29 Jul Rim to Rim Week

Hello everyone, This past week, the YCC veg crew went on a hike starting at the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park to the north rim. We spent the first four days in the canyon and the fifth day we explored the north rim, Vermilion Cliffs, Lee’s Ferry, and then drove back to the south rim. On Monday, it took us less than three hours to get to Indian Garden, where we stayed at the bunkhouse just below the Redwall Limestone formation. The YCC members learned a lot about the canyon’s botany, fauna, and its geologic history, especially after our voluntary hike to Plateau Point where we saw many fossils (worm burrows, trilobites, etc.). The second day, we started hiking from Indian Garden to Phantom Ranch at 4:00 a.m. It took us four hours to cross the Silver Bridge over the great Colorado River. We made a few stops to explore the area and even dip our feet in the Colorado River. After reaching our bunkhouse at Phantom Ranch, we met up with the physical science crew conducting research on the Phantom Ranch tributary, where they were measuring the dimensions of the stream, discharge, and gathering samples to test the uranium content to make sure the drinking water is safe for use. On the third day, we woke up at 4:00 am again and headed over towards Manzanita. This took us slightly less than five hours to cover because the hike was uphill for about seven miles. We could see Ribbon Falls to our left before getting to Cottonwood rest stop, and after reaching Manzanita, YCC explored Roaring Springs. After our small hike to Roaring Springs, everyone had enough energy to get to know one another and play a few card and board games. The last day of hiking approached shortly after our rest at Manzanita, and everyone gathered their strength to hike up to the north rim at a steep 25 degree incline for almost six miles. We all made it in five hours, and then explored the lodge and view of the south rim and the San Francisco Mountains. We relaxed shortly afterwards and made our journey home. Sebastian