Hiking down the North Rim

Growing up, I had always envisioned the Grand Canyon as a barren place.  Not much life or growth around.  I had heard of people riding mules down some of the trails and others hiking on various parts.  After arriving at the Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, I can say, I had it all wrong.
There was trees, mostly pine and evergreens everywhere. 
The wild life was actually more abundant than what I witnessed just few days earlier at Yellowstone.  Buffalo and deer were abundant and easy to find, including the 2 deer that I walked up on while heading back to camp.
I had heard from several people that if I was going to visit the Grand Canyon, I must at least see the North Rim. 
The North Rim is the sometimes forgotten cousin of the South Rim.  The views were anything but forgotten.  I ventured out behind the park lodge towards Bright Angel Point.  It was a paved path, but sometimes narrow with many places to wander out of the rocks and boulders. 

I have to admit I wasn't prepared for the magnificence of what I saw and was mostly overwhelmed.  All the colors and shapes could take you in and keep you occupied for hours on end.  Some places where I took photos were up on ledges with no railings and it a long ways down.
After I got checked into the park campground, or basically a parking spot with not hookups, I decided that I wanted to take a hike.  I asked the rangers about several trails and they all seems great.  One trail caught my attention that you could travel down 2,000 feet in elevation to find a tunnel that was created many years ago. 

What they didn't tell me was it was also the trail the mules went up and down as well.  Let's just say it was an adventure within itself trudging down hill on a path that mules had constantly relieved themselves on.  The views however were worth it.  Yes, you could see the same things from above but to walk down the side of the north rim and see the sides from different angles was the payoff.  The views were one thing but all the people you met going and coming back up was great too.  I met people from just about all parts of the US and other parts of the world. 

I swear that one man my age and his son had to be from the Netherlands as he and I kept encouraging each other on the way back up as his barefoot son went up like a billy goat.  Others I met had actually started out on the South Rim early that morning and had made the 8 miles hike down, across and then up when I met them.  Others I would pass would ask if I had everything I needed like water and snacks as it seemed like everyone was helping each other along and wanted everyone to succeed.
I knew that the journey down was going to be easier than heading back up. 

I hiked 3 miles down before heading back up.  At times, I felt like I was on the beach because the soil was sandy but mostly rocky and very uneven.  I am very happy to say that it only took me 20 minutes longer to hike back up than what it took me to go down.  The altitude at the top was 8,300 feet and where I found the tunnel was 6,200 feet and the temperature changed about 12 degrees from top to bottom.
I haven't hiked that much or hard in 30 years since college.  I surprised even myself in how well I did and it felt like a major accomplishment and and extra big check mark from my bucket list.  Next up, lets go find "Disney Land"...