So the frustration and sadness of having to head east due to gas prices quickly went away after I decided to go to the Grand Canyon where my friend Sarah (who is also doing vanlife) would meet up with me. I had never been to the Grand Canyon and to be honest it wasnât on the top of my list of national parks to visit. From what others told me, you walk up to the edge, you see a giant hole and thatâs it. Boy I sure am glad they were wrong!
The first day we got there Sara and I met up and drove into the park together and pretty quickly youâre at the south rimâŚ..so we found a place to park and headed for the first trail head we had planned which was Bright Angel. This gave us some amazing views with not too strenuous of a hike back up.
unfortunately dogs are not allowed on any trails below the rim so Luci had to stay in the vanâŚ.but she did come join us after to the upper trail!
(Clearly she was not entertained)
The evening came pretty quick so we drove to a cool spot on the East side of the canyon to watch the sun set and oh my goodness đł
This world is so beautifulâŚ..
Sarah found an amazing free camping spot less than a mile outside of the park where we stayed for a the week. Wild horses, bonfires, and lots of space for Luci to explore. (Sara got to see the horses more than I didâŚlucky ass)
After work the next day we went back into the park for a walk and to experience the sun set in a different way.
Sometimes you gotta do things that gets your heart beating a little fast in order to feel more alive =)
That night I told Sarah that I really wanted to see if I could climb to the bottom and back up in a day and began looking for daycare places for Luci....not much luck (the one inside of the park needed her to have a specific vaccine that she hadn't gotten). Sarah didn't hesitate offering to watch Luci the next day while she was still around, so I took her up on that (paid her in a pizza dinner that night). Early to bed that night...
I wanted to share the photo that was posted on EVERY trail heading down...and yes, I saw this days before I decided to head down lol (no I did not seek advice đ¤ˇđťââď¸)
The following are photos, videos and short narrative of my adventure in the Grand Canyon:
Wake up at 5:30, Sarah drives me to the shuttle because most trails you are not permitted to drive to...get to bus at 6:10, 5 minute ride to Kaibab Trailhead. Start my watch, take a deep breath..and go.
There were only a handful of others on the shuttle going to Kaibab so I pretty much had the whole trail to myself after the first mile.
I had the idea in my head that I would jog down but that was not possible in a lot of spots. Walking quickly would have to do.
Mile 3 - ish
Mile 4!
Mile 5
I see the Colorado River!
The last 2.5ish miles of trail were very curvy and steep
One of the COOLEST parts of the hike!
Made it to the bridge at 8:48am (2h21m).....
Made it to the COLORADO RIVER! Time to clean my feet off, eat some food and spread some of mom before heading back up.
My moms ashes are in SO many beautiful places now....this one being my favorite.
Time to head back up! (9:22 start)
2 miles up and my breathing is a clear indicator that this was A LOT harder going up lol
4 miles up...a lot less documenting...a lot more focusing on breathing and not falling over the edge
You hear me say I have 2 miles left.....try at least 3 đŠ
This was THE hardest part....seeing the end, 1 mile of steep switchbacks, and a ton of annoying people in the way.
When I got to the top I could barely talk, but enough to ask for a picture. After I got the picture people started asking me to take photos for them and I literally said I couldn't and limped past them lol. I was never more annoyed seeing people in my life...BUT I MADE IT!
Celebrated after in the van by SITTING DOWN and having a nice cold beer.......pretty fucking proud of myself and cant wait for the next challenge đ