Grand Canyon National Park – a natural wonder

April 2, 2017

After Horseshoe Bend it was time to head directly to Grand Canyon National Park. I’d been before as a child on a road trip (please see my previous post for more thrilling details). I entered the park via the east entrance and stopped first at the Desert View Watch Tower. I took my time with photos and stretched my legs.

I headed over to the Mather Campground, near the main attraction – the South Rim Visitor Center. I made a brief stop at the visitor center and then made a call to my mom. Being at the South Rim was one of the first times I had reliable (albeit 3G) cell service. I could make calls, but not a whole lot else. I remember crying on the phone with her just describing my trip and how happy I was while I was on it. I tried to express to her how much being in the National Parks means to me. I attempted to articulate how I enjoyed being on this trip by myself because I didn’t worry about holding anyone back if I wanted to take an exceedingly long time to take photos or to sit and enjoy the scenery. After further reflection and similar reactions to visiting the parks in subsequent years, I can only liken my cathartic experience to what I imagine faithful people experience in their place of worship – when I visit the parks I feel a connection to nature and an intense appreciation for how insignificant I am in the vastness of the world. So….it was a whole moment and I cried on the phone to my mom…then I got out of the car to watch the sunset over the canyon.

After the sunset I went to the camp showers. Again, for more details, see my previous post post about not liking dirt and the magical shower at the Grand Canyon after a week of camping in the desert.

The next morning I got up for the sunrise over the canyon. I originally was going to take the shuttle to a specific viewpoint on the rim trail on the way to Hermit’s Rest, but I missed the shuttle, so I thought I’d just walk to where I wanted to go. I didn’t make it to that specific location for the sunrise, but really, I don’t know if there is a bad place to view the sunrise from the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

When I started the hike that morning I fully intended to watch the sunrise and then board the shuttle to Hermit’s Rest…what happened was each time I got to a shuttle stop I would think ‘hmmm…we’ll it’s only X distance to the next stop, I could just walk there…’ And then suddenly I think I walked 7 miles along the rim trail and took the shuttle back to my starting point near the Bright Angel Trail.

After my 7 mile warm up hike, I decided the best thing for me to do would be to hike the first portion of the Bright Angel Trail into the canyon. The Bright Angel Trail is maybe the most popular in the park (this assumption is purely my own and not based on any real evidence), it descends into the canyon from the Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim and ends at the Phantom Ranch near the bank of the Colorado River. Total is is around 9 miles one way, but along the way there are bathrooms (outhouses) and resting areas. The first stop is 1.5 miles along the trail, so I decided that is where I would hike to, since what goes down must come back up and I was only there for the day. Let me tell you – hiking back up the Bright Angel Trail was ROUGH. I thoroughly enjoyed the descent, but I definitely struggled and had to take a lot of breaks on the way back to the rim. Luckily I took some time at the first resting area and ate a snack (which I had to protect from the overly friendly squirrels) and enjoyed the view before I made my way back to the top. I even got a chance to lend a hand to some fellow hikers because the outhouse was out of toilet paper, which is essential in my opinion, so I passed the camp toilet paper to the next person waiting in line!

Because I’m apparently a glutton for punishment, after hiking that portion of the Bright Angel Trail I decided my most logical course of action was to make my way to the South Kaibab Trailhead because I wanted to see the “Ooh-Aah Point.” The South Kaibab is another trail that descends from the South Rim and ends at the Phantom Ranch. This trail is significantly steeper than the Bright Angel Trail. It descends essentially the same elevation, but in only just over 7 miles rather than 9. The first portion of the hike that I completed this visit was a bit more strenuous than the Bright Angel, but it wasn’t terrible. I went to the Ooh-Aah Point, aptly named as it is the first point in the trail when hikers get panoramic views of the canyon from inside the canyon rather than at the rim. I am terribly afraid of cliff edges, so at the viewpoint I did some belly crawling (much like I did at Horseshoe Bend) so I could lower my center of gravity to get some pictures. On the way back to the trailhead I was walking behind hikers who had clearly made their wait up from the Phantom Ranch and were hiking rather slowly. At one point they asked if I wanted to go around them, but I was very honest and let them know that they were actually pacing me…but alas they left me in their dust, despite their very long and steep hike. I’m still going to blame my inadequate shoes rather than my lack of training or lack of physical prowess.

After around 14 miles of hiking total, I was done. I headed to my hotel that was booked for my final night before flying home the next day and started packing. But of course, I needed to see the sunset above the canyon one more time!

The next day it was time for me to head back to Florida. On the way to the Las Vegas airport I drove by the Hoover Dam and made sure to take photos and walk over the dam.

That was my official conclusion to my first ever solo trip. It sparked a passion in me to continue to see the National Parks and to make a point to take solo trips, to be sure that I am taking the time to truly enjoy my experience.