Slow Hiking Time

Not on Sycamore Rim, but similar landscape

I have been unable to walk much recently so have gotten out of shape. My thoughts have gone to walks o’ the past. One hike was to the Sycamore Rim Loop Trail which was about an 11 mile hike. I was probably the least experienced hiker of the bunch, but as our intrepid guide (IG) said, I had a “good hiking constitution.” I think that meant I could go for long distances without complaining. She figured we would start around 9 am and be done about noon or one.

She described the hike as easy, but long. We would be doing the hike reverse what other hikers typically do, to get the harder part out of the way.

Okay. Let me describe this hike. Take a flat sixty inch round table. Throw on a table cloth, roughly. Don’t make it smooth. So there are bumps here and there, right? But overall pretty flat. Pretend the trail goes around the edge of the table.

Now go get a mixing bowl that has steep sides and plunk it down in the middle of the trail. Oh, you might say, but the trail can go around the bowl. But it doesn’t. The bowl is called KA Hill and the trail goes up one side and down the other. Go ahead and come up with all sorts of meanings for the acronym KA- we did. The description says it’s a 500 foot elevation gain, seemed higher.

So we went up and down the unnecessary hill first instead of last, and I am thankful for that. Overall the hike was really amazing. It hits some highlights along the Sycamore Rim: Sycamore Falls (they were dry), wetlands, other viewpoints of the rim. This is a hike I would do again.

Towards the end of the hike we lost the trail. We were in good hands with our IG and others who had maps and compasses and we headed off through the woods. At one point our IG turned to check on me and I looked up and whump, fell flat on my face. I think my knee did hit a rock, but what I remember most is soft cushion of the thick bed pine needles. The fall was almost comfortable.

We met up with the trail without any further incidents. I think we made it back to the cars by about 4 pm. Our IG was definitely not on slow hiking time when she thought we would be done by noon.

I wish I had photos of this trip. This is a very pretty area (especially the vistas looking over the rim) and I hope to visit again soon- hiking. Some of the places are accessible via car.