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
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