Today’s topic is going to be a little different – and more personal! I want to talk about that day when I survived the hike into the Grand Canyon.
I’m not talking about anything catastrophic here – nothing happened other than my partner and I walking down and back up one of the Grand Canyon trails. I’m talking about the fact that my lazy ass actually did it! I know, most of you will be confused. Mel the LAZY traveller hiked into the Grand Canyon? How’s it that a person that brands herself as lazy chooses to do such a thing?
It goes without saying guys that I didn’t choose it – I was FORCED by my partner. And let me tell you, this happens a lot! But, honestly, it’s been one of the most wonderful experiences in my life. Of course, I can only say this now, as at the time I thought I was gonna die of exhaustion in a canyon.
Also, I’d like to let all the lazy people out there know that if I made it, you can make it too. So don’t let the laziness win and enjoy one of the wonderful trails there are! Trust me: it’s a completely different story compared to just looking down on the Canyon from above!
Day hike into the Grand Canyon
There are several trails you can choose for your hike into the Grand Canyon. You can have a look at their website for a full list.
They don’t recommend you try to reach the Colorado River and back up in one day, as that can be strenuous. However, I know many people who did it – of course, they are in better shape than me.
So, if you are not an expert hiker and never tried something similar before, I suggest you start with something easier. But remember: there are no easy hikes into and out the Grand Canyon! (this is what their website actually says btw).
If you don’t feel like venturing into the Grand Canyon, you can always choose to hike the Rim Trail, which is the trail that follows the top of the rim.
The Bright Angel Trail
This is the trail we choose to hike. It is situated in the South Rim, and it starts from the Grand Canyon Village.
The Bright Angel Trail is a 12-mile round trip, it goes from the top at Grand Canyon Village all the way down to Plateau Point.
We didn’t hike the full length (thank goodness!) as we stopped and turned back at the 3 Mile Resthouse.
Oh I know what you are thinking, 6 miles is not that much for a hike. Oh dear, I thought that too. When you have hiked 3 miles up a steep canyon we can talk about it 😀
The tricky part is that you are going down for the first half of your hike. You don’t actually realise how much you are going down, especially if you are too busy being amazed by the beautiful landscape you can enjoy for the whole length of your hike.
The trail is a steep dirt trail. It has some shade due to the canyon walls and depending on the time of the day. In the portion we hiked there are two areas where you can stop and rest: the mile-and-a-half resthouse and the three-mile resthouse. In these areas you can find water, toilets and space to sit down, rest and mainly catch your breath.
If you are not a beginner, you can continue your hike until the Plateau Point, the end of the trail. There will be another rest area called Indian Garden.
So – as said, going down is much easier than going back up. Plan on taking at least twice as long to hike up as it took to hike down. I think it took me more than twice the time tbh!
My hike into the Grand Canyon
To be completely honest with you, we started hiking this trail with no idea what we were doing. If you know us, you know this is something we do a lot, especially on holidays 😀
So, as soon as we arrived at the village, we quickly searched on the internet ‘trail into Grand Canyon South Rim’. The Bright Angel Trail was the first one to come up. One minute later, we were hiking down the canyon.
I wish I had do some proper research as at least I could’ve known what to expect! Going down was easy and so enjoyable. We made friends along the way, we chatted, admired the canyon and so on.
When we arrived at the mile-and-a-half resthouse, our new friends (definitely expert hikers) asked us if we wanted to continue. We were like ‘of course we do, this is nothing really!’ So we continued. I don’t remember when it happened, but at a certain point I looked up and I realised how far down we went. To be precise, the elevation difference was 2000 feet/ 610 metres. That was my epiphany: maybe it was time for us to stop and to start thinking about hiking back up.
We finally arrived at the three-mile resthouse and stopped to eat something and rest a little bit. We said goodbye to our friends (ready to continue their journey) and stayed a little bit longer. Tbh, I couldn’t bring myself to start hiking back up. After some convincing work from my partner, we started our ascent.
‘Call the helicopter’
For the first 20 minutes, I was energetic, felt positive and kept a steady pace. I then slowly started to realise that maybe, maybe, it was going to be very hard.
By the time we reached the mile-and-a-half resthouse, I was nearly crying. Honestly. I am that dramatic. I had half of a cereal bar left to eat, so I sat down on a rock and ate it, hoping it would magically give me the strength to finish this hike. When I realised that it probably wouldn’t, I started begging my partner to call the helicopter to come and rescue me. Again, yes, I am that very much dramatic.
Eventually, we resumed our hike (after my partner convinced me that I would probably have to pay for the helicopter rescuing). I made it up to the rim. And let me tell you: I have never been so sweaty in my life. NEVER.
Was it worth it? A thousand times YES!
Now, I wanted this post to be funny and ironic but at the same time, I don’t want to scare you. I am lazy, and I am a drama queen and that is the sole reason why I felt this way during the hike. However, if I had to do it again, knowing how hard it is, I would do it over and over and over.
The experience of actually being inside the Grand Canyon, it’s something that cannot be explained in words. It is so unique and magical even.
So yes, if you have the chance, please do it. You won’t regret it and you will experience something that you never had before.
Ok guys – as usual let me know in the comments below or by sending me an email if you liked this post! Also, I would appreciate some feedback – do you like more of this kind of personal posts or more informative ones?
If you are planning a trip to the US and the Grand Canyon – maybe my Southwest USA road trip itinerary is worth checking out!
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