West Rim Trail weekend.
Well, I had hopes of doing three 10mi days for my first longer hike of the year. Ended up powering through two 15mi days as my feet were pretty torn up. Not sure whether it was the socks or boots or the load on my back, or a combination of all three. The descending really put a hurting on my toes.
Weather was as perfect as could be Fri and Sat. Ended night 1 at Bradley Wales area/vista which I had to myself. Minus a nosey porcupine who stuck around all night climbing trees. Even stayed for breakfast! Figured I would get most of the miles done on day 2 for a real easy day 3 and drive home. With how my feet felt I figured it was wise to wrap it up in two days and have Sunday to test so I powered through. All of the vistas are incredible but the highlights are def. at the Northern end with some amazing photo ops. I got to see an owl, several small snakes, a porcupine and only one deer. No bears!
The trail is so well marked I never worried about losing it. The road sections are the only spots where double checking would be wise. The exposure around the road crossings and some of the miles between 15-25 was tough. Tons of shade on the trail, but do not underestimate the heat and sun on the open sections. Huge thanks to my shuttle driver also, who volunteered to drive me after seeing a post on here regarding shuttles. I was unable to book one through Pine Creek Outfitters due to the Regatta happening.