All the Perks: Down and Out

Well, we did it again. On April 24th , Elisha and I along with Darin and Carey, Russell and Jen, Ryan and Kalyn, and Nilda did the annual "down and out in one day" trip to the Grand Canyon. We started out leaving town Friday afternoon, stopping in Flagstaff for a less than appetizing meal from Red Lobster and then continuing on to Tusayan, arriving there about 10:00 at night. A few of the women (and Russell) stayed in a hotel that night while the rest of us braved the outdoors, a couple in a tent (Elisha and I), a couple in a car (Ryan and Kalyn), and one on a matress under the stars (Darin). The night before any adventure (hunt, hike or any other anticipated event) is usually not one filled with sleep. The excitement or anticipation usually keeps me up for most of the night which means the next day is a little exausting. Fully expecting that to be the case this time, I was pleasently surprised when we awoke at five the next morning, having had a restful night sleep. After quickly packing up our gear, we met up with the others at the hotel where we made breakfast, used the bathrooms, and headed for the park. We hit the trail at about seven am, pausing at the top for group photos. We headed down the South Kiabab Trail which took us about three hours. It was a little windy at times, but the weather was cool and overcast. We crossed the bridge and refilled our water bottles and then started to head back up. We came out on the Bright Angle Trail, stopping for lunch about a mile up the trail from the river. Not sure of the name of the place where we ate lunch (I'm going to call it the SWTSHHO, "spot where the squirl huggers hang out"--some people are just idiots.) but we spent about an hour there eating lunch and soaking our feet in the stream. We hit the trail again and headed for Indian Gardens. After resting there for about thirty minutes, we decided it was time to tackle the switch backs and head for the top. My times could be a little messed up, but I believe we climbed out at about three pm and then headed for the showers! We all stayed together and everyone did well (talking about the hike, not the showers, although we had a good time in the showers as well!). After everyone was cleaned up, we finished our adventure by having dinner together at the Yippie Ky Ya Steak House and then headed for home. It was a busy and enjoyable day, having a good time with family and friends. It's time to make preparations to do it again!!