Day 73-80: Grand Canyon National Park
Trip Start
Jun 21, 2008
1
42
Trip End
Ongoing
Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona,
United States
Monday, September 1, 2008
Stopped at a coffee shop with internet in Springdale. Saw 2 folks from the church service - again - weird. Checked e-mail and weather.
Drove on until Pipe Spring National Historic Site in Arizona. Had lunch then look around. Historical place. A place where a natural spring comes out. Homeland of the Paiute Indians. A tithing ranch for the Mormon Church. A hideout for wives and children of polygamous families. Lastly, a stop for travelers. Interesting history.
Finally, we made it to the Grand Canyon NP! Set-up camp then drove down to the Lodge and Visitor Center. Walked to the Rim! Yeah. It's huge! Awesome.
Day 74 - Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - Grand Canyon NP
Oops: I left my wallet at the gas station outside Pipe Spring NHS. We called them. Sure enough, they had it. Thank goodness. We had to drive back to pick it up, 1.5 hours.
After lunch we walked the Transept and Bridle Trails to and from the Lodge. Mailed off postcards.
We also stopped at the backcountry office and purchased a permit to camp at Cape Final tomorrow.
Day 75 - Wednesday, September 3, 2008 - Grand Canyon NP
Started the day with the Uncle Jim Trail, a 5 mile loop with nice views of the canyon at the end. Then drove on to Point Imperial for lunch. Even more views of the canyon. Then we drove down to Cape Royal for more views. Pretty spectacular.
Lastly, we stopped at the Cape Final Trailhead around 3pm. Packed our bags and hike 2 miles to Cape Final and our campsite. Only one group can reserve the campsite each night. The hike was not strenuous and we arrived with plenty of time to spare before sunset. Put our stuff down and looked around. This is our first try at backpacking. We just brought the tarp and sleeping bags. Had a dehydrated meal for dinner - beef stew. Watched the sunset from the rocks then crawled into bed. We were a little nervous about bugs and animal without a tent, but they were not a problem. Michael got really nervous about sleeping at the cliff edge so we moved a little further away. Watched the stars come out. Tried to sleep but it was hard.
Day 76 - Thursday, September 4, 2008 - Grand Canyon NP
We made it through the night! Watched a beautiful sunrise from the rocks. Had to dig a bathroom hole. Packed up and walked back to the car. Had boiled eggs and cold bacon for breakfast in the car. Took showers when we got back to the campground. This is the longest we have gone without showers - one week.
Now we are on the front porch of the general store enjoying Wi-Fi and coffee.
