The big "G"...Grand Canyon

After spending a night with the very friendly couchsurfer, Nicolas, in Phoenix, we headed to the Greyhound station to catch our bus to Flagstaff. Having dropped off our RV the day before we were once again at the mercy of public transportation, but fortunately for us, with the Grand Canyon being such a popular destination, there are regular shuttles running to and from the park, as well as free shuttle buses running within the park. So we organised one that picked us up at the old Flagstaff train station and dropped us off at the visitor center in the park.

Waiting for busses...Part and parcel of the backpacking experience... 

The canyon is only two hours away from Flagstaff but we only departed for the park in the afternoon so we arrived at our campground, Mather, just as the sun was about to set. The ensuing darkness was not our primary concern though, a big set of ominous looking clouds rolled in overhead and the first trickle of rain started falling. Now anyone who has ever camped will know there are two things you'd rather avoid if you can when setting up camp...1. setting up camp in the dark and 2. setting up camp in the rain! Now granted you have less control over the occurrence of the latter, it's still something you hope to avoid!

We managed to get our newly acquired Walmart tent (cost us 24 bucks!) set up pretty quickly, it is a Walmart tent after all, and thus as you can imagine, a camping shelter in its simplest form!

The rain then started pouring down heavily, as fate would have it, and we knew our budget purchase was going to be tested to the limits! We just lay there in our tent like two sailors on an old and weathered boat in a storm, hoping the flimsy sanctuary will hold!

Our Walmart tent after surviving a flash flood! Well maybe not a flash flood
but in relative terms, for a $24 tent, it probably was!

We both drifted off to sleep and I only woke some hours later with the peculiar feeling of something dripping on the bottom section of my sleeping bag...Turns out our Walmart special wasn't completely water resistant, the weak spot being a cross section seam on the entry flap. The rain had dissipated somewhat by that time so I got out one of the rain covers for our backpacks and tied it in a manner so that it covered our entrance flap from the outside. This seemed to do the trick as we woke up the next morning with no further evidence of leaks!

The next day we had a big and exciting adventure ahead of us...To hike down the canyon to the Colorado River and back up to the South Rim! We were recommended this endeavor by one of the couchsurfers in Phoenix who didn't host us but was a keen hiker and thus happy to share his knowledge! Just to make sure, we asked a ranger the night before if it would be possible to do the route, she said she's only spoken to a handful of people who have attempted it but it's doable. It's a 15 Mile route, more than half of it a strenuous climb up to the rim but if we took along enough food and water we should be okay...that made us feel all warm and fuzzy ;)

So we headed out early the next morning, jumped on one of the park shuttles and headed to the South Kaibab trail head. 

Ready to go down South Kaibab!

Having arrived at sunset we both realised while on the bus that we haven't seen a glimpse of the canyon yet! Timed almost theatrically, it came into full view as our shuttle neared the trail head and we were both spellbound at the grandeur of sight that lay before us!

The canyon view from the rim looks more like you are looking at a vast mountain range from above. This unique vantage point makes for a truly breathtaking sight that no amount of expectations can surpass!

That's a loooong way down!

We were advised to hike down via the South Kaibab trail and back up the Bright Angel trail since South Kaibab is a steeper descent with great morning views - and no water points. While Bright Angel is a bit longer but the climb is much more gradual and there are a few water points along the way.

South Kaibab trail from above

The walk down South Kaibab was really something, due to the spiralling nature of the trail you were greeted at each corner and outlook with a different view of the immense canyon below. 

What a view...South Kaibab trail

It took us about 2 hours to get down to the river - the mighty Colorado, it's rushing and relentless waters have carved and sculptured this masterpiece over the last 6 million years... We headed over a bridge to the other side before we again crossed back to the southern bank where the base of the Bright Angel trail was situated.

Colorado River!

We still felt pretty good at that stage and decided to push on for a couple more hours before taking a lunch break. The hike up was obviously a completely different experience, but the more gradual pace did allow much more time for observation and just taking in the vastness of the place!

Heading up Bright Angel...no more downhill!

About halfway up we found a nice lunch spot and enjoyed our old Torres del Paine lunch specialty of cheese and ham wraps, they tasted just as good as they did back in April in Patagonia! 

Well refueled and rested from lunch we continued up the canyon quite briskly until we got sidelined by a massive thunderstorm. It was a proper torrential downpour and soon streams of red mud started rushing down the mountain! We took cover under a ledge and decided to rather wait it out given the temporary nature of such outbreaks.

View looking back from the final switchback section of Bright Angel trail

It did break our momentum somewhat and our muscles seemed reluctant to get going again when the weather opened up. Much like a half-marathon race, the final 3 miles were definitely the toughest and seemed to go on for ever! The steepest section of the climb is right at the end so it's just switchback upon switchback until you eventually see the top of the rim. We were pretty exhausted when we reached the top but the view and sense of accomplishment quickly got our spirits up which seemed to also awaken our appetites! 

15 mile / 24 km hike done and dusted!

So we then limped unto the shuttle, rode back to camp, had one of the best showers ever and prepared a well deserved and delicious pasta dinner! Needless to say we didn't have any trouble sleeping that night - passed out stone cold!

We got up the next morning lekker stiff from the previous day's canyon hike and decided to take it a little bit easier! No hikes with more than a 10 degree ascent - that was my request!

Fortunately the Grand Canyon has, due to its unique topography and all its pathways along the rim, the perfect setup for taking leisurely walks with insane views! Which is exactly what we set out to do. We packed some snacks, headed over to the South Kaibab trail head once again but this time instead of descending down the trail we simply meandered along the rim. The morning air was crisp and clean, the rain clouds have moved on with only a few puffy remnants trailing over the horizon. It's really something to witness, the grandeur is so humbling you can't help but be transfixed in a state of spiritual reverie...

Some added theatrics and a good example of the spectacular viewpoints from the rim

That evening we headed west on the shuttle bus to a series of lookout points renowned for their sunset views...We again just meandered along the rim, there were some scattered clouds drifting over the western horizon so the canyon was constantly evolving to the changing light. It was a really beautiful setting!

Sunset lookout point

The next morning we packed up, made some breakfast and headed to the shuttle stop. We jumped on the one that runs to the nearest town, called Tusayan. After 6 months of traveling we finally decided to try out an old backpacking custom...hitchhiking...We were heading to Flagstaff which was only an hour and a half away so we figured that hitching a ride made much more sense that a 70 Dollar shuttle. We found a nice clearing on the main road running to Flagstaff, put on our most friendly and non-serial killer faces, and extended our thumbs! It's quite a humbling experience to say the least, and you swear with each passing car that you'll always pick up a hitchhiker from now on! We stood there for about 25 minutes before a car pulled over. We nearly fell over our bags with excitement as we scurried over to the car, which was a big American pickup truck. 

All set!

The friendly African American couple said that they were on their way to Flagstaff but unfortunately didn't have any space inside, just on the back. We assured them that it was no problem, we're from South Africa after all! So we jumped on the back, got comfortable and enjoyed the great views of the surrounding mountains and forests as we headed to Flagstaff.

We got dropped off at a service station at the northern edge of town and after thanking the couple we headed to the Subway joint across the road, to grab a bite and charge our phones.

Kristi arranged with a couchsurfer from Phoenix who was camping just outside Flagstaff, to meet him at a campground, called Lockett Meadows, in the beautiful Coconino national forest. 

Lockett Meadows, Coconino National Forest

He was already there so told us to grab an uber and try get as close to the campground as possible, which we managed to do. Only thing was that the campsite is situated in a secluded valley high up on the San Francisco mountains - which we didn't know when we looked on the map. So while it was only a 3 mile walk from the park entrance, it was 3 miles up a mountain! So we decided to rather try hitch a ride again as our load was much to heavy to get up the mountain. Fortunately a very friendly Korean couple with their little toddler picked us up. The road was so steep that it took us nearly half and hour to drive up there so we were understandably very grateful for the lift!

Literally a lot of baggage

The campground at Lockett Meadow was already full but the National Forest parks have the nifty system that allows free camping in certain areas of the park - obviously without any amenities, but still it's free and a very beautiful place to camp! So we found a spot on a nearby ridge with good cover from the pines, a reasonably flat area to lay our tent and a great view of the valley below. We then set up camp and gathered some firewood to get a fire going before the ensuing darkness set in. 

Wilderness campsite near Lockett Meadows

Our couchsurfer was set up in another section of the park so we arranged with him to come pick us up the next morning. It was a beautiful night up there on the mountain, the warm glow of the fire danced against the tall trunks of the pine trees that surrounded our campsite, the darkness beyond was pure and calm. It was a great camp spot especially since in the (usually full) registered campgrounds it's difficult to switch off from the civilized world and just enjoy being out in the wilderness...

The next morning we got picked up by our Couchsurfer, Barun, who is an Indian national, who has been living in the states for about 5 years. Barun is quite an exceptional host, he took us on a tour of the surrounding area, which is not a requirement as a couchsurfing host, so he did it out of his own, which was nice! He took us on a scenic drive to some old native American ruins...He is also very knowledgeable about the area and has traveled extensively throughout the states - over 40 states! This in itself is quite impressive for a normal traveller but as Barun told us, exceedingly remarkable for an Indian, who usually never leave their home province let alone their country!

Native american ruins...Apparently not all Indians stayed in Teepees and Wigwams

We had a great day with Barun, who really made such an effort to show us around! In the evening we headed back to Phoenix to his place where he again surprised us by offering us his bedroom while he slept in the living room! It was very thoughtful of him and much appreciated, a soft mattress after a week of camping is a comfort beyond measure...

Selfie with our new friend Barun!

The next morning we headed back to the bus station to catch a ride back to Los Angeles.

We had a great time in northern Arizona! The Grand Canyon was truly mesmerizing and a sight that we will cherish forever. Flagstaff and the Coconino national forest was really an unexpected and pleasant surprise, and our couchsurfing hosts were terrific...So all in all a really great outing and adventure!

Speaking of adventure, as we boarded the bus we realised that we only had a month left on our trip! The last stage of our trip, our journey up the California coast, through Oregon and into Seattle, always seemed so far off, and the fact that we've reached it was a surreal thought!

We couldn't help but thank the good Lord for the all the blessings that have come our way and that we have made it so far in one piece (and still a happy young married couple!)...

Our next stop was LA, for some quality time with the family and hopefully some sunshine to enjoy the Golden state!

Adios el canyon grande!