May 3-7
The morning of May 3rd, Shaun and I set off to visit one of the world's great wonders, the Grand Canyon. (Or as my brother John calls it, the Big Ditch). The drive from Phoenix to the Canyon is about 4 hours and it is quite beautiful. You go through all sorts of different scenery and all types of geography along the way, from arid, cactus strewn deserts to lush green forests. Even when you finally arrive at the gates to the park, there are trees and brush all around and it seems like maybe you are just entering a forest. It's not until you take a corner well inside the park that you can fully grasp the wonder that is the Grand Canyon.
Shaun at the Mather Point overlook
Upon arriving, we made a quick stop at Mather Point (named for Steven Mather, the godfather of the National Park system) and then headed up to Mather Campground to set up camp. The campground was lovely. It wasn't near the actual canyon, but the park has a great shuttle bus service that takes you all over the park for free. Other than a few quick trips to the general store for firewood, we barely moved the car once we arrived. It didn't take long to set up the tent, put out our camp chairs, propane stove and the camp table we had borrowed from my brother Patrick. The site had a picnic table and a fire ring and was on a corner set back into some trees. It was quite peaceful.
Our great little campsite
After so much driving we both decided we needed to shake off the dust, so we changed our clothes and headed over to the Rim Trail. The Rim Trail, as you may have guessed, runs 13 miles along the upper perimeter of the Canyon. Shaun went for a run and I went for a walk, both of us taking lots of breaks along the way to gaze at the Canyon in the beautiful afternoon light. After meeting back up, we stopped at the general store to get some ice and firewood and headed back to the campground to make dinner and settle in for the night.
Not a bad place for a run...
...or a walk!
We camped for three nights at Mather Campground. The nights were pretty cold, which is normal for the desert, but we found that as long as we bundled up we were warm enough to sleep. The bathrooms weren't far away, but they were far enough that you wouldn't want to walk there in the middle of the night, so I instituted a "no drinks after 9PM" rule for myself. In the morning I always woke up before Shaun so I would start the campfire immediately and warm myself by the fire while the water boiled for coffee. And speaking of coffee, there were certain things we did that took the edge off of "roughing it" and coffee was one of those things. We bought a bunch of the Starbucks Via instant coffee packs (thanks for the coupons Maura!) which allowed us to have quick coffees in the morning with no clean up of grinds and percolators. The second thing we did was Aero beds. As we realized in New Zealand, our 40 plus year old bodies get tired of sleeping on the ground very fast. Aero beds have made the sleeping situation much more civilized.
And speaking of New Zealand, we quickly realized how spoiled we got by camping in the Holiday parks in NZ. Every holiday park had a full kitchen, modern bathrooms and communal grills for the campers. The kitchen in particular, with the big stainless steel sinks, made clean up simple and hygienic. We never used paper plates or plastic utensils there because it was so easy to just clean up your dishes after dinner. At Mather campground they only had a single outdoor sink with no hot water, which made cleaning up after things like hamburger grease a serious challenge. Sadly, we quickly realized we would have to opt for more disposable paper plates and bowls at least part of the time.
Our days at the Grand Canyon were all about hiking. The two biggest hikes we did were the Bright Angel Trail and the South Kaibob trail. Both were Canyon descents, which means you head steeply down into the Canyon at the start and then hike just as steeply back out. Most people assume that down is easy and up is difficult, but Shaun and I are totally in agreement that hiking downhill is awful. My toes, my knees and my quads are usually very angry with me within 30 minutes of downhill hiking. Granted, my lungs have some complaints on the way up, but I would still rather huff and puff my way up from anywhere than precariously make my way down steep, rocky trails.
Bright Angel is the most popular trail in Grand Canyon National Park, for good reason. The views of the canyon as you descend are gorgeous. You just have to remember to stop before taking them in, so you don't end up falling off a cliff. You also need to make sure you bring plenty of water because the temperature increases significantly as you make your way down into the canyon. Every year people die or need to be rescued after going for hikes in the canyon without taking the proper precautions. For our hikes here we brought two plus liters of water each, salty snacks and sandwiches/fruit for lunch. We also dressed in layers, loaded up on sunscreen and added hats and sunglasses for extra protection. The first day it took forever to get ready, but in subsequent days it all became habit.
At the start of Bright Angel Trail
One of the amazing views from the trail
We chose to do a 3 mile round trip stretch of Bright Angel. The descent was just over 1100 feet and it was beautiful the whole way. There were lots of people on the trail that day so we ended up passing and being passed by the same groups of hikers again and again, especially on the way out. The trail is so steep and the sun so merciless that everyone looks for little shady spots to rest when it gets to be too much. So you stop and rest and people pass you by. Then you start up again and pass those same people as they rest in another spot. It actually feels nice and neighborly to keep saying hello to the same folks again and again. Our little hike on Bright Angel trail took just over two and a half hours, but that was with plenty of stops for food and water.
On the way back up
Look who we met on the side of the trail!
And then this guy showed up in our campground!!
Dinner tasted so good after our hike!
South Kaibob was the same kind of hike, a canyon descent, but since it is a ridge trail it had a totally different feel to it. It felt much steeper than Bright Angel and the views were much prettier in my opinion. Around every corner there seemed to be a totally different sweeping view of the Canyon, and trust me, there were lots of corners. The trail snaked back and forth along the ridge of the canyon and the sand beneath your feet changed colors from beige to dusty pinks and oranges as you descended through the layers of earth on your way down. Strangely though, it didn't freak me out all all. Even with my fear of heights I felt very safe along South Kaibob as long as I stayed to the inside of the trails.
At the start of South Kaibob Trail
You can see the crazy switchbacks
I loved the colors of the trails, and I got to enjoy them for days as my boots were completely caked with red dust after the two hikes!
Hanging out at the aptly named Ooh Aah Point
We had planned to do three miles again, but when we got down to Cedar Ridge Shaun was itching to do more. Once again, there were tons of people on the trail so I told him he should go ahead and continue if he didn't mind going it alone. I knew how hard the hike out was going to be and didn't want to add to it! There were tons of people on the trails that day and neither of us had concerns about hiking alone. So after chatting a bit with the Ranger on duty, we decided to split up. Shaun headed down another mile and a half while I headed back up to the top. By the time Shaun got back to the campgound that afternoon I had a late lunch all ready for us.
Shaun conferring with Meghan the Park Ranger about continuing on with the hike
Our time in Grand Canyon was wonderful. The weather was beautiful (if a little cold at night) and the park was not at all crowded. We spent lots of time exploring the canyon and lots of time at our campsite, cooking and reading and sleeping under the stars. We saw elk and deer and lots of other critters wandering the park and the trails. It was everything we had imagined when we dreamed up this part of the trip. Now there was only one potential problem. We had started our tour with one of the most spectacular places in the world, and we were both hoping that the other parks wouldn't be a disappointment after the Grand Canyon. I can tell you right now that we needn't have worried. Our next stop was Utah and we were about to enter the magical worlds of Zion and Bryce National Parks.
That little river made all of this. Cheers to the Colorado!
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