vacation #3 - Grand Canyon, days 4&5

The next day we got up very early to start hiking, because we planned to hike down into the canyon, and it gets HOT down there! No, we could not hike all the way to the bottom. That requires an overnight, if you are not crazy, that is. It's 14 miles to the river, and over a mile of elevation change, so to hike there and back in one day is pretty nuts, especially when you consider that it's usually 105-110F at the bottom. Considering our abilities, we opted to have Michelle and Loren hike 0.7 miles to the Coconino Overlook and back, and Calvin and I would hike 1.7 miles to the Supai Tunnel and back (1400 feet elevation change each way to the Supai Tunnel). Those proved to be wise choices, as that was just about exactly what Michelle and Calvin were able to do.

Calvin and I hiked with Michelle and Loren to the beautiful Coconino Overlook, named for the Coconino sandstone that it rests upon.


I really loved the way this tree grew out of the rock and over the edge:

Calvin and I continued down to the Supai Tunnel, and a mule train arrived not long after we did. We enjoyed watching them file past as we took a little rest break.


We walked through the tunnel (very cool; named after the rock layer), and on the other side a great view down awaited us.


We turned around to head back up the trail; Calvin did very well and hiked all the way up the 1400 feet without complaining. Everyone passing us on their way down commented on what a great little hiker he was.


We rested a few hours after getting back to camp, ate lunch, and then attended a ranger talk. Calvin and Michelle got sworn in as Junior Rangers - so cute!

That evening, I couldn't resist taking a few more shots from the lodge after we attended a talk on California condors. We were not lucky enough to see a condor while at the North Rim, but there are 73 reported to be living there now, and they had 2 chicks born this summer.

The next day, we decided to drive to Point Imperial for a hike and picnic lunch. We took in the view first - it was amazing, as were all the viewpoints we visited. Seriously, the canyon is so incredible that the photos cannot begin to do it justice. You really have to go there!

Then we hiked a bit of the Ken Patrick Trail and enjoyed the views and spectacular wildflowers; I wanted to hike longer but a thunderstorm turned us around. We got back and ate most of our picnic lunch before it started to pour on us. We took shelter in the car and it passed quickly.

That was not to be the case the next day. We originally planned to spend 2 more days at the Grand Canyon, but it started to thunderstorm at about 4:30 am and the downpour was legendary. It continued to pour until 10 am, at which point our tent began to leak. At 11:30, with no end in sight (the forecast was for rain until at least 11pm and maybe longer), we decided to pack up camp. It was a wet, sloppy mess, but we shoved everything in the car and left for our next stop, Zion National Park.

More pictures:
North Kaibab Trail (Coconino Overlook & Supai Tunnel)
Point Imperial & Ken Patrick trail
More views from the lodge