I Won The Lottery!

Well, I did not expect to win my Grand Canyon backcountry campground lottery on my first try, especially since our two-week window in May is one of the most desirable times to hike to the floor of the canyon—not cold and icy at the rim, not too hot on the desert floor. I've wanted to hike down and stay at the iconic Phantom Ranch since my first hike below the rim in 2016. That I accomplished in 2018 with my good friend and hiking pal Ira (3 parts: South Kaibab, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel). It was then I started musing about camping on the floor, and then backpacking from the south rim to the north rim and back.

While I could certainly do this 40+ mile hike in two days like some hardcore people do, one thing I learned from my last trip to the floor is that I hiked it too fast, leaving little time to explore this amazing billion-year-old refutation to the young Earth folks. I wanted to backpack it, camping in several campgrounds, with plenty of time to explore. That would also require carrying substantial weight, probably about forty pounds. In the interim, while I have been hatching this plan, my brother Jon visited Tucson last January for a few days of hiking (Wasson Peak) and biking (26 miles up Mt. Lemmon). Jon fell in love with Arizona hiking so I suggested he join me on a R2R2R (rim to rim to rim) backpacking adventure before we're too decrepit.

Campground sites are doled out with a lottery system, and spaces are hard to get—over 30 thousand applicants for 13 thousand spots throughout the year. However, the best and safest time to hike R2R2R is the last two weeks in May and the month from September 15-October 15. It's too hot on the desert floor other times of the year, and the North Rim is closed from October 16 through May 14. So we were extremely lucky to land five nights at four campgrounds during this most desirable 15-day window. Come May, my brother Jon and I are heading for an adventure.

Grand Canyon trip, February 25, 2016