Grand Canyon

Hiking with Cousins up San Francisco Mountain, AZ: Sept 6, 2014

Saturday I journeyed out for breakfast, asthe oatmeal just didn’t appeal, ah but perhaps a latte and bagel would suffice?Mmm. A little local cafe became my go-to place and I sat down with a book, took in the new scenery and food and enjoyed the peace. It was so quiet, which was the opposite of the hostel. 

After breakfast I chatted with hostel mates, Blaine and Yasmin while waiting formy cousins to come to town! Cousin Jason,Keeley and baby Julia met me at the hostel and whisked me off to a local brewery for lunch. We had a lovely time catching up and then hiked up on San Francisco Peaks. It started raining and the temperature dropped significantly, so we waited a little and tried again. We went on a hike through the rooted woods and then had to say our goodbyes. It was so nice to be with family! I already miss them and hope one day I can come back and visit them soon! 

I wandered around Flag a little more and came upon an ice cream shop where I splurged a little : )

Dinner was served by the cook at the hostel that consisted of a totally vegan four course meal. Very yummy! I ate with the group of men that I had partied with the night before. Then I headed off to bed in preparation for the next day’s adventure.

- Sarah 

Downtown Flagstaff: Sept Sept 5, 2014

Ok so I haven't posted in some time. I've been too busy! This is a good thing! On Friday I spent the day discovering theswanky town of Flag. I woke up, showered, ate breakfast and was off! If you were to walk outside the hostel, turn left and walk three blocks you are in the heart of Flag.The train tracks mark the city entrance. The train runs every 20 minutes night and day. Downtown Flag: my new favorite little downtown shopping area. There are at least TWENTY outdoors stores. For you b'townreaders, they all look exactly like JL Waters. They even have an REI just down the road. It's clearly the place for all my outdoorsy friends. I was also drawn into the homemade soap store, where I bought mymother’s friend, Mary, soap that looks like the world with blue, green and white swirls. Next I was determined to go to every outdoors shop, in hopes that competition would drive down prices.Disappointed soon followed, as I realized that the Patagonia jacket was still $200 the next block up. I continued to just look and get familiar with my surroundings for a few hours.

Back at the hostel I met Yasmin, my newest bunk mate from the UK! She is extremely sweet and has been traveling the states this summer working at camps for children. After Arizona she heads on to Colorado, DC and then New York. 

Blaine (the Aussie woman), Yasmin (the UK girl), me (the simple Indiana teen), and a handful of guys took on ‘Flag’ night life. There was an art festival happening downtown so we joined in ~ darting from one art gallery to the next in search of free food, music and fun. We also went to a bar called the Green Room - why didn't they card the eighteen year old?? After more food scavenging we went to an Irish Pub upon Yasmin's request. Again, I wasn't carded. They played live Irish music and everyone was dancing! 

Oh yes - I'll introduce the men that we were with: first we have Jake from Connecticut who was here for work, then we have Jen from South Korea who was here playing tourist, last we have Baun who is from Switzerland, also playing tourist. Two employees from the hostel tagged along too.   

I ended the night early, which was a HUGE surprise to everyone who thought I was crazy. The fact that I rejected every beer offered and now I was going to bed at eleven, how am I true teenager???

- Sarah  

Seeing the Grand Canyon: Sept 4, 2014

Yesterday was my first official day here since I arrived at eleven pm (or two amb'town time) on Tuesday. I met my roommate,Madeline, from Phoenix, AZ and who is planning to work at the hostel starting Friday until December! She's about two years older than me and talked about going to a liberal arts college. She wished that she had taken a year off and traveled- I hear this a lot!!! So naturally (hee hee) she was jealous of my adventurous year to come! 

I went to sleep almost immediately upon arriving at the hostel, as I was absolutely exhausted! When I awoke I showered and went down for breakfast. Breakfast was instant oatmeal and coffee and some fresh fruit. There's a little table with chairs around it that has butter and jam and a basket of fruit on it. The room is decorated with Navajo paintings and drawings with a giant landscape photo of the Grand Canyon. On one wall there are lots of little hooks that hold tea cups of all shapes and sizes and colors. I grabbed one and filled it with coffee. My girlfriend, Grace, introduced me to coffee a couple weeks ago and now it's become part of my daily routine. I dumped two packages of maple and brown sugar oatmeal into a bowl and added water. Poof! Breakfast served! 

After eating I ventured outside to phone mum and tell her that I was alive! I walked the streets of Flagstaff and for the first time saw the beauty of Arizona. Amazing! I went inside and asked the main desk if there are any day trips to the Grand Canyon happening today. The guy pointed to a clipboard that stated there was one leaving in two hours! I signed up pronto! 

It was raining and colder than I expected (I was wearing shorts and a tank top) but I had packed a flannelshirt and rain coat along with a water bottle and a variety of snacks. We were off! Ten of us piled into a van and we began our journey, stopping oncea mile later at a grocery to buy our lunch for the day.

The ride to the Grand Canyon was about an hour and a half long. We passed miles of fields covered in little yellow flowers with a scenic view of the mountain behind them. 

Once we arrived at the Canyon we started off with a mile hike around the South Rim. It was still rainy and by this point I am shivering and covered with goose bumps. My first view of the canyon was foggy and cloudy. Nonetheless it was truly magnificent. I sat down on a rock andlooked over and out and tried to see pass the thick mist. Wow. I made it. 

As we walked along the rim I got to know the other people that were staying in the hostel. In the group that came on this tour there was a man from Japan in his 20s, an older couple from a small South American country but just recently moved to New York, three girls from Poland in their thirties, an older French woman, and a man traveling all fifty states who originated in Florida. Oh yes, and the tour guide! 

The three Polish girls stopped about every five minutes to take pictures of each other. Yoga poses, iconic looks into the distance poses, 'I'm strong' poses, the angle where it gives the allusion that you're holding a rock or crushing something pose, duck/kissy faces, some group photos, and of course the simple smile pose. They did them all, which was really fun to watch! 

It stopped raining around twelve o'clock, right around the time we sat down to eat lunch. And it began to warm up quickly! I started taking off some layers and the goose bumps went away. 

After lunch we had the opportunity to visit gift shops but I opted out and sat on the stone wall watching the unveiling of the Grand Canyon as the mist lifted. I could start to see how far the canyon actually stretched and I could see the dark reds and browns. Every view was completely different and magical.

The real hike starts now! We were venturing down into the canyon! I was soooooooexcited about this part of the tour. As I look back I think it was my favorite part of the trip. At this point it's actually become very hot out and I'm no longer regretting my clothing choice. We hikeddown two very steep declining miles right into the canyon! We ended up at the Ohh AhhPoint where we all stopped and took photos. The hike down was AMAZING. The absolute best thing I've ever done. I really recommend everyone hike in the Grand Canyon. It's surreal and you'll keep saying "pinch me". Until someone actually does and you're shocked. 

The hike back up is a totally different story as I'm sure you were assuming. Hiking back up took twice as long and five times more energy. I can proudly say that I was the second one back to the top! The Japanese man was determined to not take one break so he beat me. Ola (pronounced hola), one of the Polish girls, walked with me most of the time. She knew a little English but we mostly just used hand gestures or said "hot" or "look" or "wow". 

We went to another part of the canyon that was equally breathtaking and we could see where the desert became part of the canyon. Then we went to the Painted Desert and hiked some more and watched the sunset hit the desert and canyon. Everyone was taking pictures and laughing. Most of the people in my group didn't speak English so I would hear a mix of words: Polish, Japanese, Spanish and French. 

We drove back to the hostel as the sky shifted from reds and purples and yellows to dark blues and gray to eventually black. The moon shined bright and followed us back. 

I arrived back at the hostel and met my newest hostel bunk mate! She's from Australia and has come to Flagstaff many times. We all went to bed and tried to get a good night sleep!

~ Canyon Hiker Sarah

Greyhound Travels: Sept 2-3, 2014

Instead of boarding a plane, I have hopped a Greyhound bus heading west. My visa application is being processed in New York so I am stuck in the States for a few more weeks. I decided to go and spend ten days traveling to the Grand Canyon! I’ve book a bunk in the local international youth hostel but I've also packed camping supplies so I am prepared for whatevercomes my way.

On Tuesday, September 2nd I started this journey from Bloomington by bus Indy Greyhound station. Before parting Bloomington Mum insisted I snap a photo (or three) with my bus driver, Craig, who cheerfully went along with this 'mum moment'. I said goodbye to mum and got on the bus. The ride up to Indy went quickly and my butterflies seemed to settle down. After I got to Indy I had to purchase a ticket for the bus ride that I had currently been on along with figure out what bus I was taking next. Craig, my newbestfriend, helped point me in the right direction as we talked about my solo trip. He expressed envy and asked if he could tag along. Another lady chimed in saying that she had just been white water rafting for the first time and recommended I do it too. Yikes! I'll pass. I'm adventurous but that sounds terrifying, especially when she added that three people fell out of the raft. Yes, I'll skip that. She headed home to Terre Haute and Craig and I parted too. However, before we said our goodbyes he gave me his number and asked me to Facebook him. I now have a Facebook request awaiting my reply as we speak.

The wait was about two hours- or in terms of teenager time it felt like FOREVER. Plus I couldn't understand anything that they were saying over the announcements. I went to gate eight where Craig told me to wait. This is where I met Sarah and Haley. Sarah was first in line and asked me where I was going, I replied Grand Canyon. She immediately suggested I take the ride on donkeys down to the bottom. That too sounds terrifying. Sarah was a pro at the Greyhound, since she proudly claimed that she's been riding since 1981, when she was six. Sarah was visiting her mother who had recently been I'll. She would be traveling back to Springfield, MO. Then Haley joined in our conversation. She had sprained her ankle and was finally returning to military training. Haley was a little older than me and had traveled from Florida and her destination was a small town in OK. 

We all boarded the bus and a man who didn't unplug from his iPod long enough to introduce himself sat by me and then got off at the next stop.  Next Alex got on. Alex was a sweet old gentleman who didn't speak much English but smiled a lot. He gave me a hug when we split paths.

There are some stops where everyone on the bus has to get off (driver breaks and changes). This is where Sarah was very handy to have as a friend. She would always grab me and we'd run to the nearest bathroom and quickly get back in line. She likes being the first person in the line every time. I have her quoted saying "the bathroom on the bus is like a porta potty going 70mph". I took her advice and never used it. She helped me a lot. She would protect me from anyone scary sitting next to me and she shared a sandwich with me but it had mustard so I didn't eat it. 

Sarah got off at Springfield and that's when I truly started doing everything by myself. That's also when I became homesick and began regretting doing this trip alone.A drunk woman became my neighbor for four hours. She told me a story of how she slept with the ticket master and that she somewhat felt guilty because he had a wedding ring. So, before getting on boardshe went to a bar and drank. She showed me pictures of her teenage daughter and asked me if she looked like her. There was a man behind us who was sick and loud. He would sneeze and cough a lot and call people (this was happening between 11pm-5am) she would yell at him and this continued for hours. Then she pulled a shady move and slyly passed him a pill and they didn't talk for the rest of the trip. I have no idea where she ended up, but she didn't board the next bus with me.

At this point I am questioning everything. People are yelling in the back of the bus in celebration of being released from prison. There's a man in front of me who is watching me through a crack in the seat. Yes, I am freaking out. I believe this was the point when I texted mum several times in a row and talked about aborting the trip all together. 

The creepy man and ex-cons eventually got off (within OK state lines) and I remained in my seat fifth row from the driver, on the right, closest to the window. The bus was becoming empty now which was a huge relief to me. 

I met someone new she's who appeared to beMexican/Native American and she was really nice. She was getting off at the next stop but had been on the bus since Indianapolis too. I thought she just finished chemo treatment but it turns out she went to rehab after being evicted and losing her husband and children. So she just "graduated" on Friday and is returning home today. She is really excited to be coming home. She showed me pictures of all her kids. 

I am now three hours away from Flagstaff, AZ and I'm exhausted and lonely. I’ve travelled through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tesax, and New Mexico.I haven't eaten anything but a bag of nuts and dried mango since Tuesday morning. I couldn't sleep on the bus because it was too cold and too loud. I miss people and I'm already longing to be back in the comfort and familiarity of my town/home/bed. 

And while this bus ride is almost completeall I can think about is what will the stories be like on the bus ride back? 

When the bus gets to Flagstaff, I'll then get on a shuttle to the Hostel where I will fall asleep immediately. I'm ready for a bed. Tomorrow I am going on a tour of the canyon and then Friday is my rest day. Phew. I can do this. I return on Wednesday but until then I hope to have a great time. 
~ Road Weary Sarah