Waterfalls before breakfast

Waking up and realizing you're in the bottom of the Grand Canyon is a pretty amazing feeling. We packed up camp and hiked to Ribbon Falls where we ate breakfast. It was a tall waterfall with three tiers and the bottom tier was carpeted in thick moss and it had a cave behind it. The water was too cold for the mainland hikers in our group, but I find icy water pouring over cliffs irresistible. So I explored the small cave which has a sky light above- do you see it?

We hiked 7 more miles that day but we only lost about 1,500 feet in elevation, so the hike felt practically flat. Part of the hike was through "the box," a narrow section of the canyon. Then we arrived at Phantom Ranch. I was irritated to have hiked 14 miles only to find a "civilized" building with flushing toilets and souvenirs for sale. But I forgot that irritation the moment we stepped out of the 101 degree heat and into the air conditioned canteen to enjoy ice cold beer.