Day 7. Up and Out

Mile 91 – Bright Angel Campground To Mile 105 – Stealth

After a night of wind and rain at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, we woke up to a clear and very warm morning. We got packed quickly before daylight and started our long trek, racing the heat that would come around 10:00.

To start our way up, we crossed the Black Bridge across the Colorado River. The bridge was built several decades ago, but remains an impressive feat of engineering.

Shortly after crossing the bridge we had to pause to let a line of mules pass on the way down. Other than what could be carried down by humans, everything at the bottom is brought in by horse or mule.

The sun quickly caught up to us, but temperatures were steadily decreasing as we made our way up. We stopped for a snack about two thirds of the way there while a group of unenthusiastic teenagers on a weekend trip trudged past headed down.

Near the top, tourists started pouring in from the parking lot. We weaved around them and finally, after hours, reached the top. Two other thruhikers had finished around the same time.