Day 10 - Grand Canyon

"Leave it as it is.  The ages have been at work on it,

 and man can only mar it"

Theodore Roosevelt

If you have never been to Grand Canyon, what are you waiting for?  There is still nothing that I have ever seen that compares to walking up to the edge of the South Rim and seeing the canyon before you.  This was actually my second time here and it still got the hairs standing on the back of my neck.  We arrived at the park the night before after we left Petrified Forest.  For those who read the last installment, I survived my Denny’s dinner.  We set up camp in the dark and fell asleep.

The next morning the sunlight came early.  We stopped at the park grocery store and overpaid for eggs ($5) and bacon ($10) then took it back to our site and cooked a nice breakfast accompanied by some French-pressed coffee. With our bellies full, we headed to the South Rim.  We got our breathtaking view at Mather’s Point and I got the hairs on the neck thing that I just mentioned.  A routine stop to the visitors center got us a recommendation on a hike to do.  My previous visit here involved walking along the rim and taking a raft trip down a portion of the Colorado River.  The recommended hike took us down into the canyon.  Dad happily opted out.

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide at its widest point and averages about 1 mile deep.  This last measurement is its most grueling.  In order to get to the bottom of the canyon you have to walk a mile downward along steep paths with multiple switchbacks.  Many cheat by taking mules.  In the summer it is highly advised against going down and up in one day.  In case you do not pay attention to this initial warning, there are multiple signs along the way.  There are few types of hikes I hate more than a down and up hike.  This particular hike was a 3 mile round trip that dropped took us 1,200 feet into the canyon.  The easy part is first and after you get to the views, your work really begins. 

Having recently done a few of these short but steep hikes, I was feeling pretty good.  My confidence grew watching some of the earlier hikers make there way back up with smiles.  These included small children, a few overweight adults, one obese adult and some senior citizens.  We made our way down the dirt trail, getting a more intimate view of the canyon.  Every turn of the trail offered new angles and views that were accentuated by the ever-changing lighting from moving clouds.  Andy and I got to the bottom, just in time for the first sound of thunder.  To the west we could see a dark grey cloud heading in our direction.  We finished our pistachios and drank some water and headed up.  The burn in the legs started immediately, but we were determined to get out before that cloud hit us. 

When the first few drops hit us, we attempted to run but that proved to be out of repertoire of abilities.  Now, if there is ever a place to be when a lightning bolt strikes within a mile of you, its in a canyon.  Not because of the safety, though it is more likely to strike the rim of the canyon, but because of the sound.  You’ve never heard the crack of lightning properly until you’ve heard it in a canyon.  No Boss speaker can reproduce that sound.  It was the first overhead crack that started the downpour.  We still had 300 feet to go.  Initially it was revitalizing.  The energy of the storm was palpable.  I had only one goal, keep my camera dry.  We made it out with this accomplished but once at the top we needed shelter until the shuttle bus could pick us up.  Fortunately, we heard someone yell from the nearby bathroom and asked if we wanted to join (not something I ever thought I’d answer yes to).  Andy and I crammed into the single bathroom with 6 other guys, who turned out to be college students from Doylestown, PA on a 2 week road trip.  After what seemed like forever, the shuttle arrived, took us back to the visitor center, where picked up dad.  We went back to our site, found it to be a giant puddle.  Weather reports predicted rain all day, so we packed up during the 15 minutes of no rain and headed east then north a day early to Zion National Park in Utah.

 

Storm moving in from the West

This was a long one, so no reflection at the end.  A bit of a disappointment due to the weather, but even on a crappy day nothing compares to the awe of the Grand Canyon. 

Stats:

Miles Drive: 3396

States: PA, MD, WV, VA, TN, NC, AL, MS, LA, TX, NM, AZ, UT

Longest Blog Written: This one (sorry)

Number of days it has rained on this trip: 2

Number of days it has rained on days we’ve camped: 2