High Along the North Rim

Grand Canyon’s South Rim has provided awe many times in many seasons. What a difference a thousand feet makes. From high desert, the road leads up to meadows backed up to aspen, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir trees beside grazing mule deer. But I was even more enamored on the other side of the canyon with North Rim Grand Canyon National Park.

The park campground was full, but Ranger Stu Whipple sent me to dispersed camping in Kaibab National Forest. Two miles of gravel washboard on Forest Road 22 and a short turn left took me straight into a boondocking, tree-dotted clearing, a decent distance from another motorhome.

A knock at the door. Wow, neighbors from North Ranch! Over the next few days, Cathy and Ron Benton and I shared rides, hiking, ranger talks, a couple of meals, and one fabulous campfire.

Wonder of the World
Grand Canyon Lodge, built in 1928 by the Union Pacific Railroad, burned in 1932 but was redesigned and reopened in 1937 and was donated to the National Park Service in 1971. The front entrance with massive ponderosa pine beams and limestone façade leads you down into the Sun Room for your first awesome view into the North Rim. Patios are on both sides for photos, relaxing, ranger talks, or just taking it all in.

Visitors are especially captivated at sunrise and sunset by this massive geologic seventh wonder of the world. In 1919, Grand Canyon was declared a national park and 60 years later, a World Heritage Site. The North Rim receives only a small percentage of the 5 million sightseers who visit the South Rim.

The most convenient hike from the lodge is a quarter-mile paved but steep trail to 8,148-foot Bright Angel Point and spectacular views. It is on a ridge tied together with bridges between Roaring Springs and The Transept Canyons. According to the trail brochure, 1991 and 1992 landslides took out a large section of The Transept, which portends that “Someday the spot on which you are standing will be thin air.” That’s comforting?

Science from Oreos
The three of us went to hear ranger Whipple’s explanation of Grand Canyon geology. He must have been a teacher in his first life because he asked as many questions as he gave answers to, and had us performing as well. During the plateau uplifting, we raised hands skyward with a mighty “YA HO!” He gave everyone Oreo cookies, showing us how to maneuver them as examples of plate tectonics on the move. I guess you could call that Oreology.

Fortified with great deli in the Pines pizza, we enjoyed Stu’s “Forest Ranger Tales of the Old North Rim.” He fast became Our Favorite Ranger (OFR), and especially so in character wearing a 1926 ranger uniform. If asked something in the present, he’d say, “If I were to guess…“ If his question wasn’t answered right away, he’d say, “Take a guess; you’ll be wrong,” or “Watch my head” and it would be shaking yes or no. He told about being “one with the canyon” as were the characters he mentioned like Uncle Jimmy Owens and “Brighty.”

Brighty, the tiny burro, lived at the Grand Canyon from roughly 1892 to 1922. This loner roamed at will and loved giving children rides. The book “Brighty of the Grand Canyon” is now on my RV shelf for my grandson to read. Brighty actually met President Teddy Roosevelt and was the first to cross the new bridge over the Colorado River. His statue in the lodge has a very shiny nose from being rubbed for good luck.

Bright Night
One night I stayed for the stargazing program by—guess who? —OFR. Remember Bright Angel Point and its narrow path? We hiked that…in the dark…with a few dispersed flashlights. It was a perfect place to view stars. A heavenly talk, a few more stories, and I drove back to my campsite through a gauntlet of mule deer.

The Bentons joined me in going to the farthest point at Cape Royal for a rare panoramic view of the Colorado River. We stopped at Point Imperial, the highest point, 8,803 feet, on either rim. The Walhalla Ruins are the remains of where Native families lived nine hundred years ago. They may have farmed many such sites, including the Unkar Delta along the Colorado River, for at least two hundred years.

A Memorial Day service provided by National Park Service employees and participating veterans asked us for a “moment of silence for silent heroes” of all wars. The riderless horse was discombobulated, but the flag ceremony was reverent, even if the singing of the Star Spangled Banner was more than a little light on voices.

Weather Extremes
In the meantime, Cathy and Ron hiked 2 1/2 miles of the Widforss Trail that follows the canyon rim and really enjoyed it. Gunnar Widforss was a 1930s artist who painted watercolors of the Grand Canyon in all its glory.

As OFR put it, “The North Rim never closes…but the road does.” This happens when the first heavy snow hits the 8,000-plus elevations in either November or December and the road doesn’t reopen until mid-May or when the snow melts. The first two days of my six-day visit, wind gusts of 50 mph nearly blew me away. Nights shivered in the low 30s. Mid-60 afternoons were delightful.

The temperature 3,000 feet below at the Colorado River presents a different story. I recall from my mule-riding adventure, also in May, that it was fantastic at the rim and 105 degrees at the canyon bottom. Summer temps climb even higher. July, August and early September bring thunderstorms and their own need for precautions. In my opinion, spring and fall are the best times to visit either rim.

Park Amenities
I love eating breakfast out. I think it has something to do with not having to order vegetables. The Bentons and I shared a great buffet breakfast in the rustic dining room, looking directly into North Rim eternity. The Rough Rider Saloon also had coffee and baked goods, plus Happy Hour fare, and no park would be complete without a gift shop and post office.

The Visitor Center staff answered inane questions and gave invaluable suggestions. The Guide, a free NPS newspaper, was very helpful with activities, services and times. The Grand Canyon Association sells books, CDs, puzzles, and other interesting publications as educational tools.
Beauty can be deadly. Edges crumble. Gravel slides. Humans fly but have not yet perfected landing. Be careful while aiming for that perfect photograph. Enjoy all our national parks. Take only memories; leave only footprints, and be careful where you leave those. God Bless.

Autographed copies of Revised RVing Alaska and Canada ($16.95); Adventures with the Silver Gypsy ($14.95); Full-Time RVing: How to Make it Happen $14.95); In Pursuit of a Dream ($8), and Freedom Unlimited, The Fun and Facts of Full-timing ($9) are available through author Sharlene Minshall, Box 1040, Congress, AZ 85332-1040, www.full-time-rver.com or Amazon.com. Postage and handling are $4 for one book and $1 for each additional book.