Exploring the Grand Canyon

We arrived at the Grand Canyon at 7 am for a 3 mile hike below the rim on the Bright Angel Trail. Equipped with lots of water, salty snacks and enthusiasm we began our descent. The views were spectacular and we hiked with some really nice people many who were going further down the canyon to camp at the Indian Garden campsite and then on to Phantom Ranch. We turned around at the 3 mile mark and made our way back up. I will say that the 3 miles back up felt more like 10 and the last mile felt like 20. But I made it....6 miles total!!! After we recouped in an air-conditioned RV we decided to take a shuttle tour of the western side of the canyon. There were several stops, each with a different vantage point of the canyon. We got many pictures and at about half way we decided to call it a day and to finish tomorrow. The campground Erica Fortin works at was full for tonight, but she gave us directions to a camping area in the Kaibob National Forest. There were many doing the same as us. It was peaceful and very quiet until I woke in the middle of the night to the sound of howling coyotes. I was very glad we were not in a tent.Read more