Went hiking with Boon yesterday (as instructed by him to indicate his name =P)..coz only the two of us had the off on that day. We went on the Bright Angel Trail coz it was quite near our place ( but still it wrote "steep" and "very difficult")..after that i realized we shiuld have chosen the South Kaibab trail instead coz it was the easiest..=p
Anw, we went for breakfast at ard 630am at the employee cafe, and set off on the hike at abt 720am. This was my 1st time hiking and to be frank i really know absolutely nothing about hiking, other than u need to drink lots of water..hahas =X Luckily Boon was quite an experienced hiker, i think he went to many places to hike in the past, if not i might not even make it out of the canyon..hahas =p
Like what everyone says, going down is easy, but going back up is tough! The total trail consists of 4 checkpoints: a mile and a half resthouse, 3 mile resthouse, indian gardens and lastly plateau point. The 1st three was about 5 miles one way and 10miles round trip, which was about 14.8 km!!!
The starting was quite easy, coz it was down slope, and we just went round and round down the canyon, before reaching the 1st stop, mile and a half resthouse in about 45min. There was really nothing but a small toilet and a big rock in which hikers can rest for a while under the shade. There was also a tap with drinking water, where hikers quickly quenched their thrist and replenished their lost fluids. We rested for about 10 min and set off to the next point. The slope became more winding and very rocky. Because the canyon offers mule rides down the bottom, there are mules travelling on the same track as us and sometimes we have to stay by the side of the cliff to let the mules walk past. It took another 45 mins to reach the 3 mile house, which was located about half way down the canyon. It was a tiny blue house with a few stone benches and also a water point. We were really lucky coz the bright angel trail had water points at each stop and we need not bring a lot of water with us since we can refill our bottles, while other trails you really have to bring about 4-5 litres of water with you. It was recommended that we drink at least 500ml of water every hour.
After that we set off for Indian Gardens, which took us about an hour. There were really no gardens but just a small trail with some colourful flowers and CACTUS by the side, and also a small house. But the view was sooo beautiful! As we slowly descend down the canyon, we can see the steep canyon walls rising above us, and it gets really hot as we approach the bottom of the canyon. We stopped at Indian Gardens for about 30mins. Throughout the whole trip, the thing that i enjoyed most was the interactions with the other trekkers. Everyone said "good morning" and "Hi" at least each time they passed by another trekker or trekkers, and some times other people said stuff like "how is it going" and stuff. One guy asked us this question and we said "great!", and he replied that "of course! thats because you are going down!!!" Hahahas =)
It feels really good when you see so many people doing the same thing as you are doing and fighting for a common goal. Sometimes people even share their hiking experiences in the resthouses, people going up tell you what is at the bottom, and those going down tell them that there is only miles away from the top..=) Also, the view becomes broader and more breathtaking as we approached the bottom of the canyon.
The challenge only begins when we walk back up, coz it was quite steep and the sun was getting hotter near noon time. The walk from Indian Gardens to 3 mile house was quite tough coz the road was very rocky and it was so hot that our energy was draining in no time. By the time we reached the 3 mile house i think i was already half dead..hahas..oh and along the way two packs of mules passed us, leaving behind a trail of fresh green poo infested with flies..i think i will never forget that smell, coz it just penetrates my nose right up to my brains throughout the journey..=x
The route from 3 mile resthouse to a mile and a half rest house got a bit better from the rest, coz we stopped a few times to catch out breath in the shades. The last mile or so was really very tough, coz by then over 90% of our energy was already used up and yet that part of the road was the steepest. Also, the calf muscles and thigh muscles began to develop cramps and become really tight. Also, to prevent people and mules from slipping, most of the roads were interspersed with large logs every 2 metres or so, and each time was just plain torture as we were forced to lift out legs up and across the logs..=X T remember there was a stretch of road that looked so easy and short, but yet i was really too tired to cross it in one go. It was really frustrating coz your upper body was still quite competent, but the legs were just too heavy to be moved!! I think we stopped every 10min or so for the last stretch of road coz we were really too tired =X And as we looked back we cant stop but to think: Did we really travel that far??
When i finally saw the exit back up the canyon, i almost wanted to scream my lungs out!! And as we got nearer to the exit, trekkers descending the canyon kept on encouraging us and said commented that there were just a few steps away, or just around the bend and stuff..Hahas..and it just felt really great when we finally made our way back up!! A great sense of accomplishment!! We reached around 250pm, which was faster than our expected 4pm. Also, my initial target was actually the 2 mile house, and we actually made it all the way down the Indian Gardens!! For an inexperienced (rather, NO experience) trekker like me, to be able to walk 10miles and a total of 7.5 hours, it was really great and satisfying =D
Later Boon treated me to an icecream at Bright Angel's lodge..it was very kind of him..hahas =) And if not for his encouragement and help i might never have made it..though he kept saying: It is all in the mind! Thanks alot Boon! You were great! Hahas =D
My first experience of trekking: Tring but Satisfying =D
The internet connection here is horrible!! I need a minimum of 15 min to log in and msn just dont seem to work! Well maybe thats what happens when you are at very high altitude 0.0
So far i have already experienced sunrise and sunset at grand canyon, coz we really have to make full use of the days we have before work starts..
Sunrise was really beautiful, i woke up at around 415am to meet the guys, while the rest of the girls were still in dreamland..the morning wind was quite chilly but very refreshing..saw a deer eating grass again when i stepped out of my dorm..maybe thats what they do before sunrise and after sunset..hahas =) By 5am there was already streaks of white in the sky, and you can see tiny rays on the horizon. It took a long time for the sun to appear above the horizon, but it just took minutes for the whole sun to rise up..sitting on the cold rocks surrounding the south rim, you can see the canyon slowly lit up by the 1st rays of the sun..at the start there were only dark sihoulettes, but soon you can make out the different parts of the canyon and the layers of rocks..There was a piece of cloud right above the sun, and it changed from white to pink to yellow to orange as the sun slowly rise up =D
Sunset was equally astonishing, never did i had a chance to look at sunset so closely, such that the sun was really right in front of you. There were almost no clouds in the sky, and you can every minute change in the surroundings as the sun went down. We went on the sunset tour to have a better view of the sunset, and it was really worthwhile. Also, as employees we got to go for a lot of tours for free! =) We chose this spot that was dangerous and yet beautiful. Basically we sat at the edge of this cliff, such that our legs were really dangling off the cliff, it was quite scarey coz the part that we sat was quite steep and it was a vertical 90 degrees cliff from the bottom of the canyon! But it offered the best view! =) Initially it was very bright but as the sun went down, the orange circle slowly disappeared into the horizon, leaving behind a golden-orange after glow..=) It's really hard to describe how breath-taking it was, but nobody said anything during the process and everybody just sat quietly, embracing the natural wonders of the world.. i was quite touched when i saw it..strange..heh =)
