Grand Canyon National Park - Widforss Point - June 12, 2010 - Member Trip Report
| Hike Name: | Grand Canyon National Park - Widforss Point |
|---|---|
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Arizona |
| Trip Rating: |  |
| Trip Date: | June 12, 2010 |
| Duration: | 4 hours, 15 minutes |
| Trail Conditions: | Fair |
| Trail Traffic: | Light to Moderate |
| Trip Weather: | Cloudy |
| Trip Winds: | Moderate |
| Trip Precipitation: | Showers, Sleet, Hail |
| Trip Temperature: | High: 61-70, Low: 31-40 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Trip Report: | Debbi and I repeated my 1972 trip to this place but had a far different experience. We camped in the completely full North Rim Campground (I noticed that there were a lot of campers at DeMotte, as well). We also started the day with a walk out to Bright Angel Point, as we did in '72, although it was crowded this time. At the trailhead, we found 7 or 8 vehicles already parked, so it is obvious that the north rim has been discovered in the last 38 years. Under pleasant blue skies we set out from the trailhead, but we had not taken any precautions against changes in the weather -- a first for me. The first half of the trail was pleasant although we could hear the roll of thunder across the canyon. Most of the aspen trees are gone due to the forest fire that raged through here in 2006. In their place is a lot of dead and burned timber lying on the ground, with ponderosa pine now being the most predominant tree in the area. Our views of the Transept were great, but they came with the rather disquieting view of the dark skies to our south and occasional flashes of lightning. No quitters, we just figured if the thunderstorms hit us, we would simply sit them out under some trees. With about 1.5 miles to go to the end, we began to feel light showers off and on, and the sky overhead was now completely gray. Just as we arrived at the end of the trail at Widforss Point, we could see a thunderstorm rapidly approaching us from across the canyon. Before a minute had passed, we were hit by a strong cold wind and hail began falling. The hail intensified and continued for 10 or 15 minutes, during which time we took cover under a ponderosa pine. With all of the hail, the temperature had dropped in a matter of minutes and was now barely above freezing. We had not brought either raingear or even jackets -- I was in a t-shirt. When the hail finally abated, we decided it was time to hike as fast as possible to keep the blood flowing and avoid hypothermia. And that we did, occasionally stopping when precipitation returned in the form of sleet. Now the trail was muddy and slushy -- very slippery. With 1.5 miles to go, we figured that the thunderstorm was here to stay for a time, and rather than wait out the latest blast of sleet, we made a dash for the car. Cold and wet when we arrived, it was none too soon as the sleet turned to snow within 10 minutes of our arrival at the car. We got warm and dry again quickly, but my thoughts were with the many hikers on trails off the north rim who were not as lucky and were at that moment getting a heavy wet snow dumped on them. |
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