Grand Canyon..the journey begins

"When there is only one way to go ahead, we do. We take it, we march forward and after reaching our destination, we look behind…
at all those moments when we were ready to give up and take the easy way out…
but what if there was only one way to go?"
-Rush

This was my journey…my expedition into the GRAND CANYON.

Grandeur in its true sense, this place will take you 6 million years back in history, will introduce you to eras gone by and depict a story… a tale of rocks, of the unforgiving Colorado river that once streamed along these rocks, today descends the Canyon at its bottom carving and shaping this geological wonder.

My expedition was to touch this origin, to hike down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon to feel the source …
the Colorado River.

Day one
As we arrive at the Grand Canyon, a quick unravel – Check in at the Bright Angel Lodge, put on my walking shoes and as I step out...a step into the vastness, into a masterpiece, painted by nature alone. Spectacular in its size, it is difficult to capture it all in one glance, but the first look did leave me awestruck.

For a minute there, I couldn’t believe I was going to trek down this massive Canyon come tomorrow morning. With all the preparation and checklist in place, we both decided to retire early for the day.

Day two
the alarm buzzes at 4 am. As I brush up and slip into my hiking clothes, the world is still asleep.

A wildlife welcome before we aboard the bus

We take the 5 am shuttle ride to Yaki point, the starting point to our daylong journey – South Kaibab trail. Aloha to the bus driver and towards the trailhead, as the sun peeks out from the Canyons, highlighting the multicolored rocky walls – a phenomenal view and a perfect start to our hiking day.

The South Kaibab Trailhead

The trail is approx 7 miles with a 5000 feet elevation loss, and as I take my first step into this descend, I leave the touristy crowd behind and march into the unknown....

The first viewpoint on this trail is the Ooh Aah Point, true to its name; the beauty and the drama leaves you motivated and yearning for more!!

As the early morning light brightens one Canyon, it shadows the other, creating and playing off one another. We continued walking further deep into canyons, keeping our pace but not good enough for the shadows. As they decide to lead, it was soon Anil, Me, the Canyon and the roaring Sun...and the camera!

A squirrel digging in for food, and it just doesnt buzz..no matter how hard we tried, so i finally took out the camera and a click!!

Hiking down the open desert one would expect very little green, but the landscapes surprise you with the exotic species they offer, you can literally smell their age. Although the South Kaibab trail has very little shade, it does have a lot of green trailing along the sandy paths.

With every passing hour, the trail got steeper; pushing me to the edge of the Canyon and then taking a sharp turn into the winding path downhill.

Most people think hiking down is easy...it is NOT!! With my toes jamming against the arch of my boot, going down was getting tougher and the rest breaks got longer. We finally sat down to take a lunch break. 3 essentials in my bagpack – 6 litres of water with electrolytes, salty snacks and 2 lunch sacks with lots of muffins. This was helping us move on this extreme breathtaking walk.

The temperature approaches to a 40 degrees C, with the noon sun head on; I suddenly see....

Continued in the next part - In the Depths of Grand Canyon

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