The Largest Drainage Ditch - Part 4B

Friday, May 20th – Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim to Kanab, Arizona/Utah – Day 99 

We were advised to leave our trailer for the 45-minute drive we were going to take to get to Point Royal, the highest point in the park. We decided that we wanted to start the Kaibab trail on both sides of the canyon with hopes that one day we could come back and go rim to rim. Just like the south rim, we went down to the first lookout. 

The hike to Coconino Overlook, was 2.2 km round trip with 240m of elevation change, the trail was more heavily wooded than the south and followed a much more relaxed path, and by relaxed path, I mean no sheer drop offs. There were some but they were fewer in numbers. The kids were great on the way down. The Coconino Overlook provided a stunning view of the canyon; you could see the trail extending down to the river. Yet again, it looked like a lot of fun. There were a bunch of people coming up that had started on the south rim that morning, twelve hours ago. We talked to a few of them about what it was like, and it seemed tough but doable. 

The way up was miserable. John did not want to walk one metre from that overlook. I went through the series of bribes and punishments. If you walk up to an undefined point ahead, we can take a break and drink Gatorade and eat a gummy. If you don’t start walking you will lose screen time for the rest of the day. They did not phase him. At the end, I just picked him up and carried him up the hill for a bit. He ultimately decided to cry and walk up the hill at the same time. 

John looking very innocent

To be continued...