Is That Just An Overlook?

Yesterday I completed the Rim-To-River-To-Rim hike at the Grand Canyon, going from the top down to the river and back in a single day.

I was a little behind schedule yesterday when I stopped to watch the sunrise from inside of the canyon.

Even so, I was fortunate to be as early as I was. A taxi service will take you around the park when the shuttles aren't running for just $15. When I called at 4:30 to hitch a ride from Bright Angel (where I finished and wanted to leave the Jeep) to South Kaibab (where I started), I only had to wait ten minutes.

By the end of the 15-minute drive, the wait was up to 45 minutes.

And as soon as I hit the trail, I could see why.

As far as I could see, through the blackness into the canyon was a line of headlamps.

Turns out, this was "the weekend" for rim-to-rim hikes, where folks go down the South Kaibab trail, cross the river, and go up the North Kaibab trail to the other side of the canyon.

Yes, that's on my list of things to do now, but not on a weekend in October!

About 1 mile in, when I was getting hot and needed to shed the fleece longjohns beneath my pants, I stopped and waited for a break in the traffic to do so with a bit of privacy.

That break never came, so after ten minutes, I finally stripped down to nearly buck-naked and changed right in the crowd.

I got a few giggles.

But I also got a whistle!

Everybody in this long line of traffic was in a big rush like they were already running late even though it was only 5:00 AM.

I'd planned on a sunrise breakfast at Skeleton Point, but, with all the people, I decided to stop short and watch it from a random spot on the trail.

Another hiker appeared as I was enjoying my hardboiled eggs and cheese slices.

"Is this Skeleton Point?"

"No, sir."

"So is this just an overlook then?"

"Come again? I'm not sure what you mean."

"Are you stopped at just some random overlook?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. I mean, the whole damn trail is an overlook.

One long, amazing overlook.

Still, this dude was not too happy that I hadn't rushed to a named point to have breakfast.

That set the tone for the rest of the morning. All the way to the bottom, save for one other person, everyone seemed hellbent on getting to the bottom as fast as possible, the journey be damned.

Like a big trout, I let them run. Thankfully, most of them spit the hook and headed north to the other rim when I cut west, headed for Bright Angel.

Finally, I had some solitude for a couple of miles.

But it didn't last. By halfway up the trail, I caught up to the massive number of people hiking partway down Bright Angel to see the view and turn around.

When I reached the top, it looked like I was in line for a concert or football game at Panther's stadium.

Still, it felt good to finish.

I didn't stick around to watch the sunset in the park, opting to drive south to Kaibab National Forest, where I found the solitude I'd missed along the trail.

Then it was just me, a fire, and some leftover Chipotle steak from the Live Event a few days ago.

And I have to tell you, I felt a lot like heaven.