Seniors Hike - Grand Canyon Rim to Rim in a day

It was on Scotts bucket list so four of us decided to do it! We started training three months in advance. The stair climber and maximum elevated treadmill were great machines indoors along with long hikes with altitude profiles outdoors. We left one car on the S. Rim (Lot D), drove the other to the North side. Staged the night before, camping, just 5 miles outside the park off FR22, yet it was about a 30 min drive to the N. Kaibab Trailhead. We hit the trail at 0630 on Oct 20th. It was 30 degrees at the top. As the day passed, it got warmer and by the time we reached Phantom Ranch, it was 95 degrees! During our hour there, we ate lunch, replenished our bladders with electrolyte drink & water, repaired some blisters, drank lemonade and mailed postcards. From all the training, the 9 mile ascent up Bright Angel wasn't so bad but as Barb would say, it was "arduous"! We topped out at 7:30 pm and then hiked three tenths of a mile to the Maswik Lodge Food Court for dinner. Picked up car #1 in Lot D, not far away then drove to our hotel, The Grand Canyon Inn located at Grand Canyon Junction (30 min drive). The following day we drove all the way back around to get car #2 then worked our way home. Barb and I were on a 2 week road trip but Scott and Rich were able to make this adventure in 5 days total. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments. We will try to answer all. See the story about Navajo Bridges here www.nps.gov/glca/learn/historyculture/navajobridge… and check out our other (Travel) channel here youtube.com/user/surfingtandem HIKE ON!!