| My approach was not quite so leisurely, but, no complaints. With no technical gear, my pack weighed in at about 35 lbs, leaving the trusty Honda. Gliding down the Bill Hall Trail, and dropping 2QT waterbottles in two places - casual.
But (and there always has to be a but...) - permits in the GC are sometimes hard to get. Calling the backcountry desk, I found out they only answer questions from the public 1 pm to 5 pm at this time of year. So I called back at 1 pm. With the North Rim permit office closed, I would have to drive to the South Rim to get my permit (only a 4 hour drive out of my way). The ranger on the phone insisted that I REALLY NEEDED to plan my trip at least 3 months in advance - really the best way to have a primitive and unconfined recreation experience, I'm sure!
Reading the website, they said I could get a permit at a few other places, including Pipe Spring National Monument, which was on my way down. I called down there, and with a little hunting around they found me a person who said "Yes, we can write you a permit".
The next day, I drove down there, of course, for me, running 4 hours behind schedule.
"Yes, we can write you a permit. We must write 2 or 3 a year!".
In fact, it was such a rare event, that the senior ranger used it as a training for the less-senior ranger. We chatted for a while, and after some phone tag with the GCNP backcountry office, I had my permit and was on my way.
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