The Bill Hall trail started out climbing right away but at a fairly easy pace. It went up a hill, along a gully, through the gully and then up the other side. It liked that so much that it then proceeded to do it again. The trail then leveled out a bit and headed for the break in the Hermit Shale and Coconino Sandstone that it would follow for most of the ascent. The trail starts to get steeper as you approach this climb and before you know it it's starting to switchback up the side. At around 6:30 I crossed the big rockfall that had the nicer fossils and by 6:45 I was at the top of the switchbacks. There was a very nice overlook just off to the right of the trail so I stopped and ate breakfast and took in the view. Last night I got to watch nightfall come and now I was watching the day return. It's too bad that it's almost over.

After a good rest I headed for the rim. I came upon the cliff that gave me problems on the way down right way. It made me a little nervous but I had no problem climbing it on the way out. After the cliff there were a few more switchbacks before the trail settled down to following a nice leisurely contour to the southwest. Shortly before 7:30 I passed behind Bridger's Knoll and began the final climb to the rim. This top section of trail was very steep and rocky and was a real pain coming down. Going up with 20 or so less pounds of weight it was a lot easier. At 7:45 I was back on the rim and by 8:00 I was pack at the Jeep. It still looked like crap but at least now we were a matched set. The first thing I did was put on some clean clothes. I then said my goodbyes to the North Rim, hopped in the Jeep and headed for where else... the South Rim... and maybe a quick day hike... :)