Grand Canyon

I don't really have a bucket list, but if I did, hiking the Grand Canyon would be near the top.  It's a little embarrassing that I've lived in Arizona... "The Grand Canyon State" for about 12 years and still haven't done it. 

Well, we finally made it happen.  Matt and I along with a group of friends, planned a trip to hike to the bottom and back up.  We stayed in Flagstaff the first night and visited the Reeses for dinner.  Then we went on to Tusayan.  We watched the Grand Canyon movie and went to the edge the night before.  It's breathtaking.

 I made everyone a "Grand Canyon" BeSAC bracelet to wear on the hike.  Luckily, we didn't need to use them for survival purposes, but they did give us a little encouragement to stay strong!

 When we first started down, I couldn't even walk two feet with out wanting to stop and take a picture.  It was a beautiful day!

 Going down was the hardest part for me.  We went down the 'South Kaibab' trail and I took my ol' sweet time. This is us crossing the bridge at the bottom.

 We had lunch at Phantom Ranch, took off our shoes and took a little break in the shade.  Then it was time to head back up!!

 Matt lead us out up 'Bright Angel' Trail and was going quick, we stopped a little bit to dip our hats in the creek but didn't really stop until we hit Indian Gardens.

 The shade on this section was so cool and refreshing.  I felt amazing and towards the end got a huge burst of energy and wanted to finish strong.  

 When I got to the top, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that I was able to do the hike with my recent cartilage tear in my knee.  I felt great!  I was able to head back down with extra supplies to meet up with another couple.

 I immediately told Matt that I wanted to do that again, but Matt wasn't as enthusiastic as I was.  Maybe if I wait a little while I can talk him in to it.  We started around 7:30am and finished about 4:30pm.  It was about 17- 18 miles.

 When I took my shoes off at the top, we all laughed to see how much red dirt I had gathered on my legs.  Did I mention that I love duct tape!  No blisters.

 The next day we stopped by the Mesa Temple and did a session before we headed back home.  What a great trip!!!