I finally made it to the Grand Canyon recently after doing nothing but talking about it for a long time. Turns out its pretty sweet! Who knew? I camped outside the park boundaries in suboptimal conditions. It was cold, snowy, and windy but thankfully for the jog/hike down and out of the canyon conditions were great - sunny and cool.
There were a shocking number of people on the trail before me. I figured a 6:20am start would see me well clear of other tourists but that was not the case. I was in and out of other foot traffic for the entire way down to the river and past it.
Everyone was in good spirits although I had to wonder how a lot of these people would feel when climbing up and out 4800 ft of vert given that it had taken them hours to get down to the bottom. I think a lot of people were probably looking at a 10+ hour day hike.
After spending a delightful 30 minutes on that beach you can see in that picture above i decided it was time to refill my bottles and head back up. The climb up was certainly a chore but overall went well and a little over two hours later i was back on top and hit with the madness of far more people than expected. The last time I was at the GC was 20+ years ago and its fair to say that it was quite a bit more tame back then.
I thought about camping nearby to see some more of the park but i didnt want to sleep in 16 degree temps again so i headed a bit south and east to the Painted Desert hoping it would be warmer. narrator voice it was not.
It was a lovely part of the Colorado Plateau and one that was totally new to me. Northern Arizona is vast and varied. It even featured a porcupine 30 feet up a tree enjoying a snack.
The way home brought me through some Navajo Nation back roads which were stark and beautiful.
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