The day had finally arrived... our Grand Canyon hike! We met our trail guides at breakfast and we all got on the bus back to the canyon.
We started on the trailhead at 5:40 a.m. The early start was necessary so we could take advantage of the cooler morning hours.
My group consisted of Larry, Brett and me from the Central Ohio Chapter, and hikers from the Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Mid America (Kansas) chapters of LLS.
I think it was in the 70s when our hike began. The temperature in the canyon is always hotter than it is on the rim. It was 100 where we stopped for lunch before beginning the trip back up to the rim. The hike down was nice... we stopped many times to take pictures during the first mile and a half. This was a well-traveled trail, so water was available at the 1.5, 3, and 4.5 mile rest stops. Outhouses were at 1.5 and 4.5. We picked up the pace from the last couple miles of the hike down to assure that we could be ready to turn around before it got too hot for the ascent.
Our lunch spot was beautiful. The area was called Indian Gardens. It's full of tall trees and there's a stream. We found rocks to sit on in the shade. The area also had many cacti. We saw some on the way down, too, but this area had so many it looked like flower beds.
It took us 3 or 3 1/2 hours to get to our turnaround/lunch spot. The hike back up took much longer, as expected. It was hotter and more demanding climbing up. We took frequent rest breaks wherever we could manage to find a little bit of shade.
A couple of hikers in my group had some trouble with the heat and maybe even the altitude. Brett and I found this out with 3 miles to reach the rim. Our other guide and most of the group was ahead of us. We hung back to make sure she was going to be able to hike out on her own two feet. Larry was waiting at the 1.5 mile stop. At that point, he waited for the straggling hikers and their guide. Brett and I did the last of the trek by ourselves, still stopping frequently for snacks, water, and shade.
By the team all of our group made it to the top, it was 3:15 p.m. It was a long day of hiking, but it was great! I was so proud of my own accomplishment. I had envisioned myself being the one who would be the last one up and struggling, but I wasn't!
We went to the lounge at Bright Angel Lodge for a beer with our hike leaders, then bought some souvenirs, and then we went to the El Tovar Hotel for another beer before we got back on the bus and got ready for the Celebration dinner.
It was an early bedtime that night! In the morning, we got back on the buses and headed to the Phoenix airport. After a 4 hour bus ride, 2 hours of sitting in the airport, and 4 hours in the plane, my poor muscles were stiff and sore. It wasn't bad, though. I was well prepared for the test of endurance the hike proved to be.
See my photo album at the right, called "The Hike". You might want to check this one again next week because I'll be adding photos to this one once I compare what I have to the pictures Brett took.
WOW! You are AMAZING Missy! I'm so in awe of your accomplishments. And the album photos really make your MONTHS of training, fundraising etc. even more impressive. I'm so glad you've got a blog to share it with the world. You (and Brett) deserve many, many rounds of applause. Bravo!!!!!!
Posted by: Arica :) | May 27, 2008 at 06:56 AM