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Hiking Pennsylvania’s “Grand Canyon” West Rim Trail – 30 miles in two days!

This was my first adventure with the MD/DC/VA hiking meetup group! The scenery along Pine Creek Gorge (located outside Wellsboro in North Central PA ) was mostly dense forest w/ the occasional overlook of the canyon.

Maroon Bells

Hiking around Maroon Lake

Lower Cataract Lake

Hiking in Eagles Nest Wilderness

Flagstaff Mountain

Hiking and Climbing in Boulder

Twin Lakes

Camping at Twin Lakes

Continental Divide

We hiked 7.1 miles along South Kaibab Trail down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon (4,800 ft elevation change).

We dipped our toes in the Colorado River (icy cold!) briefly before heading to Phantom Ranch, where we ate some lunch and had some lemonade.

My favorite part of the hike was along the Bright Angel Trail leaving the Colorado River

Then, 9.6 miles hiking up from the Colorado River to the Bright Angel Trailhead (4,400 ft elevation change).

[ View more photos from the South Kaibab & Bright Angel Trails ]

More trail info/maps and training/hiking tips…

Havasupai Falls, Arizona

Well, I can say that I survived my 1st backpacking trip down to Havasupai Falls–Next time I’m hiring a mule

It was a 10 mile hike from the hilltop down to the campground, but only the first 1.5 miles consisted of steep switchbacks… the rest of the way was relatively flat.  Beforehand, I attended some informative REI workshops on how to pack light and only carry the bare essentials.  Also, it was nice that the group I went with had camping gear to share w/ everyone.

Day 1 — We hiked down to the campground, unloaded our gear, and went and checked out Mooney Falls.  It involved a little bit of climbing/scrambling down a cliff, using chains and ladders to get down to the bottom, but it was fun!

Day 2 — Today, we hiked past Mooney Falls and continued along the trail (which involved several creek crossings up to waist deep) to get to Beaver Falls and play in the water.  The scenery along the way is SPECTACULAR!  Later that evening, there was a full moon out so we headed over to Havasu Falls to get some nighttime photography.

Day 3 — Hike out.  I think the early morning light is much better for photographing Havasu falls and also the new two falls that were formed after the flash flood last year.  Also, some have commented that the tribe has done a wonderful job cleaning up after the flood and that the campgrounds are much nicer than before.
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El Golfo, Mexico

Approximately a 6 hour drive from Phoenix, El Golfo consists of a tiny fishing village with primitive beaches perfect for a quiet getaway.  Be sure to have a 4WD vehicle and check the times for high tide–we got there around high tide and got stuck in the sand a few times.  Some of our friends got stuck, so we drove to our campsite to unload, but by the time we got back to help them out the tide had come in and we couldn’t get across.  Oops.  Good tip I learned is to let out some air from your tires to around 10PSI–when you’re ready to head back, there is a lil shack that will put air in your tires for you.

Our campsite was a few miles down the beach.  We had a few catamarans and kayaks to enjoy 3 days on the water.  For dinners, we ran into town and bought some fresh fish and seafood (yummy shrimp!).  On our way out, we stopped at one of the taco stands–some of the best tacos I’ve had!

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Horton Creek Trail, Payson, Arizona

Being from the East Coast, I was searching out spots to do some fall color photography… Although, some of the colors have faded, it was still a lovely, leisurely hike along the creek.  Once you reach the end of the trail, turn right and walk a 100 yds to get go the Spring, which makes for a nice lunchspot and turnaround point.

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