The Grand Canyon. What a hike!

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            It was about five-o'clock and we just got to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We checked in and settled in when we went to the to the lodge to eat. Tomorrow we were to do a backpacking trip down the Grand Canyon, rim to rim in two days. But first we went outside on the deck or you could call it the overlook of the canyon. While we were looking a vulture swooped over me and other people a couple of times.

            After about fifteen minutes later we went inside for dinner. We ate our dinner and slowly headed back to our cabin, which we were staying in. Once we were back in our cabin we started to get ready for tomorrow. We started to back trail mix, Gatorade, our tents, clothes, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and ect.  My group got ready at night because we needed to get an early start on our hike (our hike was more of a backpacking trip). We needed to get up at five-thirty. To be on the trail at six-thirty in the morning.

            Finally it was the morning and we set of towards the trailhead. When we started down the trailhead it was cool and looked like we were hiking in the Unintas in a really long downhill. As we traveled down we slowly started to go in the red and white rock. Along the way we ran into people going down and one group coming up from the bottom. About eleven-thirty we finally were at a nice rest stop for lunch. But we didn't stop. In fact we headed on to Cottonwood Creek. It was called big falls because there was huge springs flying out of the cliff. It was so loud! And down at the bottom there was a ranger's house, which we passed.  Once we were at Cottonwood Creek we stayed there for maybe an hour because how hot the narrows were going to be, because the narrows are a small side canyon made out of lava with a creek that flows into the Colorado River. We ate our lunch slept and played in the river (don't worry we had bathing suits on).  About two-o'clock in the afternoon we got our backpacks on headed on down the narrows.

            The narrows seemed to go on forever because a ranger on the north rim gave us a cheepie map for free and said that the narrows was like two turns but it seemed to be a hundred (I am exaggerating). After about two hours we finally made it to Phantom Ranch. There were cabins on one side of the stream and campgrounds on the other side of the stream. We didn't get the cabins we had to camp.

            At camp after we ate food we were to get any other food out of our backpacks and store it in these animal safe boxes. Then we would hang our backpacks up on this pole, and it was pretty far off the ground.  During the night I heard something outside of my tent but I wasn't convinced that it was the cats, the cats are why we had to put our food away in the boxes. In the morning I got my backpack down and there was a hole in one of my water bottle! I forgot to take out some trail mix. Well I learned my lesson.

            The next morning we had to get up early because of the sun. We had to go up this death canyon, which was made out of completely of lava. If you didn't know lava gets very hot in the sun. so on the way over to the canyon we crossed the muddy Colorado River. As we walked on this bungee type bride I walked very carefully for I was scared of falling down in the river for some odd reason.

            Once we got out of death canyon we headed up some sandstone two get two our next stop, which is called Indian Gardens. On our way up we started to pass a lot more people. After a half to an hour we finally made it two Indian Gardens. At Indian Gardens it was beautiful! It had so many big trees and a large stream flowing on through. We stopped and had brunch and was soon to reach the top.

            Finally after an hour we reached the point were we had one more mile to go until we reached the top of the South Rim. By then we had passed so many people it was amazing! We met my mom and my sister and headed up. What pretty much kept me going was the fact to get off my backpack, which felt like a huge rock strapped to my back. Finally we reached the top. I was so happy to get my back off and sit down. I emptied my water out of my pack right before we had to leave and put it on and I was amazed how light my pack was without the rest of my water in it.

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