Grand Canyon – A day of breathtaking beauty and challenge

Photo Courtesy Siddharth Sharma – siddharthsharma.in/journeys 

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir


 

Hiking and nature walks are activities that take me from my head to my heart- one of those activities that I would jump at  every opportunity. Having a group of friends that share common passion really helps. After many hikes, we planned the one that was a dream and so far the toughest and longest I have ever done – hiking the grand canyon in one day.

We were all supposed to train for this hike as it is not recommended to attempt to hike the canyon in one day and the GC website discourages you from doing so. I was a little apprehensive cause I do not consider myself as being athletic – I am average in terms of fitness. And to get fit in a month …hmm…I tried…!! And to face our fears and apprehensions …hmm….well I believe in this -that we need to face them.

We flew to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ and drove overnight to Grand Canyon (about 4 hrs ). Our plan was as follows:

River bound trail(Descent)- South Kaibab trail: 6.7 miles and 2 miles along the River Trail
Rim bound trail(Ascent)– Bright Angel trail : 7.5 miles

All in a day !!

We reached Grand Canyon early in the morning and it was the first time I set foot on the canyons. There has much been said about the beauty of the canyons and all I can say is that there is a reason why it is one of the seven modern wonders of the world. Oh boy it is stunning..!

We started our hike at 7 am. The descent through South Kaibab took us through some breathtaking views.

The first glimpse of the river was very welcoming.

We had our lunch near the river and headed back to the rim through the Black Angel Trail.

I literally soaked myself in water all the way back to the rim – every spot I could find water I would pour over my head.  It was first week of September, the temperatures soaring, the sun shining brightly, the heat seemed relentless – I stopped unable to go any further and there was a blessing that came about – huge dark cloud cover – this has to be the moment that goes down in history for me. My feelings were that heaven had come down to shower blessings on all of us. It is like one of those desperate moments where you actually see light at the end of tunnel.

One of my friend captured our emotions through the hike in this map:

Emo-map courtesy Basil Milton

The map beautifully summarizes our emotional state throughout the hike and these words on the tee-shirt sold in a souvenir shop says it all:

“HIKED, Dragged myself, Complained, Nearly passed out, Barely made it out of THE CANYONS”

It took me all of 15 hours to complete the hike (with lots of breaks and rest in between) and to top it all I got to experience the canyons at night (hiked almost 2 hours after sunset in the dark).  Every glimmer of light reminded me of heaven. We camped on the rim that night and woke up pretty sore from all the hiking we did previous night.

I must tell you it is totally worth it…every bit of it!!

Why take all the pain…?? Would love to hear similar experiences and do you guys think that taking all the pain is worth it?! Is it for the sense of accomplishment? Is it so that we can appreciate our bed and pillow we sleep in at night? Is it to push ourselves to the limit?  Let me know what you think….

Tips:

1. Try this hike during cooler months
2. Camping at the base would be so much fun – I would love to try this one sometime (Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel campground, Indian Garden campground)
3. Carry lots of snacks and water – While the Black Angel trail has water at many points , the South Kaibab does not…
4. New shoe – no no – one co-hiker had a pretty bad shoe bite – the hike can be pretty rough on your feet