Trip Report
What a wild ride over the past weekend. I'll try and capture as much of it as I can, but the pictures and stories won't really be able to explain what an amazing experience this was for us both. Click on the pictures below for a larger version...
On Thursday morning we flew to Phoenix and spent the night in Scottsdale. Nothing terribly exciting to report.
Friday morning we boarded the buses north to Sedona and then on to Tusayan, just outside of the Grand Canyon National Park. However, before boarding this busses Steph and I decided to check out the hotel's cactus garden. And look what we found! A hummingbird, feeding in the flowers surrounding a large saguaro cactus! We had a quick breakfast and hopped on the bus to Sedona.
Feeding Hummingbird
Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort
A few hours later we arrive in Sedona, AZ for lunch and some shopping. Unfortunately, it was way too touristy for my liking. So we headed north again through Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff and on to Grand Canyon National Park.
Snoopy Rock
Sedona, AZ
Sedona, AZ
On the bus, we were drinking heavily! Not alcohol, but water and sports drinks. The desert was clearly dehydrating all of us who hail from more humid parts of the world! Unfortunately, that lead to a number of trips to the bathroom as well where I found this helpful little guide for short, round men wearing hats.
Sit while peeing!
Of course, I had to follow the rules...
Sit, don't stand!
Finally, we made it to Grand Canyon National Park. After a short walk we reached the rim and took a good look around. This was absolutely breathtaking, I have never seen anything on the scale of the Grand Canyon before. Steph and I were both speechless. Well, we did say a lof of "Oh my GOSH!" and "Holy crap!", but we were anything but poetic.
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
We wandered around the rim for an hour or so, happily snapping pictures and trying not to be overrun by the other large groups in the canyon.
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
I finally figured out when to use the panorama features of my camera... now if only I can figure out where to get this printed!
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
We headed back to the hotel, checked in and got our gear ready for the following morning. After a carbo-loading dinner with lots of pasta and some inspirational speeches we headed to bed by 9 P.M. If it wasn't for Ambien, I wouldn't have slept a wink!
Up at 3 A.M. the next morning, we got ready to go, ate a quick breakfast and headed to the trail on a 4:45 A.M. bus. The bus only took us as far as the Bright Angel Lodge, from there we had to wait on the park shuttles to get us out to the trailhead. We met our trail guide, Tonto, and the trail sweep, Ken, who would be hiking with us. We later found out that Tonto is 70 years young and hikes these trails on a regular basis!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
It was such a hardship waiting! I never wanted to see the sunrise over the canyon anyway... *wink*
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
At this point it was quite cold, but we knew it wouldn't remain that way for very long. The predicted high for the day was in the low 80's, which meant the interior of the canyon would be up in the 90's!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
Its cold, in the 30's, but it won't be for long!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
After a 45 minute ride on the shuttle we arrived at the trailhead. It was starting to warm up, so we got rid of our jackets, used the facilities one last time and headed down into the canyon.
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
The trail was rocky and sandy which made it slippery heading downhill. The hiking poles were really great, they saved my butt numerous times! Everyone was stunned by the beauty of the canyon as we descended, there were lots of stops to take pictures the entire way.
Bettie & Liz
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
As we descended further we were able to see the team that left at 4:15 A.M. for Santa Maria Springs at their rest stop. This was the last time we'd see them until dinner.
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Lower and lower we go...
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
The Hermit Trail has been improved somewhat over the years. On the switchbacks heading down into the canyon there were a number of places where "cobblestone stairs" were in place. Be careful with those hiking poles, they get stuck in the cracks between the rocks!
Hiking down the "stairs"
"Cobblestone Stairs"
Hermit Trail
Little do we know, we're about to cross
the red rock "points" in the center of
the picture
We reached the bottom of the steepest part of the trail. From here its relatively flat... relatively being the operative word. The remainder of the trail has some steep stretches, but it is spread out over the next 1.5 miles. Of course, we have some signage to guide the way.
Signs guide the way...
Here's where we took our first real break from hiking. This was a chance to take off the pack, eat some food, water the plant life, and roll up our sleeves. The mercury was beginning to rise...
The view from our first rest stop
Mmmmm, trail mix!
Yummy!
The view from our first rest stop
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
After a short uphill stretch we reached the ridge of one of the red rock points. from here we were able to look into one of the two "amphitheatres" on the hike to Dripping Springs. For the next hour we'd follow the edge of the cayon walls. The trails were narrow and the drop-offs were perilous. Extreme caution was required, there wasn't much room for error. If you look closely, you can see the trail carved out around the points.
What do you mean we're going to hike around that point, Tonto?
Looking over the edge...
I wasn't really bothered by the heights and proximity to the edge at this point. However, my eyes didn't leave the trail as long as I was moving. No time for sightseeing when one misstep could be your last. One of the guys on our hike was definitely having trouble near the edge at this point.
We've crossed the first point and entered a deep canyon
Someone sure is excited!
While looking at the beautiful rocks above us
someone had to ask about rock slides...
We're close to the edge...
and its a LONG way down
Standing near the edge
Standing near the edge
Sara, Liz, Bettie & Missy
At this point we've gone around the two amphitheatres and can look back at how far we've come. For some reason my fear of heights began to bother me as we stood on this point. I couldn't seem to go near the edge, but the girls were loving it! Two other hikers maintained their distance as everyone took pictures on a narrow spit of land jutting out into mid air.
Look carefully, you can see the
trail hugging the edge of the canyon
Steph convinced me that we needed a picture on this ledge. I obliged her, but my heart was racing. She thought I was joking about my fear, but I most certainly was not! I surprised us both at that moment, since I'm usually the fearless one in the family!
Standing near the edge again...
This time I was freaking out, the height was making me panic
Back on the trail again it was an uphill hike to Dripping Springs. The heat was definitely on at this point! Thankfully when we reacing Dripping Springs Tonto advised us that we could drink the water that was coming from the spring in the rocks above us, just not from the pool at my feet. Earlier in the day Steph's camelback had sprung a leak because the hose wasn't fully locked in place.She had lost about 1.5 liters of her water before the hike began! We took the opportunity to fill her camelback and some extra bottles of water and Gatorade.
Dripping Springs
Fresh, clean, cold water. Yummy!
We stopped at the springs for a lunch break. At 9 A.M. Obviously not quite lunchtime, but we were all hungry! During lunch we got to talk with Amy quite a bit. She told us that she's the manager at Bella's Pizzeria
— they serve the best Sicilian style pizza in Atlanta. Pizza would have been good right about that time! ;-)
Ken, the trail sweep, and Tonto, our guide
We had the guides take some group pictures of the Georgia and San Francisco teams and headed back from where we came, passing another group on the trail.
The Georgia HFD Team on our hike
The hike back across edge was less eventful, everyone seemed more confident crossing it this time around. We hiked to where the ascent begins again, stopped for a few minutes and started back uphill. The trail gets steeper as you go higher but we were ready to tackle it!
Heading back to the rim...
crossing the steepest, narrowest parts of the trail
Resting before the ascent to the rim
Hiking the Hermit Trail
Looking back toward Dripping Springs
The cloud cover burned off...
The heat is on!
As we headed uphill, some hikers were going faster than others, so we took a lot of rest breaks to keep the group cohesive and get everyone up the trail. We were running short on water at this point, most of us drank more than we expected during the hike. Having that extra water from Dripping Springs was really helpful!
Rest stop!
Amy, Steph, Pam and Missy taking a break
under a tree
It's going to be a long hike up!
Ascending to the rim
Sara and Liz taking a break
As we came closer to the rim Steph began having some trouble dealing with the heat and began feeling sick. However, she powered through and we reached the rim approximately 7.5 hours after we began.
Almost there!
Look how far we've come!
Dripping Springs is just above and to the right of the
top of the dead tree and obscured by the white rock formation
in the foreground
WE DID IT!
After taking the bus back to the Bright Angel Lodge to check-in with the WalkingConnection staff. We walked over to the El Tovar Lodge — which was packed with hikers — for a celebratory beer with the rest of the team.
On Thursday morning we flew to Phoenix and spent the night in Scottsdale. Nothing terribly exciting to report.
Friday morning we boarded the buses north to Sedona and then on to Tusayan, just outside of the Grand Canyon National Park. However, before boarding this busses Steph and I decided to check out the hotel's cactus garden. And look what we found! A hummingbird, feeding in the flowers surrounding a large saguaro cactus! We had a quick breakfast and hopped on the bus to Sedona.
Feeding Hummingbird
Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort
A few hours later we arrive in Sedona, AZ for lunch and some shopping. Unfortunately, it was way too touristy for my liking. So we headed north again through Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff and on to Grand Canyon National Park.
Snoopy Rock
Sedona, AZ
Sedona, AZ
On the bus, we were drinking heavily! Not alcohol, but water and sports drinks. The desert was clearly dehydrating all of us who hail from more humid parts of the world! Unfortunately, that lead to a number of trips to the bathroom as well where I found this helpful little guide for short, round men wearing hats.
Sit while peeing!
Of course, I had to follow the rules...
Sit, don't stand!
Finally, we made it to Grand Canyon National Park. After a short walk we reached the rim and took a good look around. This was absolutely breathtaking, I have never seen anything on the scale of the Grand Canyon before. Steph and I were both speechless. Well, we did say a lof of "Oh my GOSH!" and "Holy crap!", but we were anything but poetic.
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
We wandered around the rim for an hour or so, happily snapping pictures and trying not to be overrun by the other large groups in the canyon.
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
I finally figured out when to use the panorama features of my camera... now if only I can figure out where to get this printed!
View from Yavapai Point
View from Yavapai Point
We headed back to the hotel, checked in and got our gear ready for the following morning. After a carbo-loading dinner with lots of pasta and some inspirational speeches we headed to bed by 9 P.M. If it wasn't for Ambien, I wouldn't have slept a wink!
Up at 3 A.M. the next morning, we got ready to go, ate a quick breakfast and headed to the trail on a 4:45 A.M. bus. The bus only took us as far as the Bright Angel Lodge, from there we had to wait on the park shuttles to get us out to the trailhead. We met our trail guide, Tonto, and the trail sweep, Ken, who would be hiking with us. We later found out that Tonto is 70 years young and hikes these trails on a regular basis!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
It was such a hardship waiting! I never wanted to see the sunrise over the canyon anyway... *wink*
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
At this point it was quite cold, but we knew it wouldn't remain that way for very long. The predicted high for the day was in the low 80's, which meant the interior of the canyon would be up in the 90's!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
Its cold, in the 30's, but it won't be for long!
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
Sunrise at Trailview Overlook
After a 45 minute ride on the shuttle we arrived at the trailhead. It was starting to warm up, so we got rid of our jackets, used the facilities one last time and headed down into the canyon.
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
The trail was rocky and sandy which made it slippery heading downhill. The hiking poles were really great, they saved my butt numerous times! Everyone was stunned by the beauty of the canyon as we descended, there were lots of stops to take pictures the entire way.
Bettie & Liz
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
As we descended further we were able to see the team that left at 4:15 A.M. for Santa Maria Springs at their rest stop. This was the last time we'd see them until dinner.
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Lower and lower we go...
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
The Hermit Trail has been improved somewhat over the years. On the switchbacks heading down into the canyon there were a number of places where "cobblestone stairs" were in place. Be careful with those hiking poles, they get stuck in the cracks between the rocks!
Hiking down the "stairs"
"Cobblestone Stairs"
Hermit Trail
Little do we know, we're about to cross
the red rock "points" in the center of
the picture
We reached the bottom of the steepest part of the trail. From here its relatively flat... relatively being the operative word. The remainder of the trail has some steep stretches, but it is spread out over the next 1.5 miles. Of course, we have some signage to guide the way.
Signs guide the way...
Here's where we took our first real break from hiking. This was a chance to take off the pack, eat some food, water the plant life, and roll up our sleeves. The mercury was beginning to rise...
The view from our first rest stop
Mmmmm, trail mix!
Yummy!
The view from our first rest stop
Hiking down the Hermit Trail
After a short uphill stretch we reached the ridge of one of the red rock points. from here we were able to look into one of the two "amphitheatres" on the hike to Dripping Springs. For the next hour we'd follow the edge of the cayon walls. The trails were narrow and the drop-offs were perilous. Extreme caution was required, there wasn't much room for error. If you look closely, you can see the trail carved out around the points.
What do you mean we're going to hike around that point, Tonto?
Looking over the edge...
I wasn't really bothered by the heights and proximity to the edge at this point. However, my eyes didn't leave the trail as long as I was moving. No time for sightseeing when one misstep could be your last. One of the guys on our hike was definitely having trouble near the edge at this point.
We've crossed the first point and entered a deep canyon
Someone sure is excited!
While looking at the beautiful rocks above us
someone had to ask about rock slides...
We're close to the edge...
and its a LONG way down
Standing near the edge
Standing near the edge
Sara, Liz, Bettie & Missy
At this point we've gone around the two amphitheatres and can look back at how far we've come. For some reason my fear of heights began to bother me as we stood on this point. I couldn't seem to go near the edge, but the girls were loving it! Two other hikers maintained their distance as everyone took pictures on a narrow spit of land jutting out into mid air.
Look carefully, you can see the
trail hugging the edge of the canyon
Steph convinced me that we needed a picture on this ledge. I obliged her, but my heart was racing. She thought I was joking about my fear, but I most certainly was not! I surprised us both at that moment, since I'm usually the fearless one in the family!
Standing near the edge again...
This time I was freaking out, the height was making me panic
Back on the trail again it was an uphill hike to Dripping Springs. The heat was definitely on at this point! Thankfully when we reacing Dripping Springs Tonto advised us that we could drink the water that was coming from the spring in the rocks above us, just not from the pool at my feet. Earlier in the day Steph's camelback had sprung a leak because the hose wasn't fully locked in place.She had lost about 1.5 liters of her water before the hike began! We took the opportunity to fill her camelback and some extra bottles of water and Gatorade.
Dripping Springs
Fresh, clean, cold water. Yummy!
We stopped at the springs for a lunch break. At 9 A.M. Obviously not quite lunchtime, but we were all hungry! During lunch we got to talk with Amy quite a bit. She told us that she's the manager at Bella's Pizzeria
— they serve the best Sicilian style pizza in Atlanta. Pizza would have been good right about that time! ;-)
Ken, the trail sweep, and Tonto, our guide
We had the guides take some group pictures of the Georgia and San Francisco teams and headed back from where we came, passing another group on the trail.
The Georgia HFD Team on our hike
The hike back across edge was less eventful, everyone seemed more confident crossing it this time around. We hiked to where the ascent begins again, stopped for a few minutes and started back uphill. The trail gets steeper as you go higher but we were ready to tackle it!
Heading back to the rim...
crossing the steepest, narrowest parts of the trail
Resting before the ascent to the rim
Hiking the Hermit Trail
Looking back toward Dripping Springs
The cloud cover burned off...
The heat is on!
As we headed uphill, some hikers were going faster than others, so we took a lot of rest breaks to keep the group cohesive and get everyone up the trail. We were running short on water at this point, most of us drank more than we expected during the hike. Having that extra water from Dripping Springs was really helpful!
Rest stop!
Amy, Steph, Pam and Missy taking a break
under a tree
It's going to be a long hike up!
Ascending to the rim
Sara and Liz taking a break
As we came closer to the rim Steph began having some trouble dealing with the heat and began feeling sick. However, she powered through and we reached the rim approximately 7.5 hours after we began.
Almost there!
Look how far we've come!
Dripping Springs is just above and to the right of the
top of the dead tree and obscured by the white rock formation
in the foreground
WE DID IT!
After taking the bus back to the Bright Angel Lodge to check-in with the WalkingConnection staff. We walked over to the El Tovar Lodge — which was packed with hikers — for a celebratory beer with the rest of the team.
