We woke up at 5:30am, I found myself thankful that we
crossed two time zones yesterday so that it felt closer to 7:30am. Two hours
later we arrived in Grand Canyon National Park. Basically a ghost town at that morning hour, it was a surreal experience being seemingly alone in one
of America’s biggest tourist attractions.
Our day began at the South Kaibab trailhead. The longest and
most difficult day hike the Grand Canyon has to offer, it comes with a warning to not complete the hike during the summer months (a warning I only saw that morning ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). Miguel and I have both
completed hikes far longer and at greater elevation than the South Kaibab
trail, but it’s hard to account for the other environmental factors. With no
shade on the trail and 90-95 degree heat all day, even the simplest tasks become
draining.
We hiked to Skeleton Point, the halfway point of our trip. Eating lunch in view of the
Colorado River, we were feeling great and ready to begin the return leg. Some mixture of positivity,
self-confidence, and testosterone led me to begin a grueling pace back up the canyon which
we regretted within the first 10 minutes of our ascent.
Despite the difficulties we made it back to the top tired,
thirsty and sore; but still in awe of the beauty that surrounded us. I’ve heard
from friends who’ve visited the Grand Canyon that pictures don’t give you a
sense of its size and beauty. That’s so true. But I spent the entire day in the
canyon and I’m not sure if I have a sense of its size or beauty either.
This was the first day that we missed all of the World Cup
matches but I couldn’t be any happier about that decision. I'm sure we'll catch the games tomorrow.
- Elwood
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