Shortbread Reward

Today was the day we've been looking forward to over a year now - we were going to hike partly down into the Grand Canyon along the South Kaibab Trail. We didn't really know what to expect because although we knew the distance and elevation change, there's no way to really prepare for it around Raleigh and we hadn't done something like this before. Over the last year, we did our best to get into better shape and we just hoped it would pay off.

Originally we had planned to get up really early and get going just after sunrise. Of course, that plan didn't quite work out for two reasons: first, while we were glad we saved the highlight for the end of the trip, we also had been moving hotels every day and driving an average of 6 hours a day so we were getting tired. The other reason was more practical because our original plan assumed it'd be warm and that was definitely not the case. It was still very windy and the morning was cold with temps near freezing. My blood has thinned and that was too cold for me to enjoy the hike so we ended up trying to get our there for 9 AM instead. The shuttles we had to take took some time to get us there so we really didn't hit the trail until 10 AM.

Immediately, it was pretty steep with a bunch of switchbacks and loads of mule poop. That alone was irritating since the rules clearly state I couldn't poop on the trail yet the mules are held to a lower standard. If they want equality and I think they do, we should all have to hold it or put it in a bag and pack it out. Even though the descent was quick, it didn't feel bad and the views were amazing.

At the first point (roughly a mile in), we were all feeling ok and stopped to take some pictures. The only problems to that point were a squirrel that tried to get in our bags and a lady who just walked into the pictures we were taking after everyone had lined up to wait to their turn. The next stop was 1.5 miles down total and that's where we stopped for lunch and took in the sights. It was beautiful and peaceful, except for the constant jackhammering that a park crew was doing to break up some rocks to repair the trail.

It got a little dicey going up. Even though it was higher elevation than any of us had ever hiked before and it about 900 feet up in 1.5 miles, we did it with minimal stops. It was easier than I had anticipated and it's definitely something I would like to do again. Once we got to the top, we met a nice 70-year-old named Patricia who was from Scotland and was with a tour group who just hiked up the trail themselves. She was chatty and as we got to talking, she offered us the best shortbread I've ever eaten (the secret ingredient, she told us, was lots of butter). She then told us where to travel to in Scotland before we said good-bye.

At this point, there were still some sights along the Rim Trail (which is relatively flat) that we hadn't seen so we continued our hike back to our hotel right along the whole rim. All in all, we walked about 10 miles and by the end of the day, we were exhausted but felt pretty good otherwise. Dinner was at the same place the night before since it had the best quality (proximity to our hotel) and then we went back to our rooms. Jen and I did go back out to see how the stargazing was and while not quite as incredible as Yellowstone a few years back, it was pretty good and you could see the Milky Way pretty clearly.

The day was pretty great and it was nice to stay in the park all day and not get in the car once. Seeing the canyon from a bunch of different angles was worth the effort and is something none of us will ever forget.

As they say on the trail, "Mules are people too." Note: No one says this.