Chris - This is a fun route and also a challenging
one. We have done it before but during December. Of
course when we did it we started from the south rim
and hiked down bright angle (day 1) next day we went
up to cottonwood (day 2) day 3 we were up in the north
rim...it was a ghost town as it is closed during
winter...we had about 6 inches of snow that night day
4 we hiked all the way down to the phantom ranch...it
is not a bad hike. Day 5 we hiked to salt creek and
day 6 to monument creek and day 7 hiked out through
hermits rest ( a tough hike out)

The trails are very well marked...so no worries....

As regards permits...you don't have to book it in
advance...we usually do it about 3 to 4 weeks before.
Once you fax it in call the back-country office the
next day and they will let you know if you got the
permit. If you do not have a permit...u can get one
if you go to GC...but not for more than 2 days permit.

The spring time is a little unpredictable because of
rain...fall may be better...summer is really bad. The
water source on this route is not bad. If you are
strapped for time you could do this...fly into las
veges...get a bus to the north rim...start the hike
and go down to phantom ranch day 1 and day 2 you could
hike out through kaibab rather than bright angle... it
is a slow hike as it is steep....

If you have more time you can check the route we did.
well...if you need more info ples email and i will try
to help.

The grand canyon is absolutely fabulous...we go there
every year during thanksgiving and have been doing so
for the last 8 years.

Happy hiking

Narmada



--- Chris Bechard <chris@...> wrote:

> Hello:
>
> Myself and three other very experienced hikers are
> planning a rim-to-
> rim hike from the North Rim via the North Kaibab
> trail, staying
> overnight at the Phantom Ranch (to avoid having to
> haul camping
> gear), then up Bright Angel to the South Rim. We
> wish to do this the
> weekend before Memorial Day (5/19-5/20/07).
>
> I have been told to seek permits/reservations for
> this hike six or
> more months in advance, but when I go to the
> Backcountry Office site,
> they say permits can only be made 4 months in
> advance.
>
> Any recommendations as to how to proceed to have our
> best chance at
> success in securing a permit? Any recommendations as
> to how to get
> back to the North Rim? Anywhere else to stay at the
> South Rim other
> than El Tovar (heard this was very hard to get a
> reservation at.)
>
> Do you think it would be better to go in the early
> fall than in the
> spring?
>
> Any and all assistance would be most appreciated! I
> live right next
> to Rocky Mountain National Park and would be more
> than happy to help
> anyone out with logistics in this area.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Chris Bechard
> Estes Park, Colorado
>
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com