Kelli's Dad invited us to go with him to hike from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in early May along with her si
sters Tammy and Stephanie. We were glad to have the opportunity to take a fun trip shortly after graduation before we have to buckle down and start working full time for the summer. The guidebooks listed this hike as "strenuous" but we still thought we could handle it. It turned out to be much more difficult than any of us had anticipated, but I had to take it like a man since Kelli had been teasing me that I was too much of a sissy to enjoy a hike like this. To set the record straight, I was able to walk into Church the next morning like a normal human being, but Kelli looked pretty funny hobbling in on her sore legs.
I must admit that parts of the trail were pretty rough going (some of my toenails are black and blue, but I managed to avoid blisters and scrapes better than some of the others...we all got sunburns to varying degrees in spite of the 60 spf sunscreen we lathered on 2-3 times daily). The fatigue and soreness reminded me of conditioning for soccer (or swimming for Kelli) each summer in high school. 
But as you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful place and an excellent experience that was well worth the trouble. The flowing creeks and waterfalls were a lovely treat at the bottom of the canyon, and the ice cold water was exactly what we wanted for swimming and drinking by the time we got there.
It was a relief to reach the rim of the canyon again.
sters Tammy and Stephanie. We were glad to have the opportunity to take a fun trip shortly after graduation before we have to buckle down and start working full time for the summer. The guidebooks listed this hike as "strenuous" but we still thought we could handle it. It turned out to be much more difficult than any of us had anticipated, but I had to take it like a man since Kelli had been teasing me that I was too much of a sissy to enjoy a hike like this. To set the record straight, I was able to walk into Church the next morning like a normal human being, but Kelli looked pretty funny hobbling in on her sore legs.We hiked roughly 25 to 30 miles from the rim of the canyon all the way to the Colorado River at the bottom and then back up in 48.5 hours. Normally a 25 mile hike would not be so bad, but the Colorado River 
was a little more than one mile in elevation below the rim. A large portion of the hike was spent scrambling down and then back up steep cliff walls, sometimes on hand and foot. Luckily we could leave the heavy hiking packs at the camp that we set up about half way along the trail in "Surprise Valley," which is named for the surprising heat and lack of easy access to water. Luckily Keith was well prepared as our guide. He came equipped with a handheld GPS and a plan to get us in and out with enough food and water. Since most of the water sources were running at the bottom of the canyon, we had to stash some near the top to collect on the 
way out and the rest we pumped from the streams through a filter. We thought we were in big trouble when the pump stopped working, but Keith figured out how to get it going again. He ripped the sole out of one of our water shoes to clean the filter. He also had these super light weight cooking stoves that he made at home out of aluminum pop cans and ethanol fuel that he measures with a syringe...much lighter than those big camp stoves that you buy at the store!
was a little more than one mile in elevation below the rim. A large portion of the hike was spent scrambling down and then back up steep cliff walls, sometimes on hand and foot. Luckily we could leave the heavy hiking packs at the camp that we set up about half way along the trail in "Surprise Valley," which is named for the surprising heat and lack of easy access to water. Luckily Keith was well prepared as our guide. He came equipped with a handheld GPS and a plan to get us in and out with enough food and water. Since most of the water sources were running at the bottom of the canyon, we had to stash some near the top to collect on the 
way out and the rest we pumped from the streams through a filter. We thought we were in big trouble when the pump stopped working, but Keith figured out how to get it going again. He ripped the sole out of one of our water shoes to clean the filter. He also had these super light weight cooking stoves that he made at home out of aluminum pop cans and ethanol fuel that he measures with a syringe...much lighter than those big camp stoves that you buy at the store!
I must admit that parts of the trail were pretty rough going (some of my toenails are black and blue, but I managed to avoid blisters and scrapes better than some of the others...we all got sunburns to varying degrees in spite of the 60 spf sunscreen we lathered on 2-3 times daily). The fatigue and soreness reminded me of conditioning for soccer (or swimming for Kelli) each summer in high school. 
But as you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful place and an excellent experience that was well worth the trouble. The flowing creeks and waterfalls were a lovely treat at the bottom of the canyon, and the ice cold water was exactly what we wanted for swimming and drinking by the time we got there. 
We were exhausted!
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