I woke at 5:30am to
shower, and pack our bag that would get carried up by the mules. We were allowed 30 pounds, and we used every last ounce.
We had breakfast at
Phantom, and said good-bye to the friends we had made during our stay. The staff was
fabulous; living at the bottom of a canyon, and serving people that have just hiked 10 miles down a steep hill to get there cannot be easy. But they were all
so friendly and accommodating.
We stepped foot on
the Bright Angel Trail at 7:45am Sunday morning. The girls seemed motivated, and prepared for
the long journey. We had a 10 mile hike ahead of us, and it was all uphill.
We had chosen
Bright Angel as our return trail. Although it was 2 ½ miles longer than S.
Kaibab it wasn't as steep, and we were told by other hikers the views were
amazing. They were right. Coming down S. Kaibab was great, but returning to the top via Bright Angel was even more so.
I don’t have many
photos of Scott and Paradis on the way up, because we split into two teams.
Paradis had a faster pace, and there was no stopping her. Annelies and I were
going with the ‘slow and steady wins the race’ philosophy.
However, Scott and
Paradis waited for us half-way up at Indian Garden Campground for lunch. Same
lunch as the day prior, but it tasted good.
We filled our water
bottles, and continued on the trail. I’m not going to sugar-coat the return to
the top; it was a tough hike and all of us were sore from the hike down. But we
did great. They say the average hiker takes 8-10 hours to reach the top via Bright
Angel. It took us seven.
When Annelies and I were near
the top, we saw Scott walking down the hill toward us. He and Paradis had
reached the top about 20 minutes before, and he was coming to grab my pack. Oh
how I love that man.
I have to admit I
had tears in my eyes during this photo of all four of us at the top. I’m not sure if it was because I was so
darn proud of everyone for making it to the top, or because I was in such
pain! Either way, I knew it was a good day and I’m so glad we did it.
We went back to
Maswik Lodge for some lunch, and ice
cold drinks. We stopped at the gift store for souvenirs, and drove to our hotel
where we instantly dropped our sore bodies in the hot tub. It felt great.
Overall, our
adventure to the bottom of the Grand Canyon was amazing. My hiking team was
positive, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it without them.
I had simple goals for this adventure:
- Hike to the bottom of The Grand Canyon. Success!
- Hike back to the top. Success!
- I wanted my entire hiking team to enjoy it as much as I did. Success!
- And I didn't want to have to poop on a rock during the hike. Success!
It was a good day.
Day Six: 0 miles (481 total); $0 on gas
($44.65 total); 0 states (3 total); $88.23 Lodging ($885.55 total); $108.56 Souvenirs ($597.27
total); $0 Tourist Traps ($155.80 total);
$0 Redbox ($2 total); 0 fights (0 total); 0 injuries (1 total)
After the hike down and back up the Grand Canyon I have a new source of pride and respect for the girls. I was so impressed and amazed at their determination to make it all the way down and ALL the way up that BIG Canyon. Pride also played a big part in helping them put one foot in front of the other even when they wanted to quit.
ReplyDeleteI like Colin Powell's quote. It sums up Paradis and Annelies' accomplishment:
A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
- Colin Powell
I love all 3 of my girls (Rae Ann, Paradis, Annelies) very much and I am very proud of them for digging deep and completing the hike!! Seeing the Grand Canyon from the bottom was / is unbelievable experience.