Having spent the night at Cliff Dwellers Lodge in Marble Canyon at the foot of the Vermillion Cliffs, we had to wake shortly after 4:00 a.m. to beat the sunrise and get on the road early. The drive is only 75 miles to the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but with roads a-twisting it is a slow path. By 4:30, we are in the car, and at 5:45 we stop for a quick photo in front of the National Park sign.

It’s only ten after six, we are on the Widforss’ trail.

Through the forest along a well-defined trail, we began our ten-mile round-trip hike. This photo was taken as the light began to fill the canyon, and our trail made its closest approach to the rim.

And back into the woods, through drainages, up the hill, and down the hill, we continue walking through the forest.

Somewhere along the way, we pass an empty tent; its inhabitants already are gone, maybe to catch sunrise out at the point.

It’s quiet out here, no throngs, no hordes, no screaming, just the early morning tweets of the avian population whose song is the perfect backdrop for nature’s stage. Squirrels scatter as we approach; we even catch a glimpse of the Kaibab squirrel, which only makes its home here on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

We take our time walking through the forest. Living in Phoenix, we are forever enchanted when we find ourselves in the lush, cool greenery where trees grow tall, and a carpet of green grows naturally. We have all day to wander; the alternative would be to stumble into the busy tourist zone, not that the north rim is all that overrun – it only sees a fraction of the visitors that go to the super crowded south rim.

Finally, we pass other hikers, but they are heading toward us. Not only are they hikers they are carrying full backpacking gear. As we pass, they say something about their camp last night below the rim, unfortunately, they didn’t wait around to tell us more about their point of origin or how long they had been on the trail. A few minutes later, a small group of 20-somethings, we guess the owners of the tent we passed a few miles back come walking along. So far, we are the only people walking out. And then the floodgates open, first one couple passes us, then another, as with so many others on hiking trails, these people seem to be in a race to collect a prize.

Widforss Point, we have arrived. Not bad; it only took us four hours to walk the five miles out. This is much better than our more typical leisurely one-mile-per-hour pace. One of the couples that passed us is already gone, and the second couple departs within moments of our arrival. We sit down at the picnic table and spend no less than an hour out here. Often, the thought arises about the people who build these remote trails. It’s likely that we struggle to carry ourselves out here, and these people move steel, wood, and cement to make bridges; they haul picnic tables out here and cut through stone and earth to make our way all the easier while we take a Saturday morning stroll in the woods.

The sun is high up in the sky, and it’s close to midday as we depart Widforss Point. The people and kids are starting to stream in. As usual, after sleeping in and settling in for a late breakfast, the regular folk begin their amble into nature. With six, seven, and eight kids in tow, oblivious parents tolerate their screaming children intruding into the silence. They will not hear the birds or witness the animals in their natural habitat. The animals get their signal to abandon their wild behaviors and head to the trail to partake in a scrumptious, sugary, carb-laden diet that the two-legged creatures who spill food will supply to all those who scurry over. It is nearly a race for us to leave the trail before the other visitors catch up with us on their return trek.

Done with our hike we drive the short distance to Grand Canyon Lodge and the visitors center. Caroline has a mission today. We had heard that the ranger staff at the Grand Canyon was reluctant to help adults become Junior Rangers; well, at least out here on the north rim of the canyon, that is not true. With great encouragement, the ranger hands Caroline her Junior Ranger booklet and wishes her luck. Out rim-side, we take a seat, look into the canyon, and await the Ranger Program which is a requisite to earn your badge. Having to attend Ranger Programs is one of the positive side-effects of the Jr. Ranger system – in the past, we’ve been more interested in exploring the parks on our own, but each Ranger Program we’ve attended since January has been enlightening and thought-provoking. (Today’s program was about the geologic history of the Grand Canyon.)

Not long before the visitors center was to close, Caroline went in with a booklet complete for all three age groups, was sworn in as a Grand Canyon Junior Ranger, received her Junior Ranger badge, and purchased three award patches for Raven, Coyote, and Scorpion age levels. Thinking she was done, we noticed a patch not earned and enquired about its status only to find out that it was the Discovery Program patch, “Do you want to do it too?”. Loaded up with a backpack full of tools and information, tomorrow will be spent earning another patch.

Our day ended with a two-mile canyon rim walk from the campground along the Transept trail towards the lodge and back.

Feet tired, we retired.