The first 1.2 miles back to Indian Garden (from Plateau Point) is not too difficult, however the sun is bearing down on us and it is now 80 degrees (in the shade)! We will definitely be searching for any little bit of shade as we leave Indian Garden, since it is 5 miles and 5,000 feet elevation to the top! The views going back up are just as breathtaking as they were on the way down! Around each bend in the trail we look around us and are overwhelmed with the incredible majesty of the Grand Canyon! There is no other place in the entire world quite like the Grand Canyon! It is difficult to capture in mere words how truly "Grand" it is!
We encounter many foriegn visitors on the trail from countries all around the world; actually we Americans seem to be the minority on the Bright Angel Trail today. Perhaps we Americans do not fully appreciate all the natural beauty that is so close to where we live right here in our own country.
The uphill trek is just as difficult as we had expected it to be! I am worrying about Tom, since he seems to be struggling right away. We are very conscientious about staying hydrated and resting and snacking.
It is amazing to see so many beautiful flowers blooming in this rugged environment in the Grand Canyon!
It seemed to take forever to reach the 3-mile Resthouse, but we did finally make it there. Tom and I sat under the "roof" in the shade and commiserated with all the other hikers (tourists) who were struggling the same as we were to get back to the top of the Canyon before dark. Don found a large rock to sit on in the shade of a tree next to the Resthouse. We refilled our water bottles before heading out (and up) again to make it 1.5 more miles to the last Resthouse before the top.
As we began climbing the switchbacks leading away from the 3-mile Resthouse, I could feel myself "hit a brick wall"! I had been so confident in my own ability, and so worried about Tom, but Tom seems to have gotten "his second wind" and he is powering up the hill, going out of sight around the next switchback, and I seem to be struggling with each footstep. I'm feeling lightheaded and very "unsettled". We stop frequently at every little bit of shade, sit on the ground a few minutes, then push on.
It seemed such a long, long, long way to get to the 1.5 mile Resthouse! Along the way we talked to a young gal who works for the Park Service. She had passed us on the way down, just before Indian Garden, carrying some flattened cardboard boxes. Now she was passing us again going back up. She tells us that as a part of her job with the Park Service, she has to do this same trek (down and up) at least once a week! She also said that after doing this at least once each week for the last three years, it does not get any easier! (and she is probably less that half my age!) No wonder we are stuggling so!
We finally reach the 1.5 mile Resthouse, fill our water bottle, hydrate, snack; but mostly we just sit on the ground, in a slight daze, dreaming about being done for the day! Tom and Don seem to be doing much better than me! I'm suprised by my own inabilities and so glad to see Tom and Don pushing on rather strongly. I must keep pushing on, only 1.5 more miles, up, up, up, switchback after switchback. All I can think about right now is how awesome it will feel to be done, to shower all this red dust off my body, crawl in between the cool sheets on a very comfortable bed and lay very still for a long time. I want this lightheadedness and slightly nauseated feeling to just go away! Tom and I both tried to prepare ourselves for this trek. Tom has been going to the gym four days a week for intense workouts; I've been walking with my friend Mary Ann twice a week for seven miles each time. Don has always managed to stay in pretty good shape. It is nothing for him to ride his bicycle for 50-100 miles! However none of us are prepared for this relentless elevation gain of 5,000 feet in 5 miles!
It is a little after 5:30 p.m. when we eventually reach the top of the South Rim, where we began this trek at 6:30 a.m. this morning! What an incredible day this has been! Memories that will last us our lifetime!
We wasted no time getting back to our car, and driving the three miles back to our hotel! We stopped in at the McDonalds for a quick sandwich and a large ice-cold soda, although none of us really felt much like eating, especially me! I got first dibs on the shower and I was in bed and asleep by soon after 7:00 p.m.
I'm not sure what Tom and Don were doing, but when I awoke at 10:00 p.m. and rushed into the bathroom before throwing up (a lot), they were both sleeping soundly. I actually felt better after my late night "party" in the bathroom, and slept pretty well the rest of the night.
The next morning, all three of us had a severe case of "hiker hobble"! We all did O.K. as long as we kept moving, but if we sat down for awhile, then it was hobble, hobble again for the first few steps we took. It was mostly my calf muscles that were sore but Tom and Don said their quads and calves were sore.
My next blog post will be about our adventure the day after our Grand Canyon hike.
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