Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona-Trailer Village Campground

March 5-12, 2017

You see the Grand Canyon in pictures but you can never really comprehend its' vastness until you see it in person. I really expected that it was more of a valley or a chasm so needless to say, I was surprised at the many rising peaks and plateaus throughout.

We spent a week here, first arriving when it was still bitter cold but as the week progressed the weather improved. We biked along some of the roads checking out many of the view points like Mather Point, Hopi Point, and The Abyss.

But the thing the kids will remember the most is the hike into the canyon on the Bright Angel trail. It was BRUTAL! It's 4.5 miles each way with nearly 100% decline on the way in and the same incline on the way up. It took us three hours to descend and a little more than four to return. Here's a Greg video took for his Dad since they hiked it when Greg was about Jacob's age

I did NOT enjoy it but was so proud of the kids for accomplishing such a feat. The trail has rest stops at the 1.5 mile and 3.0 mile marks which made perfect points for a treat like Gatorade or a piece of candy (and of course a potty break). I think it helped so much to have the treats to keep the kids motivated and have something to look forward to.

(A little hard to see, but those black spots along the trail are the mules taking some people down)

Indian Gardens was our destination and while there, we had a picnic lunch and the kids waded in the water for a few minutes.

Greg has aspirations of hiking it again and camping out but I am not sure his family will accompany him. Jacob might surprise me though, he said it was his favorite part of our Grand Canyon adventure. Greg really needs a good hiking buddy! Haha (but I'm serious)

(Taking in the view from his throne)

The one other cool thing about our trip in the Grand Canyon was the wildlife. We have looked and looked for elk before but here they roamed among us in the campground. And we saw mule deer and a number of coyotes. It would have been cool to see a California Condor but it's just not the right time of year. Did you know that their wingspan is 10 feet long and standing next to you, they would come up to your hip?! That is one big bird!

We are leaving just as the Spring Breakers are arriving. We'll spend our next two weeks near Sedona, Arizona.