Last year my wife Judith (girlfriend at that time) and I visited the South West of the
U.S.. We went to Las Vegas, The Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Los Angeles and San
Francisco. On this page you will find a selection of the pictures we took, mainly those of
our hike in the Grand Canyon. Yes, we did go all the way down to the river and back. The
whole trip took over 13 hours, was very streneous but well worth it and defnitely the
highlight of our vacation.
We prepared well for the trip. As much as our work allowed, we hiked 10 - 20 km a day,
fully packed as we would be in the canyon, carrying 4 liters of water. Because we live in
the Netherlands we could only prepare for the distance. To get some feel for hiking in the
mountains we spent a long weekend in Luxemburg and hiked all day long. What we could not
prepare for in any way was the heat ! It does not get to 45 C in the Netherlands, at least
not outside an oven. But before going to the Canyon we stayed in Las Vegas for 2 days, so
there we could more or less acclimatise.
Because these pages are graphics intensive, I have spread the pictures over several pages. There are links to following and previous pages at the top and bottom of each page, as well as to my home page and my special interests page. Enjoy !
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You are visitor number since februari 22, 1997.
We got up at
03.00. Had a good breakfast, a lot to drink and drove to the Grand Canyon National Park
where we parked the car near the visitor information center around 05.30. We walked to the
South Kaibab trail end where we started our descent about one hour later. Trailhead
elevation is 7260 ft / 2213 m.
About 20
minutes later after the first steep descent we are still fresh and unaware of the
hardships that await us. It is still cool and there is a lot of shade. We both carried
about one gallon (4 liters) of water with us.
[ canyon02.jpg 40 kb]
The views are
amazing. Early in the morning this does not look like the dessert that all the books warn
you about ! The game of shadow and light and the temperature of about 25 C make this a
pleasant early morning hike.
[ canyon03.jpg 16 kb]
About one hour
into the descent : we reached our first milestone : Cedar Ridge (6320 ft / 1926 m).
According to the books this is the most popular day-hike destination. We have descended
about 300 m. Another 1150 m to go before we reach the river. And then ofcourse, the return
trip.
[ canyon04.jpg 38 kb]
The descent is
sometimes very steep, sometimes it looks more like an ascent, but there are also a lot of
nearly horizontal stretches. We rest for 5 minutes every hour and drink, even if we do not
feel the need to. Also we eat regularly. We took a few sandwitches, and for the rest
cranola bars, chocolate and peanuts.
[ canyon05.jpg 32 kb]
The trail is in
good condition and the views are astounding. It is tempting to take another picture
whenever you turn a corner. And with the sun climbing the mood of the canyon changes with
the minute, and so does the temperature : it is getting warm.
[ canyon06.jpg 32 kb]
This gives a
nice indication of the perspective. At this point we are about halfway the descent. There
is a steep descent ahead of us, followed by some easy walking after which the descent into
the inner canyon to river awaits. Although it is getting warmer, it is still a pleasant
hike. But then, going down is alway easier than going up, isn't it ?
[ canyon07.jpg 32 kb] (293*437)
[ big_07.jpg 88 kb] (586*873)
Finally, we
meet the 'masters of the canyon' : the mules. Obediently we step aside when they pass. We
do not yet envy the people that ride them, but that will change in a couple of hours.
[ canyon08.jpg 32 kb]
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