Grand Canyon Trip 2011

This past weekend my mates (Brian, Mike) and I went to the Grand Canyon for adventure! What follows is a retelling of our journey into the abyss...

Day 0/1: The Rim
I arrived at the Robles residence with the other Asian. We decided that waiting around for morning was (in the words of Vo) for "pansies", and drove all night in shifts to get to the South Rim around noon. Snow was a plenty, and it was so cold, that we couldn't even get the fire going the following morning. I mean, we had a friggin' snowman built on our campsite. As night fell, coyotes were heard echoing across the empty campground as we froze our asses off in our tents.

Snow? Excellent!

Steak!

Snowman?

Day 2: The Descent

Everyone thought I was crazy for going to the Grand Canyon in March. "Isn't it freezing?" they would say. Well, on the rim it was, but after braving the ice and snow, we reached lower elevations where the midday sun cooked us to a warm 80 degrees. Descending 4780 feet, traveling 7.1 miles, and carrying 30 lb. packs on the South Kaibab Trail was totally worth it. We were pumped to do this, and I'm surprised we made it happen.

Ready to tear the canyon up!

Vo on icy ground.

On the edge. 

Great view.

River crossing.

Once at the bottom, we forded the mighty Colorado River and set up camp at Bright Angel Campground. We were not so crazy anymore, as pretty much all the campsites were taken up by like-minded souls. The steak, cucumbers, and Gatorade flowed that night! Waking up in the middle of the night, sweating, was quite a difference from the ass freezing experienced the previous night.

The mighty Colorado!

Setting up, or was it taking down camp?

Got to use my tent!

Day 3: The Ascent
On the third day, we woke up early, packed up camp, and headed out to our next destination, Indian Garden Campground via the Bright Angel Trail.

View from a bridge.

A much needed rest.

Still higher to go.

Although we arrived easily enough at the campground, we did not like the look of the approaching storm. With an 80% chance of rain/snow, we decided it would be better to push on towards the rim instead of risking a very wet and cold hike the next day. After several hours of rest, we made it up to the top just after dark. The 9 uphill miles, blazing sun, chilling winds, and lack of cellphone reception could not stop us! The looks we got while getting on the shuttle after dark, carrying huge packs, and shivering, made my day. Once again, it was established that resting for the night was for "pansies", and we set off for home.

The squirrels be crazy at Indian Garden.

A great Robles picture.

Quite a distance.

Crossing the ice again.

Day 4: The Rest
Getting to the Bay Area proved no small feat, as we were once again forced to drive in shifts. In-N-Out Burger was my personal savior. After dropping the Robles and the Vo off at their respective residences, I continued my voyage towards Sacramento. Arriving in Folsom at noon, I sat upon my ass, and had a great time falling asleep on the couch watching That 70's Show.

I have to give a shout out to REI which happened to be the place where I bought most of my gear. I haven't been disappointed with anything I've bought from there so far, and can't recommend it enough. It may be pricey, but it is great quality.

Current Mood : Overwhelmed
Current Music : Theme song from That 70's Show (I'm too lazy to look it up).