Grand Canyon Rim 2 River 2 Rim (South Kaibab to Bright Angel) - June 2023

This video contains a series of short clips of my Rim-2-River-2-Rim hike on June 10, 2023. I hiked down the South Kaibab trail, on the south rim and then hiked up the Bright Angel trail back up to the south rim. We had planned to do a Rim-2-Rim (beginning on the north rim and coming up the south rim), but the snow was not gone by the end of May, and so had to change our plans for this year.

This is a great hike, but it requires preparation. Hiking distances is good preparation, but you need to work on up and down hill sections as well. The South Kaibab trail goes downhill steeply for 6+ miles and this is can be brutal on the legs if you are not used to it. For a Rim-to-Rim, the North Kaibab trail is 14 miles down, but it is less steep.

I have access to a 5-story building, and I did periodic stair walking, up and down. Step machines are good for uphill, but they do not simulate downhill, so in addition, walking up and down hills is good. The quads get a workout on a long downhill. Indoors, you can work the quads doing leg extensions, lunges, and squats. In hindsight, I may have been a little overprepared, but I did not want to be "the guy" who has to get hauled out.

Heat can definitely be an issue in late spring, summer, and into the fall, as the bottom of the canyon can be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was in the 90s during this hike. I had planned to go with 3 other people, but due to some logistical issues I ended up going by myself. This was not a problem however, because people on the trails watch out for one another and rangers also check on people to make sure they are OK.