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Hiking out of the Grand Canyon is not fun. Hiking out of the Grand Canyon is an ordeal. At Phantom Ranch the Colorado River is a vertical mile below the canyon rims. The fourteen-mile trail from the river to the North Rim gains so much elevation that it passes through five of the seven life zones found in North America. Ecologically speaking, the experience is like walking from Mexico to Canada in a day. The South Rim trails are even steeper. Hiking from Phantom Ranch up to the South Rim is comparable to climbing the stairs to the top of the Sears Tower three times. Landmarks along the way indicate the mood the climb puts one in - Devil's Corkscrew, Asinine Hill, Heartbreak Ridge, Skeleton Point. At best, a rim-to rim hike is like having your feet glued to a Stairmaster in Hades for five hours, with the machine set to torment level nine. At worst, the endeavor is deadly. |
| - Andrea Lankford, Ranger Confidential |
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