Grand Canyon

Really Big Hole-

Many eloquent verses have been said about the Grand Canyon;  I guess my first impression of the Canyon was more like the kid from the 1980s classic American Vacation: “it’s only the biggest God-damn hole in the world”  Excuse the language, but it is sort of a holy shit sort of moment.  You prepare yourself for it being huge and encompassing, but I think that part of the splendor of the Canyon is that there is no way to prepare yourself for how small you feel out on the canyon’s edge.  It is sort of a once in a lifetime experience, where you understand the power of nature and history, and your own relative insignificance.  The day I arrive there were scattered showers that heightened the contrast of the sky and canyon, creating a more intense depth of field. 

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 On day one, I hiked the South Rim Trail.  It’s a hike along the perimeter of the canyon at a flat grade.  I went from the visitor center to the Hopi Point destinations; the trail in total is 13 miles, but you can hop on and off the shuttle about ever ½ mile.  I thought this was a great introduction to the park.  

On day 2, I did the Dripping Springs Trail off the Hermit Trail Head.  This hike took me into the inner canyon and about halfway down the canyon where I got sweeping panoramic views.  The coolest part was seeing wedges where the canyon had split dues to erosion and geologic disturbance.  This was a 7 mile hike, that the ranger said should take about 5 hours.  I did it quite a bit faster, as I was worried about getting stuck out in the heat without enough water.  The ascent back up the Hermit Trail Head was quite difficult, a pretty steep grade.  If you want to hike the Inner Canyon without going to the river, I would suggest doing the Bright Angel Trail or the South Kaibab Trail instead.  In the Grand Canyon, it does not appear as dry as other desert landscapes, but you need to respect the elements, bump up electrolytes and stay out of the heat in the early afternoon.

I had planned to do the hike to the base of Canyon from the South Kaibab Trail, and then ascend the Bright Angel Trail the 2^nd day.  However, no backcountry permit was available, so I had to condense the hike into one day.