Sunday, May 5, 2013

Friday...a hike and Saturday...goodbyes

 Grand Canyon National Park

Friday,  we were up early and after walks with the pups, decided to hit the trail. We packed a lunch, salty snacks, and lots of water...poor Joe! Bright Angel Trail...here we come!
 Just after the first arch, if you look up there are petroglyphs. Bright Angel Trail was originally an Indian trail used by the Havasupai Indians to commute between the rim and Indian Garden.




 The trail is well maintained and offers spectacular views of the canyon.








 This is a look up at Trailview Point from the trail...




The spectacular views of the canyon were not at eye level. I had a really hard time walking and looking up! 




 In the late 1800s, the trail was improved by prospectors. One of the miners, Ralph Cameron, realized that the tourist trade was more profitable than the mining trade so he bought out his partners and took control of the trail.



 This little acrobat was quite entertaining!  We stood and watched for a few minutes as he maneuvered up, down, and all around!






The red in this picture is actually the right color...our shoes, socks and pants were this color too!



Look how thick the ground cover is here... and the trees a lot more dense.





The trail narrows...
 ...and finally, lunch! The rest house is 1.5 miles down. It only took us 2 hours to get to the rest house...my fault...tooooo many pictures!



The Indian Gardens, another 3.1 miles down, was our view at lunch. Joe and I had a deal...I could stop and take all the pictures I wanted on the hike down, but once we started up...

The hike back up was hard...it did seem like 10 miles Merikay!  But we made it in 1.5 hours even though we took lots and lots of water breaks! What a great sense of accomplishment!
 
Well, Saturday it was goodbyes. I am not sure who told who we were leaving Saturday morning, but thanks! We sure had a nice group of visitors wishing us "Happy trails!" and "Safe travels!".
 
 


 What a nice surprise! Six elks!

It was an emotional farewell for me...and for Wrecks (See him in the door?)
 
Our first trip...not our last...to the Grand Canyon was awesome!
 
Thanks for stopping by.
 
Y'all come back!
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6 comments:

  1. Travels with EmmaMay 5, 2013 at 5:13 PM

    Nice 'the end' picture! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. John and Pam WrightMay 5, 2013 at 8:50 PM

    It really is hard to walk, look at the trail, look up at the scenery, and take pictures! I'm surprised I don't fall off the edge sometimes!

    Good job hiking in the canyon!

    Love those wonderful elk! Great choice at the "end!"

    ReplyDelete
  3. MerikayMay 5, 2013 at 10:40 PM

    Glad you had such a good time. We saw some flowers too, but they were just starting to bloom. What a difference a week makes!

    ReplyDelete
  4. our awesome travelsMay 6, 2013 at 4:48 AM

    Amazing views you had and a good workout on that hike.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kevin ReadMay 6, 2013 at 8:24 AM

    Loved your photos of the Bright Angel Trail. We said the same thing when we were there on 2005. There is just so much to see. I want to go back real soon and hike the Bright Angel Trail more than ever now.

    Glad you have a good time there.

    Ruth
    www.travelwithkevinandruth.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mike and TerriMay 6, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    How cool to look out your window and see six elk in your yard! Great "the end" picture!

    ReplyDelete

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