September 10: Below the North Rim 

Emma and I break camp and do the easy walk to the North Kaibab Trailhead by 8:30. Then we’re over the rim and into the canyon. Every half hour we pass down through another vegetation zone (aspens, pines, pinyon) and another cliff layer (white, grey, red). We walk quickly and easily, getting into the rhythm of walking with 30 pound packs. Because it’s so remote, there are almost no day hikers on this side of the canyon, and the few people we see mean business: rim to rim hikers, an ultra marathoner going rim to rim to rim (about 50 miles round trip) and a work crew laying stone underneath the trail near Supai Tunnel. 

Last summer, we had hiked to just below Supai Tunnel as a family, so from here on its all new territory. After 4 miles we pass Roaring Springs, which supplies drinking water to the North Rim above us. The water gushes from the bottom of the cliff to the east, then settles into a cold creek that parallels our trail for the rest of the day. Just after noon we’ve hiked 7 miles and reached Cottonwood Campground. The canyon opens up and the desert views are amazing. 

We grab one of 11 spots that are hidden off in the desert on either side of the trail. Our spot looks like it had its own set designer: a a big mesquite to one side of us and a view of the cliffs on the other. We set up our tents in the shade of the tree, hang packs from an iron post, then plunge into the cold, deep pools of Bright Angel Creek to escape the heat. 

A good rule in the Arizona desert is to avoid doing anything in the sun between 10-2. The heat is especially brutal just after noon. It sucks the air out of everything. By 3pm, however, when the shadows start to lengthen, we go on a 3 mile side trip to Ribbon Falls. It is magic. It’s hard to explain the beauty. Minerals from a lacy waterfall have formed a travertine dome over the years where the water hits the canyon floor. The dome is covered with a delicate green moss and the water glistens like crystal as it trickles down into the pool below. 

It’s also hard to explain the peaceful, grateful feeling of exploring this little canyon with Emma. Emma takes the trail up to the falls, and looks back over the canyon floor from behind the waterfall curtain. I take a different trail down, and swim into the cave formed at the base of the travertine dome. Time slows down.

Back at camp that night, after slowly walking back from Ribbon Falls in the dusk, we feast on ramen noodles and freeze dried spaghetti. We love it. It gets dark by 7:30 and we’re tired by 8. We can see the lights from the Grand Canyon Lodge glowing at the highest point in the cliffs above and behind us.