The Wyants and Clarks Visit Arizona, 2002
Hiking the South Kaibab Trail
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When we arrived at the Grand Canyon on the Wednesday afternoon, October 16, the weather was clear, sunny, warm and ideal for viewing the Canyon from the South Rim. However, the weather forecast called for rain the next day and that forecast proved to be accurate. When our group (Millie and Ralph Wyant, Kay and Lyle Clark, Cindy and Dave Wyant) started down the South Kaibab Trail at 8:30am on Thursday morning, the skies were gray, the air was cool (45-50º) and a few light raindrops were falling.
 South Kaibab trailhead |
 Four switchbacks down |
 Lyle leads the way |
As we proceded down the trail, the weather worsened and began to drizzle. By the time we got to Cedar Ridge, 1.5 miles and 1200' below the rim, the drizzle was steady and we were all in our rain protection. We took shelter under the overhangs at the Cedar Ridge bathroom and waited. Clouds and fog moved into the Canyon and virtually obscured all views. After 30 minutes with no improvement, we decided to call it quits and head back up. There seemed to be no apparent reason to continue on through rain and cold, with no views. Our goal of Skeleton Point would wait for another day.
 Kay and Lyle |
 Into inclimate weather |
 Shelter at Cedar Ridge |
The climb back to the rim was interesting in that the trail was wet, slippery, and contained many puddles. As we climbed higher, the air warmed slightly and rain decreased, making the day actually somewhat pleasant. A low-lying cloud created a fog on the trail that made it sometimes difficult to see everyone in our strung-out procession.
 Ghost-like figures climbing |
 Storm on the Kaibab |
 Back at the rim |
Following our half-day hike to Cedar Ridge, the sky cleared and the sun came out. We spent the remainder of the afternoon viewing the Canyon from viewpoints along the West Rim Drive. Proceed to the rim views page for additional photos from our Grand Canyon trip.
