Grand Canyon 11/7/12

Wednesday November 7- After a very long drive to arrive at the canyon, we got a chance to sleep in a bit, and by a bit I mean an extra hour. After breakfast at the Maswik, we hopped on a shuttle point to Haibab Trail. For the next 4 hours we went hiking through the canyon. 

****There are a few things that people need to pay attention to, EVERYTHING THE GUIDES TELL YOU! ****

-This canyon is no joke. Wear the right shoes, the gravel is slippery at some point, and the LAST thing you want to do is slip with your possible death less than a foot away.

- Pre-plan your hiking route. Don't just start a trail and keep on walking. Make sure you know the check points you want to reach. Going down the canyon may be a little slow because you're taking in the views and trying not to shake from the height, but you HAVE to keep in mind that the time it takes to go down, will take twice as long to get back up. The switchbacks are steep, the sun is hot, and the oxygen level is low.

-Drink LOTS of water, and bring a lot with you! It doesn't seem that bad on the way down, but once you start climbing back up the canyon, you are surprised how much the elevation and sun effects you. Best way to avoid elevation sickness? WATER.

There are signs with guidelines everywhere with how to trek the canyon safely, but every other sign also shows people that have died because they simply didn't bring water. I can't tell you how many people I saw climbing down the canyon with sandals and UGG boots. 

The canyon is amazingly beautiful and breathtaking, but PLEASE listen to the guidelines. I'm sure glad I did!!

I've been hiking before, but nothing can prepare you for climbing down switchbacks on the face of a canyon with unbelievable drops on either side of you. There were times I had to stand still and get my bearing on the fact that I was on solid ground, but remember that one wrong step and I would be as flat as a pancake a couple hundred feet down....We passed breathtaking views, and daredevils that would stand with their toes on the edge of a cliff and their heads over the canyon. Here are some of the shots I got with shaky hands throughout our hike...

Instructions on how to walk along the ridge....

Switchbacks from the top

The gang right before we left!

First stop along the hike!

Cedar Ridge, second stopping point, and final point for us. 1.5 miles down.

Our hike back up the canyon.

Crazy views!

Our dusty shoes after the hike

After the hike we went to Hopi Point to check out the sunset before heading in for Pizza and a nice sleep after our bodies were beat up from hiking in the Canyon.

Sunset from Hopi Point, Grand Canyon, AZ

Final sun rays on the tips of the Canyon

Sunset along the rim

 After hiking ourselves to exhaustion, eating an awesome Pizza from Maswik Lodge, and star gazing around 11pm, we woke up again at 6am to see the sunrise over the Canyon so we could have both perspectives. No sunrise over a Canyon would be complete without some Circle of Life from the Lion King. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at the pictures, then watch the movie again, you should understand:)) There are a lot more pictures from last night and this morning, but I need a lot more time to go through them.

Sunrise from Powell Point, Grand Canyon, AZ

Sunrise over the ridge

Sunrise over the Grand Canyon Railroad tracks

Sorry the updates are so short, but it's proving to be hard to do everything we want to do and have time to sit down, edit photos and update a blog:) Here's what I have and I will post as much as I can later, plus keep checking in for Kara's updates! For now, I leave you with an Elk....