7:30 am - its finally a beautiful morning! Sunny skies and warm temperatures. I had a great sleep in a quality hotel, and am going to head out to see some Indian ruins. Gallup 'The Heart of Native American Indian Country."
Looking up the grand canyon, and it seems it is very dangerous to hike there during the summer. Will have to bring a few gallons of water.
View Map from Gallup, NM to Grand Canyon, AZ
8:51 pm – wow. Sorry for the delayed post, didn’t have any internet access in Grand Canyon region. Today was one of the most breath taking days of my life. Words, pictures or explanation can not describe the power of the vistas I saw today. I’ve hiked many mountains, and been to many beautiful places, but the Grand Canyon takes first- it is absolutely spectacular.
But let me back up. On my way to the Grand Canyon (BTW-thanks to Dick for being my virtual co-pilot for the whole trip, and getting me the directions to the Canyon) I decided to make several stop offs. I made a quick stop in a desert region within the city limits of Gallup NM. I felt bad that I blew through New Mexico and didn’t spend any time with the land. So I hiked through some of the desert region, and enjoyed the desert terrain.
Next stop was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. This was a very exciting park. You get to drive along 28 miles of road that is cut through some of the weirdest land you will ever see. My camera does not capture the gravity of the views, but you can get the picture! There is this sweet smell which seems to come from a desert plant with white flowers, it permeates the air.
The petrified wood was very unusual. You would see these pieces of wood, which looked chopped up, but they were all different colors, like the color of the rainbow. If I didn’t know any better I would have said it was rock. It hardness is an 8 out of 10, and to cut through the stuff you need a diamond cutting blade. Needless to see, you are not allowed to take any out with you. Not as if I had any room in my car anyway!
This 28 mile drive was very refreshing and allowed you the opportunity of seeing some untouched plateaus. Many of which were vibrant blues, yellows and reds.
As I was making my way to the Grand Canyon, I saw a sign for another canyon park. I pulled in to check it out. As it turns out, it was a nice little hike into a huge Indian canyon, where Indians had carved houses into the sides of the mountain. Many ruins and Indian artifacts were on the trail. The views here were very beautiful and the loop trail was setup nicely to give you information on the various areas of the canyon, and how the Indians interacted with it.
I was very anxious to get to the Grand Canyon. I called in for reservations, and got one of the last rooms in the Canyon park. It was a hop skip and a jump away from the canyon rim. As I was driving through the park to check into the hotel, I got a quick glimpse of the canyon, and almost drove of the road. IT WAS UNBELIVABLE. My heart dropped. This huge un-ending river of rock, which is cut thousands of feet into the ground.
I was super anxious to start hiking the trails. I checked in, dumped some of my gear into my room (which was situated right next to some undesirable characters, which their stench was coming into my room) and hit the trails. I didn’t read any maps or get any directions, so I just started hacking my way through the woods, hoping to find the ledge of the canyon. After about 25 minutes, I figured I was lost. But I kept marching onward, hoping I would find some people or the road. Eventually I met up with some deer, and finally people.
Upon first glance of the massive canyon, your mind just stops. It takes a few minutes to take it all in. There were about 30 people standing around the edge, but it was very quite. Although we were all from different parts of the country, and in many cases, the world, everyone understood the power of the canyon, and observed in silence.
I was fortunate to hit the park right before sunset, so I took a long walk around the rim, and just soaked in the setting sun, and the breathtaking vistas. At some points you can go out to a ledge which-if you fell off, would end your life-and just absorb the canyon walls.
I hiked until darkness, and the end of the trail. I didn’t know where I was, and I didn’t want to take the trail all the way back, because I had to hack through the woods to find the trail in the first place. So I decided to take the road back. I didn’t know it at the time, but there are no sidewalks, street lights, or directions on the road. I didn’t know if I was hiking in the right direction, but I figured I could always flag down a car and hitch a ride.
As I was walking all alone on this dark, dangerous road, I saw some big figure up ahead. At first I though it was a deer, or a shadow of a tree, but then the headlights of a car coming up behind me shined on this HUGE ELK! Upon further observation, the was another Elk across the street from the one 20 feet in front of me. I whistled for the car to stop and pointed out the elk in front of him (probably saved the elk’ss life, and the car’s driver) Now, granted I have hiked in the woods before, I have never seen anything as large as a elk. It was quite intimidating. Plus it was dark out, I was lost, and I didn’t have my trusty hiking stick.
SO now I quickened my pace, as I didn’t want to get attacked by elk. I flash my camera at the elk to scare him off and was hoping I would come to my hotel soon. Eventually I did, but not without looking over my shoulder every minute.
I skipped diner, I doubt they would have served anything I would have liked, and just had a few handfuls of raisins and walnuts, along with a seed bar. I washed it down with 2 protein shakes, and took a nice shower. Which, I may add, had the strongest water pressure I’ve ever felt. It was like getting hosed down by a fire hose.
Tomorrow I am going to wake up super early, and try to do some more hiking on the canyon. Supposedly hiking is real dangerous due to dehydration and what not.
My recommendation to everyone is to see the Grand Canyon. Put it on the list of things to do in your lifetime, it is well worth it. I am very glad I made the detour. Not to mention, I got a nice room with 2 queen size beds and a futon-for $102!
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