I’m exhausted. There are so many reasons for it. Camping last night and not sleep great is a good start. We also hiked almost 9 miles today. IN THE GRAND CANYON. It is hot, in the 90s, and we were outside all day. We’ve been going, going, going for 19 days. All that combined has created a feeling of intense exhaustion. That doesn’t at all mean it wasn’t fantastic. It was.
We woke up early at camp. I haven’t camped enough to know if waking up at the crack of dawn is the norm or just what we tend to do. After we packed up all our gear, we went to the grocery store near the campground and ordered the biggest coffees they sell. That’s how I can deal with camping. Giant, hot coffee in the morning.
Our first hike of the day was the start of the big hike to the bottom of the canyon. We hiked a mile and a half down, about 1100 feet descent, and it was stunning. There is no doubt that this is truly the grandest canyon there is. (And I’ve been the the Grand Canyon of Canada.) It took us just about half hour to get to the mile and half point. I think we were all up for going farther down, but knew that the hike up would just be longer and the heat was already intense so we turned around.
The hike up was rough. The sun was beating down on us with very little relief in the shade and the crowds we’re thickening as the day progressed. But we did it in about an hour and the views were indescribable.
The best part of the hike for me was watching Zoe. We were first at the Grand Canyon during RTX, when she was just four years old. She was also in the phase (that hasn’t ended) of following every single rule to a T. We stressed how important it was to not go close to the edge and fall off. She listened and stayed serveral feet from the edge. (Ellie, on the other hand, needed her “leash buddy.”) Ever since 2010 Zoe has been afraid of the Grand Canyon. She didn’t like coming here during RTXV and has been adament about not doing our Spring Break 2020 trip of hiking from rim to rim. She was so scared about today, but conquered her fears. She was confident and led us at several points. I’m so proud of her.
After the hike it was only 10, so we did what we do after every intense hike. Find the nearest Coors Light. Most people at the cafeteria we’re eating pancakes and eggs. Zak and I were enjoying our celebration brew. Zoe thinks people were judging us. I think they were just jealous.
The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. We hiked about five miles along the rim, stopping at various shops and visitor centers. A highlight was stopping back at the tavern from last night and seeing the now familiar face of James, server extraordinaire and the ice cold Grand Canyon IPAs.
The hardest part of the day was finding a bit of WiFi and having my phone freak out with the news that the Supreme Court upheld the travel ban. Here we are, in one of the most popular international tourist destinations in our country, surrounded by so many guests of our country and news breaks that some of those same people aren’t totally welcome. For a while, part of me was so ashamed and I couldn’t make eye contact with anyone. But then I realized that I want everyone to feel welcome in this country and I intentionally made eye contact to attempt to convey acceptance and welcoming vibes.
Our night will end with a fancy dinner, I already have on my fanciest (only) flip-flops and we’ll dine in the historic El Tovar dining room. Then we’ll be able to get a really good night’s sleep in the Thunderbird Lodge with the Grand Canyon just feet from our room.
Our WiFi is extremely finicky and we can’t get any pictures to upload. This may be the case for several days as we are headed to Zion next.
