of this highly engineered trail.

We're leaving the Grand Canyon, but we will back.  Maybe a raft trip on the Colorado River; maybe a backpack trip from the North to the South Rim?  This is just too incredible a place not to return.