Long, Strange Trip: Grand Canyon Continued

8/2

The morning was relaxed and for the first time on this trip Finn and I woke up before my Dad. It was an incredible feat but it was 6:00 o’clock in the morning so I regret not being able to fully appreciate the moment as I was exhausted. The tents were taken down at a leisurely pace and we finally were ready to go around ten. We headed to the visitor center to get our National Parks passport signed and look around. They had some cool exhibits on the wildlife and after filling our water bottles we were ready to go. The hike we would be doing was called Bright Angel and would lead us down into the canyon; we planned to walk a mile and a half to the rest house rather than the day long hike into the bottom of the canyon. It was classified as strenuous and lived up to its name. The path was wide enough for two people to walk side by side and was steep in many places and covered with loose soil and pebbles. I slipped many times (I apologize to my poor mother; I’m surprised she didn’t have a heart attack with all three of us kids on that trail. The highlight of my hike was when I reached out to a fat squirrel obviously very accustomed to humans which then proceeded to grasp my fingers with its little paws and nuzzle its nose against my hand. I was startled and did not stick around as I did not want to tease the little guy with false promises of food but I enjoyed the moment greatly. At the top of the trail the whole canyon seemed visible, spread out before your eyes, the vast multitudes of towering rocks and wide ridges. The canyon was surprisingly colorful with mostly darker hues but splashes of green as well. Walking further into the canyon, you begin to appreciate the sheer size of the cliff walls surrounding you. We stopped our hike slightly in front of the rest house and headed back up. Finn and I forged ahead, setting the pace, but I soon raised the bar and the weaker ones dropped off (the rest of the family.) I made it to the top and settled down, Finn arrived shortly after and I wish I could say the same for mom, dad and Paul. We then took a short shuttle to Hopi point which offered a brilliant view of a different section of the canyon, we then proceeded to walk along the rim of the canyon back to the Bright Angel trail head where our car was parked. We stopped at many scenic points along the way. Every time there was something new to be astounded by in the largest Canyon in the world, which is easily seen from space according to a picture we saw at the visitor’s center. We took a break at a picnic table outside the parking lot to consume some snacks in a small lunch. It was a later departure than planned and things were kind of rushed but we eventually got on the road at 4pm and drove the four and a half hours to Mesa Verde. Tonight I’m looking forward to the last National park of our trip and it fills me with many emotions I can’t describe. One week left, we’re almost home!!!!!