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Sunrise over the Grand Canyon was magical. It was worth getting up at 4.45am to see the sun illuminate the cliffs of the canyon. From darkness to brilliant shades of red, orange, white and brow, the Canyon burst into life within an hour. Ground squirrils emerged, basking in the warmth of the sun and displaying amazing agility as they effortlessly scampered across the edges of the cliffs. A surreal experience as I witnessed one of the most amazing sights I will ever encounter, the sheer majesty of the beauty of the Grand Canyon at sunrise.
After the stillness of watching a sunrise, it was then time to descend into the canyon, feel this ancient earth beneath my feet, and hike down to Cedar's Point. Our tour guide reminded us, "before you decide to go further into the canyon, stop and look behindvyou, because you have to go back the same way, and it's only up". It was good advice, as well as the advice to; go to Cedar's Point for incredible views, take 2-3 litres of water and some snacks, take photos mostly on the way up in the rest breaks, and getvoff the track by 11am as the sun is extremely hot in the canyon.
We began the hike at 7am and was off the canyon at 10.30am.
The path to Cedars Point was well maintained, a bit slippery due to the gritty sand, but it had enough stone steps to provide sufficient stability. It was a steady descent, constantly winding downwards through steep switchbacks. The vegetation was varied from purple fruiting prickly pear cacti, succulents, small trees and a range of bushes and grasses. Wildlife was also varied from blue jays, ground squirrels, birds of prey, lizards and insects. We saw no mountain lions!
Our first section of the hike was to Ooh Aah Point. The name says it all! It was the first place where we were able to see extensive panoramic views of the canyon, and our responses were appropriately "ooh aah"!! It seemed everywhere we looked the canyon was stretching out before us, rising and falling between cliiffs and crevices, dominating the landscape in every direction.
At this point I felt confident on proceeding further into the depths of the canyon, but I already knew the option of Skeleton Point was no longer an option! Skeleton Point was beyond Cedar Point and was considered the best vantage view on the South Kaibab Trail, but who goes down must come up and I doubted whether I would make it from this depth!
So we pressed on to Cedar Point, walking further down the canyon and the paths getting steeper. Most of our walk had been done in the shade, the sun was not yet bearing down on this trail, but we knew it would be a different story on the way up the trail, so we enjoyed the shade, the views and being in the Grand Canyon. As we had started hiking at 7am we were early on the trail, not many people before us which made these narrow paths easier to negotiate.
At times the trail felt quite safe with a rock wall on one side with some space between the edge of the path and the cliff drop off, whilst at other times, it felt that if i went near the edge of the path i would simply fall off the edge of a massive cliff to the Colorado River below and to certain death. Although the signs said to keep left, this was an impossibility, so I hugged the right hand side of the walled canyon path. I just apologised to other hikers citing "scared of heights"! Not sure they believed me as, why would anyone scared of heights be out here on the Canyon wall hiking?" At times I even wondered, but when I looked around and saw the magnificent views of the canyon I knew why I was here.
At 8am we arrived at Cedar Point. It was a fantastic viewing point of the canyon - over 300 degree range. It was time to sit under the shade of a tree, on a comfy rock accompanied by ground squirrels and enjoy our snacks. I enjoyed a banana, apple and muesli bar for breakfast, hoping it was enough fuel for the climb back up. Rob and I venured to the Point and the views were stunning and we had our photos taken by those in the group. It was hard to believe I was standing on this point in the midst of the Grand Canyon surrounded by one of the most remarkable views to be seen on the planet.
It was a humbling moment as I saw myself as merely a speck in the midst of such an enormous labdscape, a grain of sand in the midst of millions of years. As birds soared effortlessly above and beyond me through this magnicent canyon, I wondered what their view may be like? They were not confined to a Point, but rather, they seemed to own this space as their own, riding on the ebbs and fliws of wind currents, they looked down upon me from lofty heights, weaving in and of cliff faces, landing where and when they liked, oblivious of me and my laboured breath to get to this Point. Only the ground squirrel was interested in my presence, his rather extended tummy looking for scraps of food, and he got lazier each year as he picniced on fast food delivered to his door by inattentive tourists who left their bags open for an easy steal!
The sun was now higher in the sky and the earlier sunrise images had been replaced with sharper and clearer views of the canyon. The layered colours of the rocks were very visible, signs of the age and periods of sediment and formation of the canyon. The black grey foundation followed by reds, white, red and the mottled colours of the top were clearly seen. It looked as though someone had used a ruler to clearly demarcate the separate sections. The layered effect of these stony cliffs gave the canyon striking appearance. At times it took on the appearance of an ancient civilization now abandoned with its stone terraced walls that were beginning to crumble through neglect and absence of human population, with the natural vegetation starting toreclaim the land. Bushes, grasses and trees were growing forth from spaces that seemed to provide no visible sign of water, pushing their way through cracks and forming revices, giving shelter and life for other and birds, animals and insects.
After a 40 minute breakfast stop at Cedar Point, a visit to the drop toilets, it was time to face the obvious - "who comes down, must go up", it was time to ascent the Kaibab Trail to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The walk up was difficult, but with every breatless stop there was an opportunity to take in glorious views, take photos and drink water. I drank my 2 litres of water that morning...the back pack felt lighter at the end of the trail but the legs felt wearier! Photos of cacti, tree trunks, paths and people, and of corse, the Canyon were taken. I was aware that no photo could ever capture what my eyewas seejng, my mind was thinking and how I was feeling. At times the experience was overwhelming that I was here and experincing this place. I was so glad I could share this time with Rob who had been marvellous with his ability to do these hikes. We have such incredible memories of a trip in a "lifetime".
Finally, with one more motivational "just around the corner", we were in fact, "just around the corner" we could see only one more switchback to the top! It was terrific that not one of us required rescuing by the rangers and mules. The ranger at the top of the trail said she'd seen many things, including at least once a year people lugging a suitcase to the canyon floor, well beyond Skeleton Point, thinking their accommodation was down there! I simply could not fathom this, to the Colorado River it is over 5 miles. I am sure they would be riding a mule back to the top. We saw people setting off for the trail mid morning with no water, inappropriate foot wear, no hat and in the heat. Despite warning signs of the perils of descending into the canyon without water, food and appropriate clothing, it seems like people think they are invincible. The ranger said people die each year in the canyon, mostly through lack of preparation. It can be hotter by up to 20 F on the canyon floor.
Once back safely on the top of South Rim, we caught a shuttle bus to Bright Angel Hostel for an early lunch. I had the best toasted ham and cheese sandwich ever....perhaps it tasted so good because it was midday and I had been up for over 7 hours! It was then time to decide our afternoon program, one that involved more walking!!!
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