Grand Canyon

What can I say. All that comes to mind is WOW. Just WOW. The past few days have been an incredible experience that I will never forget for as long as I live. Many say when you finish the rim to rim in the Grand Canyon, you either really want to go back, or NEVER want to do it again. I definitely fall into the really wanting to go back category. That was one of the most amazing trips I have ever been on, but when I got to the top, I was sad because it was over and I had to go home. I would have turned around and gone back in after resting for a little while, but still that same day.
I'll start by describing each day, and how amazing each day was. I'm not trying to play this off as easy, it wasn't, trust me, but I would still do it again tomorrow.
Day 1
The last day of Junior year, and I dropped off a lab in 1st period, came home and helped pack. We left as soon as everyone was out of school and able to get to our house and we were off!! We drove and drove and drove across the nothingness of Northern Nevada, and spent the night at Bob Scott Campground in the middle of nowhere. My family had been there the year before when we took our own trip to the Grand Canyon, but we got there too late to take in the scenery or the cows.
Day 2
We woke up and ate breakfast fairly quickly to get back on the road. Then we drove and drove and drove some more. We stopped in several quaint little towns along the way, but where we wanted to spend the night, Great Basin National Park, was going to be getting snow that night- something we were NOT prepared for. So we kept driving until we were on the other side of the storm and into Utah. We found a campground on a lake and we camped on the red sand, watching the sun set over the lake right as we got there. We cooked dinner, made dessert, and went to sleep, weary of the scorpions that turn blue under a black light Dawn happened to have.
Day 3
I think I had finished my 2nd or 3rd book by day three of driving in the car (my total came to around 7 over the whole week). We finally reached the Grand Canyon! We set up camp, and then went to the lodge on the north rim to watch the sun set, and it was BEAUTIFUL. The spectacular colors, the way they bounced off the canyon walls, how the light changed the colors all around, and just staring into one of the seven wonders of the world was amazing. I was glad to be out of the car, and as we got packed that night, I was sacred, anxious, and excited.
Day 4
We got up, got ready, and hit the trail by 8AM. As soon as we got down into the canyon, it was spectacular! It took a lot longer than I though it would though. Like with the shakedown trip, it took us a while to get into our groove, but all four girls were up front, leading the pack. Liz got sick, but I think it was just dehydration or altitude sickness, so after resting for a little bit and drinking water, she was okay. We just kept going and going and going, passing SO MANY LAYERS! Dawn is a civil engineer with a specialty in soils, plus she'd been on the trip before, so she was a wealth of knowledge. I found a couple fossils in the layers as we went down which was awesome! By the time we got close to the campground it was 3:00, it was really hot, and I was tired. We went 7 miles the first day, and 4000 feet down in elevation. My knees didn't hurt they, but they did by the end! There was a creek nearby and we all went down to cool off by sticking our feet in and rinsing out our socks. I sat on a rock with my water color pencils and drew one of the cliffs nearby during sunset. We went to bed early, but it was hard to sleep because the sheet wasn't warm enough, but the fleece blanket was too warm. Eventually, Sarah and I fell asleep, ready for an early morning of hitting the trail.
Day 5
We got up early and hit the trail by 7AM, but looking back I wish it were earlier. I didn't fully understand why some people got up so early until that day. We took a mile detour to see Ribbon Falls, and I'm glad we did. It's a little oasis in a little canyon close to the bottom that is just gorgeous. There was life, water, and cool air everywhere, and I could have stayed there all day. Unfortunately we still had about 6 more miles to cover before we reached Phantom Ranch, the bottom of the Grand Canyon at the Colorado River. That day was flat and hot, though we dropped into another canyon that had sheer cliffs as we walked along a river. We also crossed a little marsh with a boardwalk-type bridge going over it that was really cool. By the time we reached the bottom, it was noon, 100 degrees, and unbearably hot. We went from wearing sweatshirts on the North Rim to as little clothing as possible at the bottom, in only two days. Once we got in, we all just sat in the creek that ran into the Colorado, and the same one we had been following all day. It felt so nice to just sit there and be cool, and look up at the canyon walls around us, and sleep next to a pile of schist that was millions of years old. I would go get my hat or shorts wet, come back to camp, sit on a rock and sleep or read, and once I was dry go back to get wet. That night was hot. I slept on top of my sheet, and just as it got cool enough to need to put the sheet over me, which was about 3 AM, we got up to hit the trail extra early.
Day 6
Hitting the trail at 5 AM, we crossed the Colorado and began the ascent. I'm so glad we started that early, because the sun began to hit us just as we were climbing Devil's Corkscrew, a tornado of switchbacks up a nearly sheer face. We continued up until we reached Indian Gardens, another oasis in the desert. This was my favorite place, and we reached it by 8 AM!! The four of us girls were so in sync by that point that we climbed 5 miles uphill in 3 hours. This is the best shape I've ever been in, and I'm proud of my accomplishment. That day we all lay around a HUGE tree in our campsite that kept us in the shade and cool. We all just lay there the rest of the day and read, slept, read, got up to go to the bathroom, read, slept, and on and on ALL DAY. It was the most relaxing yet strenuous day I think I've ever done, and I'd do it every day of my life if I could. That evening we hiked out the Plateau Point to see the sunset, but Sarah was "attacked" or rather ran into a cactus. We sat out on a point 1500 feet above the Colorado River pulling cactus spines out of her leg while she laughed about it. Then we headed back, presented skits towards our Leave-No-Trace Trainer Certification, and called it a night.
Day 7
This day seemed like it never ended, and was one of the best, most sad, most amazing days. We hit the trail at 5 AM again, and once again, us girls were at the top by 8 AM. However this was one of the hardest days, with over 30 switchbacks all the way up the face of the south rim. When i saw the end in sight, despite the mass amounts of tourists flocking down the path in my direction, I was relieved, but after resting a few minutes, I was sad it was all over! I wanted to spend so much more time with such a great group of people and in such a wonderful, magnificent place. After everyone got out, we went to SHOWER for the first time in four days, and it felt wonderful! Then we headed off for lunch and got to eat nice hot greasy food and some ice cream, though I couldn't eat much because my stomach wasn't used to holding onto the food for very long before burning it off while hiking. I layed down on a table and took a nap, then went sight seeing, and we finished off the night by finishing our Leave-No-Trace Trainer certification and sleeping well.
Day 8 and 9
It was all really over and we left the majestic canyon, heading back home. Two days in the car this time instead of three, driving home from the south rim was bittersweet. After four days outside, it was hard to get back in the car, but at the same time nice to rest. I read almost the entire time, and though a lot about what we had just done.

This trip has been one of the most extraordinary times of my life, and I know I've said this before, but I'll never, ever forget it. I experienced the majesty of nature and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, while enjoying the company of an amazing group with no drama, all fun, and a challenging hike. Almost 30 miles later, and a new wealth of knowledge, experience, and wonder, I left the Grand Canyon ready for more adventures like this, and I'm counting down the days until I can go back and do it all again.