5/16/14 -- The Grand Canyon: Hiking in

Dear Mom,

Today Aidan and I began our Grand Canyon adventure! Yesterday I started to get really nervous about our trip, but after completing day one with a solid plan for day two I am feeling better about our decision to hike the Tanner Trail to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back. As you know, we have a pretty detailed plan (that text was meant for safety, not to make you nervous), and we have been following it pretty closely.

The day began at 4:30am, when we woke up to eat breakfast and make final preparations as the sun started to rise. At 5:30am we left our campsite and drove to the trailhead at Lipan Point. The drive took a little longer than expected and once we arrived we had to pack up the backpacks. We had hoped to start hiking by 6:00am, but actually started at 6:40am. By then the sun was up but it was still relatively cool at the top.

Ready to go!

The trail began with switchbacks pretty much straight down a cliff. Rocks jutted out in all directions, and with the heavy pack on my back I found myself using my hands quite a bit to lower myself through sections. The trekking poles that you gave me were an immense help and I am so thankful to be able to use them on this trip. The trees/shrub-like plants on the upper part of the trail provided nice shade cover.

About an hour in we had successfully descended the cliff (I shouldn’t call it that, I don’t want to make you nervous) ‘steep incline’ and were moving towards a flatter portion of the trail. On that section we encountered two hikers who were coming out after spending two nights in the canyon. They seemed pretty exhausted and ready to be done, but it calmed my nerves to be able to see and talk to two people who were successful. At this point I started to feel better and the nausea I felt in the morning began to fade as I started to feel more sure of our ability to complete the task ahead. Shortly after passing the hikers we came to a prominent ridge with fantastic views on either side. The landscape was incredibly beautiful and I felt special gazing at a section of the park that not many visitors ever see. If we ever come to the Grand Canyon we should do a day hike to that spot. It would be a great little hike!

From there we continued on a relatively flat section of the trail, it was great to give our knees some relief. We found a large boulder that would be recognizable on the return trip and found a crack in the rocks to hide our water that we were carrying to stash. We each had 3 liters of water for the hike down, and Aidan had carried an extra gallon to store part way in case we needed it on the way up. He was happy to get some weight out of his bag.

Our water hiding place (in case we forgot)

The trail continued in much the same manner for the remainder of the hike down; steep section with switchbacks followed by a gently sloping saddle that allowed us to rest our knees and move more quickly. It was cool to move down through all the layers of rock the canyon cut through, some of them as old as 200 million years, from the red sandstone cliffs to the yellow limestone (the nerd in me was satisfied). Every so often the trail would open into a fantastic view of the canyon or we would catch a glimpse of the precious Colorado River, slowly getting closer.

The Colorado River is getting closer!

Aidan navigating the steeper sections

More hoodoos!

Resting in the shade (of the one lone tree in sight)

Incredible!

Super-group rocks! (I think)

Almost there...

In total we hiked for 5 hours, reaching the cool water at precisely 11:40am. The last hour was definitely the hottest and it felt so good to dip our feet in the frigid water after trudging through the desert under the blazing sun. It is predicted to reach 97°F in the canyon today. Thankfully we found shade under some trees growing near the river. As you move down the canyon, the temperature rises, with the hottest hours between 10am and 4pm (that is quite a long window if you ask me).

The Colorado River!

Aidan digging to the bottom of the Grand Canyon...

We had brought enough water for the hike down, but still figured we should purify more as we would need it soon. After we had unpacked and gotten some of the chores out of the way, we were free to rest in the shade (or fervently avoid the sun) for the rest of the day. Aidan was good about reminding me to keep putting on sunscreen, and it looks like so far I have successfully avoided a burn. We spent the next 4 hours sitting in the shade and relaxing. Every 15-20 minutes we would get up and dunk our heads in the river to help cool us down. Aidan also had a towel that we soaked and then laid on our legs to help cool off. My hair has never dried so fast in my entire life. It could go from sopping to dry in 10 minutes, no joke. I would say that after the hike and morning in the sun, both Aidan and I were slightly overheated, but not dangerously so. It just meant that we had to be sure to work to cool off and drink plenty of water as the sun continued to beat down on us. At breakfast Aidan prayed that God would provide shade when we needed it and at around 1:00pm the clouds started to roll in, providing exactly that. Praise the Lord :)!

Resting in the shade

Our afternoon hang-out spot

All day little lizards ran across our path. Every so often, they would pause on rocks and do push-ups (like the head-bob mating ritual the anoles did in Costa Rica). I think they were showing off for Aidan, they seemed to like him a bit. I had to scare them away.

The competition

At one point we heard some hooting and hollering coming from the river. We ran out to see a raft full of cold lazy tourists floating by and passing over the rapids near our camp. We waved hi and felt significantly more accomplished and sweaty.

During the afternoon, we did make short excursions to explore the place. During some of those a squirrel began to sneak cunningly around our food. We had all edible items in a metal mesh bag that the ranger had insisted we bring to keep rodents out. On one longer excursion, the squirrel made an attack and managed to pull a few craisins and open the Chex-mix through the mesh. Darn squirrel! Aidan took this as a personal offense and was ready to throw the thing in the river if we managed to stun it with a rock. Thankfully the afternoon pressed on and we didn’t have to resort to that.

Aidan on the little beach that we camped on

Emily on a rock in the river

At around 5:00pm we made dinner (Katmando Curry Mountain House mixed with lentil soup) and ate sitting on a little beach as we watched the sun go down. We then quickly set up the tent and got ready for bed, with the plan to sleep from 8:00pm to 2:30am. Hopefully that will be enough rest to rejuvenate our energy for tomorrow’s hike out. We are thinking that the earlier we are out the better and that is worth getting up in the middle of the night for. There will be a full moon tonight so between that and the headlamps we should be able to follow the trail out. We restocked on filtered water again, bringing our stock back to 6 liters with a total of 16 for the day. At about 2 gallons each and lots of salty snacks I think we’ll be fine.

Such a pretty sunset!

We are praying that the mice don’t get our food tonight! We reinforced the packaging with the left over soup can and duct tape. I miss you and love you and hope you are not worrying too much. Someday we will come back here and explore this place together!

Love,

Emily Grace