Grand Canyon National Park: Sometimes You Just Have To Chance It

Pretty much the same shot from 6.5 years ago

Now Grand Canyon was slightly different second time round but to explain that I should probably take a step back and give you some insight into 2008.

Now this was to be my first big overseas trip so Bazil had some sound advice, 'try and take it easy on your first night'. Now I may have missed part of the message here, as although the first night overseas was a quiet one, the first night of the Contiki tour ended with me in a drunk tank in San Diego. So the next major city we hit, Phoenix, we got back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning and did the smart thing and stayed in the room for the rest of the night. Well we thought it would be a smart idea.

A few of the other lads had an early morning hot-air ballooning ride to get up for, so we decided the smart move would be to pull an all-nighter so they didn't miss their ride. Well it worked for them but not so much for me. I woke up to the alarm blaring, me kipped up between the two beds and the tour bus long gone.

Anyway, long story short, a bus ride that didn't quite get me back to the group, and a $160 taxi ride later I finally made it to the Grand Canyon. Fair to say I wasn't in much of a state to really get the most out of the canyon, but I still loved it.

Second time round was a whole 'nother story.

Now I said different but it didn't necessarily get off to the best start. Our first glimpse of the canyon was through overcast and cloudy skies, not really conducive to the best photographic opportunities. Still we headed west along the rim towards Hermits Rest, braving the rain along the way and getting a pretty good impression of the canyon as a whole.

South Western Rim

It was now that we decided we wanted to trek down into the heart of the canyon and stay overnight. We knew it would be a tough hike with all our gear but the more we thought about it, the more we wanted to do it.

 A glimpse of the switchbacks we decided to put ourselves through

Then proceeded the longest night of the trip so far. And we've had 12 hour layovers in Brazilian airports.

Hoping to get a good night's sleep before the hike didn't quite turn out as planned. It rained for 16 hours straight. And not the good type of rain either (although I don't think there is a good type of rain when you live in a $20 tent), rather it was that bone-drenching drizzle that just keeps on coming with no end in sight.

Not knowing whether to chance it and head on the hike, we waited for the morning to pass and see what the afternoon provided. After a few hours of waiting, and still no real end in sight of the rain, we thought stuff it, let's give it a crack.

Things didn't look promising at the start

We would say it's one of the toughest things we have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.

The hike down, 7 miles via the South Kaibab Trail, is relatively easy, well when compared with the walk up. Even though it's when your pack is at it's heaviest, it's always easier walking downhill than uphill. And luck was also on our side, as an hour into the hike the rain finally subsided.

Getting deeper into the Canyon

We made good time and got settled into our campsite and relaxed by the creek for the rest of the arvo. The one plus side to the weather was that instead of it being inhumanely hot (most people start the hike down at between 4-6am in the morning this time of the year), the overcast conditions meant it was surprisingly pleasant.

Our first real look at the Colorado River

That night we also missed the forecast showers and the early morning thunderstorm that threatened but just didn't eventuate. We had the wind, the thunder and the lightning but the rain held off.

The walk up was a whole different ball game. It was 9.6 miles… and all uphill. We had been told to prepare ourselves for a good 6 hours of torture but we managed to knock it out in 5. The plus side of the hike out via Bright Angel Trail is that apart from the first 4.5 miles, there is water stations every 1.5 mile so you can drop a heap of weight from your packs. The bad part is that although the first mile is somewhat flat, the rest surely isn't. Throw in an 8-10kg pack and that shite gets tiring after 20 minutes. Come and see me after 5 hours!

The Kaibab Trail Bridge

Nic took the brunt of the pain and by the end of it her blisters had blisters! Still she toughed it out and we were both pretty stoked to reach the top by the end of it. The views you get along the hike are unbelievable. There is a whole other world down there – an entirely different environment, and countless features that would be breathtaking on their own but somehow get lost in the vastness that is the Grand Canyon.

Bright Angel Trail and the Indian Gardens

I had previously written about Canyonlands rivaling the Grand Canyon. Now I can't quite say I agree with that statement, at least not 100%, but I will offer this. They are both worth the visit and both unique in their own way.

We did completely different things in each park, and I would easily go back to both (Canyonlands first though). I think the problem people have with the Grand Canyon is the sheer size of it, which is ironic as it's size is what makes it 'grand'.

The reason I say this is because it's hard to get an appreciation of it due to its immense magnitude. Those smaller, finer details and features you pick out in other parks are missed because, sometimes, you don't know where to look. It has so many things going on that half of it is swallowed by the depths of the canyon.

South Eastern Rim

Getting down into the canyon definitely makes you appreciate it, so don't be one of the 'snob' travelers and skip the Grand Canyon because it's too mainstream, or been done before. Give yourself a couple of nights and experience one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World

We even got to see some elk and deer!