Hiking in the Grand Canyon

One week ago, Laurie, Nate, and I got up early and made our way to the Grand Canyon. For me, it was the third time traveling up to the wonderful place, but for them, it was their first time which was really exciting! When we got there, we boarded a shuttle bus to take us to the trail we'd be hiking on, called the South Kaibab trail. We started hiking down, and it wasn't that bad, except for making sure you didn't lose your footing on the somewhat slick and sandy trail. It was a little steep at times going downhill, but we carefully made our way. It was really beautiful. It was such a different point of view from what I had experienced before. It was awesome being right next to the walls of the canyon, looking up and seeing its towering height above us.

It's important when you're hiking a trail like this, and really any trail, that you stay really hydrated and full of energy. On the way down we stopped for a quick snack to refuel, then we were on our way. Our first actual stop was at Ooh Aah Point. There we got to see a really grand view of the canyon. Also while we were standing there, a pack of mules were headed up the canyon, which was a sight to see. I cannot imagine riding one of those things up/down the canyon--sounds scary! We kept going down into the canyon a little ways and ended up stopping off at another point to sit down and eat some lunch. There we met a few really nice people who were on their way up, and they seemed tired. They also said that it was a lot harder going up than coming down...

We then decided to turn around and head back up the canyon, and boy were those people right. On the way down, the hike wasn't too bad as I mentioned previously, but the way up was an entirely different story. I'll be the first to say that I'm not in the best of shape, so it was definitely tough for me. We stopped off plenty of times to catch our breath and drink water, though I was drinking water probably every 5 feet, haha. Better safe than sorry! It was a tough climb, but once we got to the top, it felt really good knowing I had completed the hike. We had a great time that day, and I would love to hike the canyon again... hopefully when I'm in better shape. That night we headed to another brewery back in Flagstaff for some pizza, and basically passed out once we got back to our house/hotel. It was a long but very gratifying day. If you ever find yourself in the Grand Canyon area, I totally recommend you hike some of it, but be sure to stay safe and take precaution!

(click through to see pictures!)