Finally! This is one of the places that since a little girl I have been dying to experience. DJ did a big trip last summer with his close guy friends to the most famed national parks in the West. I was thankful he had this experience because he navigated the GC like a pro. I would have had no idea where to begin!
The night before the hike we saw the IMAX that showed in the visitor center. It certainly hyped us up to begin the trek in the morning.
Trying to put into words the beauty, the awe-inspiring landscape, the majesty of the experience is a daunting task. My preconceived notion about the Canyon was that it would be mostly red, dry, Arizona layered rock. I expected beauty and vastness, but I did not expect the vibrant cascading greenery to claim the mountain sides as home. I did not take into consideration the piercing blue glow the sky would emanate. I did not expect the silence to beckon questions that do not have tangible answers. I did not expect my perspective on life to be shaken by the reality of how truly microscopic I am on this massive planet. It was humbling, but exhilarating. It gave me insight into my Creator. I felt like I had been given the keys to the most mammoth playground on Earth.
For our hike we took the Bright Angel Trail all the way down to the overlook of the Colorado River. It was astounding how loud the river was from quite a ways up. I can’t imagine how thunderous it would sound if you were actually standing next to it. The whole hike ended up being about thirteen miles round-trip. We started at 6 am from the hotel, had a hearty breakfast, and began the hike around 7 am. We finished up around 2 pm.
Living on the edge- literally.
The hike back up was INTENSE. Make sure if you ever do this hike to bring a water bottle (they do have water stations to refill), protein bars, and quick energy. We each packed a protein bar… Well so we thought. Somewhere in the process of transferring the goods from the grocery bag to our bag, my bar got left behind (we won’t place blame.. *cough cough* 😉 ). DJ was sweet to share his with me. We had plenty of other trail mix, dry roasted edamame seeds, and apples. We took respite in the rare spots of shade when we came across them.
If you ever have the opportunity- GO TO THE GRAND CANYON, I beg of you! I haven’t been to the other National Parks out here yet, but you bet your bottom dollar that I will. If you have suggestions about where to visit or any unique things to do/tips to share I would love to hear them.
After the Canyon we began our last stretch to arrive in Cali. Our last few stops included Bakersfield, Big Sur and Highway 1, and then Santa Cruz!
Wishing you a GRAND day,
xo <3
Mack
I would love to visit Grand Canyon someday! Thank you so much for sharing your travel, the images are amazing!
It is absolutely an experience of a lifetime!!! If you ever go stop back and let me know what you thought 🙂 have a great rest of your day! Xx
Thank you! Fingers crossed it will happen soon, and wishing you the same 🙂
You have a beautiful way with words, Mack! The Grand Canyon is now on my bucket list!
Thanks, girl! It’s a must-see!!!!! I’m glad that this convinced ya!
Great pics
Thank you 🙂
Nice! I hitch-hiked cross country in 1972 and we stopped here. Unfortunately, being 17 years old and not thinking about a camera, I didn’t get any photographs! So thanks for sharing yours. We also did the Bright Angel Trail to the bottom, spent the night in a slight dust storm then hiked back to the top the next morning. The pic of DJ standing on the ledge reminded me when I did the same thing – then froze! My hiking buddy told me to get my butt back over onto the path or he was going to leave me!
Thank you for sharing this, Ronald!!!! Wow- it sounds like you had quite the adventure as well. I went out on that ledge too and had the same frozen feeling! I would love to stay overnight sometime at the Canyon. I bet that would be an experience like none other. I hope you have a wonderful week, and thank you for stopping by!
An other fantastic post Mack, I especially loved the part in the middle ” I did not expect my perspective on life to be shaken by the reality of how truly microscopic I am on this massive planet. It was humbling, but exhilarating. It gave me insight into my Creator”. So true, I had that feeling when I was in the Sahara desert.
Thank you so much!!!! You are truly so encouraging <3 I am so glad those lines resonated with you- it is an absolutely incredible feeling. I have never been to the Sahara desert, but I am certainly going to add it to the travel list! I hope you had a restful day <3
I enjoyed my visit to the Grand Canyon too, it was exactly 3 yrs on on 9/1. I also hiked part of the bright angel trail but only about 1.5 miles round trip.
Hey- a 1.5 mile trek on that trail is still no joke! The Grand Canyon is certainly a special place. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Wow! Awesome handstand!
I have fond memories of the Grand Canyon. I remember having the same thoughts as you, about how tiny I felt. All my problems suddenly felt so small and trivial. I wish I lived closer to the Grand Canyon, or the Rockies, so I could give myself regular perspective checks. : )
Thanks for sharing your photos!
Hey Afrilly!!! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 🙂 I agree about needing those regular perspective checks- guess it’s a good excuse to travel more often 😉 Thanks for reading- I hope you had an absolutely wonderful day.
Definitely on my bucket list. Great photos.
Thank you, Bill! It would be worth the trip!
Wow what stunning views! I would love to treak there. Been doing a lot of mountain walking in the Dolomites. Highly recommended if you travel to Europe!
Thank you for the recommendation!!! I will certainly add it to my travel bucket list- Europe is at the top! The Grand Canyon is certainly one of a kind. There is another amazing park called Zion that isn’t too far from the Canyon (about two hours) if you ever make the trip. Happy travels 🙂
Thanks for the tip! We are planning to go to the US in a few years when the boys are a bit older!
Gorgeous photos!! But I will say, you made my heart stop with that hand stand along the edge of the trail! Looks like you made the most of your travels there. Fun post!!
Hehe- it was an absolute blast! When DJ went out on his ledge my heart was racing out of my chest but for some reason it freaked me out less doing it myself. Thanks for checking this out 🙂
It was an awesome adventure– fun to get a peek at it Mack!
Great post! We revisited there last summer. Love these photos 😍
Thanks Amy 🙂 I am dying to go back the first chance I get!! Did you go to Zion too? That’s next on the list!
These are amazing pics!! I have always wanted to go, sounds like you had an amazing experience!
Thank you- It was absolutely amazing! If you ever have the chance do it!!!!!!!! So worth it
Great post!! We leave this next weekend for our move and the Grand Canyon is one of the stops I can’t wait to take!!:)
Yayayayyyyy!!!!! It’s incredible- I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
The Grand Canyon looks so spectacular. I can’t wait to visit one day! Great post and really cute site, too!
Thank you so much! And truly whenever you have the chance check out this epic place. It’s amazing- truly can’t explain how incredible the experience was 😍 I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!!
We have been there a couple of times, and it is spectacular.
Ahh- it is!!! Ever since I went there I have such an itch to explore all the National Parks around here!
Wish I could, but my husband can’t travel now. The farthest we go is about 40 miles to the beach.
Aww, prayers for him 🙁 And I’d say if you could be near one good thing, it would probably be the beach, right? Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Susie <3
Every day I spend at the beach is totally amazing. I can sleep all night and really feel that the stress totally disappears. Thank you.