Grand Canyon

We started our descent into the Grand Canyon around 1pm on Sunday and had a long day on a steep trail. There was a lot of loose rock and many switchbacks. About two miles in we met a guy hiking back to the rim, and in exchange for some extra water, he played his didgeridoo for us – a wind instrument originally from Australia, usually made from hardwoods – often eucalyptus trees. We continued on to Horseshoe Mesa, the ruins of an old building and you could still see where the fireplace and chimney has been. From there it was only a mile to the campsite, but it was by far the steepest part of the trail – about a thousand feet down to the creek. Isaiah and I rocketed ahead, and made it to the campground way before our parents (but still after the sun had set).

Day two on the Tonto trail gave us our first glimpse of the Colorado River (it is so green!) and took us on a winding route on the edge of a plateau above it. The hike was precarious and unpredictable, but beautiful. We stayed at a campsite called Grapevine (named after its creek) – which was by far my favorite campsite of the trip. The minute we arrived, Daddy went and laid down on a large rock and put his head in the creek to cool down.

Days three and four were much easier, because the hikes were shorter and we were getting stronger. Our fifth night camping in the backcountry we didn’t have a water source at our campsite and we had to fill a drybag with water so we would have enough for the hike to Phantom Ranch. At Cremation Creek (a dry wash in April) we were able to watch the moon rise above the high walls of the canyon after dark, which was an incredible sight to see.  

Phantom Ranch was not at all what I expected. It is one small building, half of which is a kitchen, and the other a dining hall/canteen, surrounded by trees and little cabins. It is very integrated into the woods, and doesn’t seem at all intrusive to the nature surrounding it. We stayed in a cabin at the ranch for two nights, and met people of all ages with so many different stories and backgrounds. The dining hall is filled with a few long tables, and you eat breakfast and dinner with all of the other hikers/travelers.

We spotted a space station on our second night at Phantom. It looks just like a moving star, or an airplane without the blinking lights.  A Park Ranger told us that there is a website (www.spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/) where you can track when the space station may be passing your area. Interestingly, American Astronaut Mark Kelly just arrived at the space station on March 27, 2015. He is staying at the station for a year (breaking the record for the longest time in space at one time for a U.S. astronaut) and is currently in a twin study with his brother to compare the effects of space on the body. (Mark Kelly is also the husband of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords.)

We spent two days hiking out of the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail. Day one was easy and fairly short. The stars that night were beyond incredible and we even spotted a shooting star! The last day was by far the hardest, despite the wide, well developed trail we were on. Once we got within three miles of the top, the trail was swamped with day hikers, and you could faintly make out tourists standing along the rim of the canyon.

-Natalia