Rim2Rim - What goes down

How cool, I was in a winter wonderland in the middle of May. As we descended the snow turned into a gentle rain making the trail a red slippery mess....so we slid down the trail for awhile.

The wind picked up and I was grateful to be wearing a pair of socks as gloves because they were doing a great job of keeping my hands warm. Every now and then the clouds would shift and we got a glimpse of  Roaring Springs Canyon ahead. My discomfort was quickly forgotten as the excitement of just being here took over. All too soon the tall canyon walls and narrow ledges widened out as Roaring Springs came into view and we sheltered under a tree, to soak !! in the view, while having a bite to eat.  

Getting into Cottonwood Campground mostly dry was a bonus but as we were preparing to set up our tent another shower had us scambling for cover under the eaves of the Rangers Residence. It was still early in the day so in between the rain showers we managed to dry everything out on the backpack stands.

We watched and chatted to fellow hikers and Rim2Rim runners and ventured over river rocks to watch Bright Angel Creek roar on by. By then my hunger pains were taking over and it was time to cook dinner. Daylight started to fade, I was fading. It was time to turn in.

It rained all night until just before we got up the next morning....

We woke to clearing skies but a 1000 feet above was blanketed in snow. We spoke to some runners who said it had been blizzard conditions during the night. Glad to be continuing down in elevation to warmer weather we stopped at Ribbon Falls. A beautiful sight within the dry rocky landscape. Ribbon Falls reminded us of our memorable trip to Havasupai in 2009.

On through The Box, a very deep narrow canyon following Bright Angel Creek and despite it's notoriety for extreme temperatures and my anxiety about the heat, I cruised through with 2.5 litres of water to spare.

  

We arrived late morning at Bright Angel Campsite. Now that it was warmer our wet tent was dry within minutes!!  

Later in the afternoon we walked  the loop to the suspension bridges and finally got our feet wet in the mighty Colorado River.

After 14 miles and 5761 feet what goes down must now go up.......