Grand Canyon - March 21, 2012

Allan and I arrived at Grand Canyon at about 8:00pm. The sun was down so we ate some of our snacks and went to bed. I had booked us in the Yavapai Lodge which was 1/2 mile from the rim of the canyon. It was worth it to be in the park and within walking distance to the rim, but the room was very bare bones and not the cleanest. Pretty much what I expected after reading reviews on line.

We slept well and headed out fairly early to walk the "trail of time" and have breakfast/lunch in the resturant. We had a slight marital meltdown on the way to the rim but managed to get back on track and in there in one piece (and still married). As much as I have travelled, I have never been to the Grand Canyon. It was beautiful. Honestly, you need to see it to believe it.

We walked along the rim with the stroller to the Bright Angel Lodge where we had breakfast. We both ate well since we were getting ready for our hike. I was sad that we could not stay at Bright Angel or El Tovar - but was happy to be in the Grand Canyon with my boys!:) After lunch we headed back to the room and pack up before our check out time. We (I) had decided to hike the South Kaibab Trail because someone had told me it was prettier than the Bright Angel Trail. We had also seen the Bright Angel trailhead, and it was pretty much solid ice. I hoped that the Kaibab trail was less icy.

Yes, the first part of the trail was solid ice.....it was slow going (it was much icier than this picture shows). I had Henry in the bjorn for the trip down so I was super slow and careful on the ice. I wish we had brought our yak-trax! After we got out of the icy parts, it was MUDDY! The good news was that there were no mules and there was not dust.

We hiked down to ooh-aah point where we had lunch and took a break. At that point, Allan took over Henry in the bjorn and we started hiking out of the canyon!

The hike out was just as beautiful. It was shocking how fast the mud was drying. It was actually easier going back up since the mud was almost gone and the ice was melting. (I was also 16lbs lighter). At the top of the trail and on our way out of the park, I was so sad. I wanted to stay and hike more. Allan and I both agreed that we want to go back again and spend more time in the park.