The Grand Canyon: Experiencing the Wow Factor

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I can't count the number of times Jean and I would be walking along, catch a view of the Grand Canyon, stop dead in our tracks and say, "Wow." It was so vast and so striking that it almost didn't seem real. Rather than fumble with a description I'm going to let the pictures do the talking for this one.
Entering Arizona around midday. The skies were beginning to clear.


We reached the Grand Canyon National Park mid afternoon. This was our first views of the Colorado River.

Wow!

Wow!

We were glad to find that our camp site was in a nice, wooded area.

On our second day in the park we hiked down a portion of the Hermit's Trail (One of the three trails going down into the canyon on the South Rim)


Our map listed the Hermit's trail as being unmaintained. Someone must have done some significant maintaining at some point though.










We hiked 3-4 miles down Hermit's Trail before turning back. We had descended 1500-2000 feet and it was a bit of slog back in the midday sun.

Dinnertime!

On our third day we decided to take a leisurely 13 mile walk along the rim trail. The Rim trail is leisurely because even though it's thirteen miles long there's only few hundred feet of elevation change which at the Grand Canyon is chump change. There's also a bus stop at nearly every mile marker in case you wuss out. The inter-park bus system was really useful for getting between trail heads.


There are signs all over the park warning you not to touch, feed, serenade, interrogate, play checkers with, tell jokes to, taunt or invite squirrels home to meet your parents. Apparently, the squirrels carry fleas which have the plague. Squirrels also have these really huge fangs.

Even though there were hordes of people on the rim trail you could always find a beautiful, scenic overlook for a picture opp.



That's the Bright Angel trail down in the valley. Our plan was to hike that tomorrow.

Bright Angel Trail is on the other side of the canyon.



Saw this elk hanging out near our campground in the evening.

Comments

Colin said…
I'd like to say "wow" but English understatement won't allow me to.
5 May 2016 at 15:04
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