9/13 Hiking the Transept Trail

The lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon sits on a point of land, Bright Angel Point, that is about a mile wide and six or seven miles long.  On the east side of the point is Roaring Springs Canyon, where both sides of the rim get all their spring water.  On the west side of the point is the Transept, a 3,000 foot deep canyon formed by a fault that cuts across all the way to the South Rim.

The North Rim Campground is a mile or so up the point from the lodge and visitor center.  Other than driving, the Transept Trail is the only way to get to the lodge along the rim.  It cuts through a lot of Ponderosa Pine forest and has some good views of the canyon. 

My campsite was about 300 feet from the beginning of this trail, so today, after consulting with a couple who assured me that they were out of shape and had managed to walk it, I decided to give it a try, even with the high altitude.  Here is the start of the trail near my campsite: 

And some views along the way:

 

 

And here is a 1,000 year old ruin, along the way:

And finally, the lodge at the end!  Climbed up about 40 steps and sat on the porch and rested for a while:

Course, when you get somewhere, you have to hike back.  I decided to take the Bridle trail, which was a bit longer, but supposedly flatter, except it really wasn't.  It was wide and also cut through a lot of forest, but no views of the rim.  Pretty forest, however, and nice walk.

And saw this fellow just before the campground:

Knees were really sore by the time I got back, and the sun was getting low, but overall, I think I did well at 8,200 feet!  Total distance was almost 3 miles.  Whew.