So, it was brought. Wow, I mean wow. There might not be enough ice in the Grand Canyon to soothe our aching muscles. First thing off the bat is the fact that we all slept like we were hibernating last night. I was awoken by the sound of a bird singing outside. The air in the room was cool, the bed was warm, and it was 4:30. Yep, 4:30. I did manage to hold off on getting up until 5:15. By the time I eased out of bed, everyone else was stirring as well. We ate breakfast in the room and caught the shuttle to the trailhead for the Bright Angel Trail.
By now, it was 6:35 and we were on our way into the Canyon. A few small items to mention-I have held on to the shirt I got on June 17, 1993. The shirt was a gift from a friend noting the fact that I hiked the Canyon. I thought that today would be a good day to break it out for one last wear. I also thought it might be neat to have my US National jersey on hand for all photo ops at “‘Merican” sites. Today was the most apropos to do this as well. Hopefully, this shirt will become a recurring theme on the trip. And down we wAnd down, and down , and down. I’ve mentioned it before, but no image will ever fully capture the beauty of this place. Each new turn brought new sights that will never be seen again. The canyon will stay, obviously, but the unique play of light, temperature, and company made this a completely singular event. The weather was perfect and the girls were rock stars. We stopped frequently to take in all of the vistas. By the time we made it to the mile and a half rest stop, we were ready for a small break. We had some food, drank some water, and fought off aggressive squirrels. We hiked a few more miles in and after about mile 2 we decided it was time to turn around and head up. Each step in meant that there would be a step up to match it on the way out. While there were times we all were winded, we stopped often and made it out without too much difficulty. I tried really hard to stay positive and to remember that I probably never have the chance to repeat this experience with my kids again.
To celebrate our success, ice cream seemed to be an appropriate reward. We hit the ice cream shop at exactly the right time and I watched my three girls enjoy ice cream with a backdrop that is unbelievable. We knocked around a gift shop and by noon were heading back to the marketplace to purchase a few souvenirs. After showers and a small bit of rest, we walked the short distance to the visitor’s center. We walked out to Mather Point with the rest of the population of the park and then caught the movie at the center about the canyon’s history. I liked the movie but I didn’t enjoy the crowds. There was something to be said about starting our hike early on an uncrowded trail. Fighting for position for a photo on the rim never rivaled the shots we got in the canyon. By now, we were starting to get a bit hungry so to kill time until the restaurants opened in the Village, we took the Rim Trail back. It was an easy 2-ish mile walk on a paved path back. Again, new views to see and new photos to take.
Dinner at the Arizona Room was a complete bust. The view was nice, but all of our meats were dry and the sauce tasted bottled. I guess there isn’t much you can do up here though. You are captive for food and they can trot our substandard food with little consequence. For some this might qualify as good. For us, eh. I suggest going to the deli and buying a sandwich. We finished our meal and then spent a few more minutes looking at the fading light against the walls of the canyon. Lucy made an executive decision and suggested we head back to the room to get ready for our day tomorrow.
Today was a full day. We walked over 30,000 steps and 13 miles. We saw some of the most amazing sights on the planet and I really feel the girls appreciated what they were seeing. There was no arguing, simply lots of laughter and awe at one wonderful place.
