Grand Canyon-ing!

Last October, my mom hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim. She'd been preparing for awhile and was encouraged by my Arizona uncle that was planning the hike. At the time, I didn't really realize what a big deal it was. I'm not a hiker. I don't know the significance of different hikes. Turns out, it was a big deal.

Since she got back (and recovered...), my mom has been encouraging the rest of our family to do the next Grand Canyon hike with her. (You can only hike it May - October so my uncle takes groups in May and October.) I think I kind of brushed her off a couple times because, well, like I said, I'm not a hiker. But as it got closer I decided I wanted to go. Mitch couldn't take the time off from work but I decided to go anyway.

We left Friday morning and drove down to the North Rim. I was completely surprised how pretty the North Rim is! I'd never been to the Grand Canyon before so I just assumed it was all a complete desert. Actually, the North Rim has a lot of really, really pretty evergreens that open up to the beautiful meadows. It was all so peaceful looking. We finally got to the North Rim at about 4 our time (3 their time) but none of my family was there yet so we had to wait for them to get there. When they finally got there, we checked into the lodge, took our stuff to our rooms (we had a boy cabin and a girl cabin), ate dinner, and then started getting ready for bed. It's hard getting ready for bed when your mom and sisters are there to play with! We were in bed late (by 9:30-ish? but that's late when you have to be up so early). Also, you're supposed to do as much as you can the night before so that you can just get up and go. (Which meant we had to swap snacks, etc. the night before.)

The next morning, we woke up bright and early at 4 and got ready. Our whole group (39 of us?) met together and had a small breakfast and then drove the couple miles to the North Kaibab trail head.

Don't I look super prepared to hike? Please note my hiking pole. The hat is actually Mitch's. It was either this one or my pink striped one or my gray one with the flower. I thought this one looked more serious.

We got a late start and actually started hiking at about 5:45 in the morning. The first part is all downhill which isn't too hard (because you're not yet realizing how much impact you're getting). This is my mom and I at the first look out place but I don't remember what it's called.

About three miles in you get to Supai Tunnel which is a rest stop with bathrooms and water. I left Supai with my little brother, Brandon, who is 10. We hiked the next two-ish miles together. He says the funniest things. My mom and dad finally caught up with us and my dad and I went ahead while my mom kept hiking with Brandon (who was already starting to get tired, poor little guy). Then, my dad and I caught up with Em and her boyfriend, Jeff, so we hiked the last half a mile-ish to the next rest stop with them. We stopped there and met up with Jason and my cousin, Asiel, and... someone else but I forget who. We ate some snacks, went to the bathroom, and waited for the people behind us (even though there were people in front of us too). Once they all got there, we kept going. I was going to hike with Em and Jeff but ended up going in front of them and leaving them behind. I hiked the mile to the next stop (Cottonwood Campground) and stopped there for a minute. I thought about waiting for everyone else (because I knew Brandon was having trouble and they might need help) but instead I kept going. I kind of figured that if I was feeling up to hiking faster, I should do it while I was feeling it. Frankly, I was pretty proud of myself for actually "doing it" and, not only that, but not complaining. I felt like a good hiker!

It's about 9 miles from Cottonwood to Phantom Ranch so I ended up hiking those 9 miles by myself. I almost waited a few times for everyone behind me to catch up but, I wasn't sure how far behind me they were and I was worried they'd turned around or something and I never would have known because I didn't have a radio. So I kept going. I pulled out my iPod and let it keep me company. Part way through it started pouring so I pulled out my poncho and put that on. I still got wet but it kept my Camelbak dry and I appreciated that. When I got to Phantom, I found my brother, Tyler, and cousin, Ariana, there. I was so glad to see them. That was the first time I'd seen anyone familiar in hours. (The Grand Canyon plays tricks on your mind when you don't see people or see people you know in a long time.) Only Sarah (my little sister) and Freddy (my brother-in-law) were ahead of us but we didn't exactly know how far ahead. I thought more people were ahead of me but it turned out everyone else was behind me. I'd had no idea. Phantom is like the halfway point so we ate our lunches and rested our poor feet and legs. By then we'd hiked 14 miles. Other people from our group/family eventually started showing up at Phantom. When it was just Tyler, Ariana, Jason (another brother), and I, the kids kept wanting to get going. Since I hadn't seen any of our adults in hours, I made us stay until they started getting there so that they'd know where we were. We couldn't reach them by radio because they were in a part of the canyon that radios don't work. They finally got to Phantom at about 2 in the afternoon. We talked to them a bit about where to go, how long it would take us, etc. and left Phantom at about 2:30 while they kept resting.

(I later realized that I'd forgotten to mail postcards by mule and sign the log book at the Phantom Ranch canteen but by then I wasn't about to turn around.)

The second half of the hike is (in my opinion) 19 times harder than the first half. You switch trails from the North Kaibab trail to the Bright Angel Trail. It's about 5 miles from Phantom Ranch to the next rest stop, Indian Gardens. At that point it was Jason, Tyler, Ariana, Grace (Ariana's friend), and I. We did okay on the first two-ish? three-ish? miles of that portion except that by then we'd crossed the Colorado River and we were on the South side of the canyon and that's more deserty. There was one specific section that was ridiculously sunny. I'd thought I'd been eating/drinking enough but looking back, I probably wasn't. We had to stop and rest in the shade for a minute once or twice. Once we got past the Devil's Corkscrew (that section), it was better. Then the last two-ish? three-ish? miles to Indian Gardens was harder. It becomes steep switchbacks (with a lot of stairs) up the side of the canyon. We finally made it there at about... 6-something?

From Indian Gardens, it's a 4.5 mile hike to the South Rim. When you've already hiked 19+ miles, 4.5 honestly doesn't seem like that much. But really, it is. It really is. Those last 4.5 miles are the. worst. part of the trail. It's more switchbacks and more stairs. Lots of stairs. Lots of switchbacks. A mile and a half from Indian Gardens is the 3 mile resthouse (as in, three miles from the South Rim) and then another mile and a half after that is the 1.5 mile resthouse. Somewhere around 2-3 miles from the end of the trail, my right knee went out. If I'd just been walking on a flat surface, it might not have been that big of a deal. But when you're hiking up switchbacks and stairs, it's way worse. I'd actually enjoyed the first half of the hike but at this point, I honestly wanted to sit down and cry. My knee hurt so back and my legs and hips were so stiff. Unfortunately, crying was never really an option. Grace was having a hard time with the hike and was almost in tears herself the last 4.5 miles. The other kids took turns feeling about the same. If I'd broken down, they would have lost it too. Instead, we kept talking about how we were, "Almost there!" (Even though at the rate we were hiking, we really weren't.) It started getting dark somewhere around the three mile rest house. By then Tyler and Ariana had gone ahead a bit so Jason and I pulled out our headlamps and put Grace in between us (she didn't have one).

Somehow (with lots of little stops and lots of encouragement by radio) we made it the rest of the way. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to see my sister, Tracy, at the top waiting for us. Her doctor wouldn't let her hike because of her condition so she was a driver. I was so exhausted then that I didn't even think to have my picture taken. This picture is from a little bit later when our last group got out. By then I'd taken my shoes off and bundled up in a blanket.

Anyway. By the time everyone was out it was about 2:30 in the morning and we were all exhausted. My car of people hadn't booked a hotel room because we didn't know what time we'd get out. By then, we wanted a hotel room but everything was booked for Memorial Day weekend. Instead, someone suggested we drive to Cameron and try getting a room there. We ended up driving (and by that I mean, I drove while they slept) from the South Rim to Cameron (about an hour). Trust me when I say there are no hotels there. Or much of anything else. The guy at the gas station suggested driving 7? miles the other way for a hotel but 1. It was already 4 am, 2. I just wanted to get home, 3. I was exhausted so instead, we slept in my car at the gas station with all the other truckers and travelers. Priceless. We were only there for a couple hours. Then we kept going.

We made it home by like... 3 in the afternoon-ish? Every time we got out of the car for gas, bathroom breaks, and food we waddled. And my car was super dirty and super smelly. Oh well. The hardest part of walking was stairs (especially those without railings). We quickly learned the easiest way to tackle those was to swing your leg up, rather than try to lift it. (That technique doesn't work for getting in the bathtub or for climbing inside stairs.) A couple days later I realized how swollen my feet were (I'd been wearing sandals since the end of the hike). I didn't have any blisters at all but my toenails were/are purple. I thought my toenails might fall off (that often happens) but so far they've stayed on (most of the way). My calves were sore and had a rash for the first two days or so. I guess my second pair of socks was too tight and caused the rash. Both knees were bad for a few days and then it was just the right one. I finally got a brace for it and that seemed to help. Now it's fine. Also, my legs hurt a lot where they're attached to the body. And that was mostly it.

I wish I could say that I'd never do it again. In fact, the last three-ish miles of the hike I remember saying several times that I'd never do it again. But really, I probably would. I mean, at the end I felt so, so good about being able to say that I've Done It. And overall, it was worth it. I'm a good hiker.