Grand Canyon: Mountains mimic the oceans horizon
Travel tales: Arizona
Exploring the Grand Canyon had always seemed like a distant dream, confined to the pages of geography textbooks. But as I stood at its edge with friends from ASU in the spring of 2024, I realized just how wrong I had been. The vastness of the canyon stretched before us, layers of rock painted in myriad shades, a testament to the beauty of nature.
Arriving at Grand Canyon Village in the evening, after a quick stop at Route 66 (yes, the one from "Cars"), we were greeted by the breathtaking sight of the sunset. The layers of the canyon, revealing how it has stood the sands of time, transformed into a mesmerizing palette of colors at Hermit's Rest.
We had booked our stay inside the national park at Yavapai Lodge, and despite our exhaustion, I couldn't resist the opportunity to stargaze in the dark-sky park. It was like my starts had aligned that night (pun intended) it happened to be a new moon casting the sky in darkness, constellations like Orion and Gemini were easily visible, and with the help of a sky map app, I even spotted the Big Dipper and Leo.
After a short nap, I woke up early to catch the sunrise at Mather Point. Despite the crowd, the sight of the sun's rays illuminating the canyon was nothing short of breathtaking, bringing the centuries old landscape to life before our eyes.
Our next adventure was perhaps the most daring yet. We decided to hike down into the canyon along the Kaibab Trail. Spiraling down, our first stop was Ooh Aah Point, 1.4 km and 230 meters below, followed by Cedar Ridge, another kilometer and 100 meters down, each offering stunning views of the canyon. But it was at Skeleton Point, 3 kilometers and 300 meters below the rim, surrounded by the canyon in every direction, that we truly felt the magnitude of our surroundings.
As we began the arduous trek back up, fueled only by a bottle of energy drink and a bag of M&M's ( Dont know why I thought this would be a good Idea), I pushed my body to its limits. Taking breaks every 15 minutes, the hike became increasingly grueling as we reached the halfway mark. But a chance encounter with a fellow traveler who had spent three days in the canyon left me thinking wether that was even possible. With newfound sense of determination and daydreaming of the possibility doing that myself one day, rest of the hike was just as miserable.
With thoughts of future adventures swirling in my mind, we finally made it back to the top, exhausted but exhilarated. As we made our way back to Tempe, I couldn't help but feel that every step had been worth it...
