Sometime in the early fall we learned that Aurelie would be traveling back to the US and we decided to meet her somewhere during her travels. Aurelie and I met at the airport in Las Vegas, rented a car and drove to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. On Saturday we hiked down to Horseshoe Mesa where we had great views of the Canyon. The hike was approximately 8 miles round trip with 2,000'+ of elevation loss and gain. The top mile or so of the trail was quite icy and I was sure glad I brought two pair of crampons from home.
On Sunday we played tourist and drove along much of the South Rim stopping at most of the scenic views.
On Monday we hiked to the bottom of the Canyon to spend the night at Phantom Ranch. We hiked the South Kaibab Trail. It was aperfect day and we took our time and loved the ever changing views as we descended the almost 5,000' feet to the Colorado River.
We left Phantom Ranch the next morning a little after 6:00 and hiked the Bright Angel Trail back to the South Rim. The final mile and a half was very icy and we had fun watching the "unprepared" navigate the trail. We encountered on guy who was on all fours slowly making his way up.
Once at the top we drove to Las Vegas where we stayed in a hotel situated between Vegas and Red Rock Canyon. The plan for the next day was to do a hike in Red Rock Canyon and then spend the evening on "The Strip".
On Thursday Aurelie flew to Colorado Springs to meet a friend and I flew home. It was a great trip.
What breath-taking pictures! Jeff and I will visit the Canyon at the end of May when we come to Poenix for Diaconal Ordination of one of my PCJ "grandsons". Don't think we'll do such "heavy duty hiking" though! This blog is awesome, Ed. Love, Ginger
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