I woke up before dawn wondering what happened to the last four days? Time flys! I didn't feel like eating breakfast because I was anxious to get on the trail so I could pause often, enjoying as much of the canyon as possible. It was a 4.5 mile hike from our camp at Indian Gardens to the top of the South Rim, a 4,500 foot ascent. The rim looked so far away, it seemed impossible to get to. But before long, I was disappointed by how close it looked. Every step forward was one step less I had left in the Grand Canyon.
The hike out was actually pretty easy. Although the mule poop got annoying, and so did the tourists near the rim who all wanted to know, "Did you really sleep in the Grand Canyon?" I ate about a dozen more snack bars and took scores of photos. California Condors soaring beyond the ridge and big horn sheep were pleasant surprises. But before too long the hike was done. We all gazed at that gaping hole in the ground amazed that we had just hiked through it. If given the chance, I would have turned right back around and headed back down!
The Bright Angel Trail follows a fault line which is right in the middle of this photo. From below, the hike seemed impossible!
On the final day of the hike I took about three million photos just like this one:
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