Grand Canyon

Our hotel was about an hour away from the park entrance. On the first day we left relatively late after breakfast and had to wait in line for quite a long time, the Grand Canyon is a bestseller among the national parks. We looked at several viewpoints where it took several angles to understand how huge, wide and deep the canyon is! We walked along the edge of the canyon, the South Rim, and marveled at the view. The next day we wanted to go on a big hike. So we asked at the visitor center about the infamous “Bright Angel Trail”, which leads from the South Rim down to the Colorado River and is actually recommended as a two-day hike. In addition to all the warning signs that were everywhere on the maps, the ranger in the information center also scared us a bit and said not to do the trail in one day. Tourists would be evacuated by helicopter every day because they overestimated themselves and couldn't cope with the heat and the 1,500 meter difference in altitude. The warning signs said to eat a lot, drink a lot and prepare for three things: lasting brain damage, heart attack and death. Well, that’s very motivating 😅. However, since we had already heard from several places that you could do the hike in one day and turn around at any point, we decided to try it the next day. On the way back we passed a few deer hinds darting across the road. In the evening, while looking for a gas station, we discovered the center of the small town of Williams and learned that the famous Route 66 passes through here. We sat down in style in a restaurant with live guitar music and the brightly lit “Route 66” sign next to it and let the evening end comfortably.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the national park at dusk. We were there in time for sunrise and when the spectacle was over, we made ourselves a small breakfast in the trunk. And then shortly after 7 a.m. we set off on the Bright Angel Trail. The view was definitely amazing right from the start! A few hikers met us quite early, some of whom had already started walking at night or were only walking a short distance or had built in an overnight stay as recommended. The tricky thing about the hike is, firstly, the increasing heat the more you get towards the valley and secondly, that it only goes downhill at first and the strenuous part waits on the way back. There are 3 drinking water stations along the way, but you have to bring enough of your own water for the last third of the way. We had a lot of water with us and even more salty and sweet snacks, because as the warning signs said: “eat twice as much as usual and snack often”! Said and done! And so we hiked at a good pace to the crucial point of the last drinking water station and, considering the time, decided that we would definitely make it to the river! So after about 4.5 hours we arrived at the Colorado River and stretched our warm feet into the refreshingly cold river. We took a long lunch break and then started the strenuous climb in the merciless sun sizzling down on us. We were happy for every little cloud and had to take a few breaks because of Jana's circulation, but the higher we went, the more pleasant the temperatures became. And so, after 25km, 1500 meters in altitude and 10 hours, we arrived back at the top just after 5 p.m., safe and proud like Oskar! Man, that was a great and tiring hike! It has to be said that Sascha was only traveling with 3 of 4 intact cruciate ligaments because he had torn one of them again before his vacation 🙈 and walked ahead without any problems! We spent the evening relaxing in the pool and jacuzzi of our hotel.

For us now comes the total contrast program of the last few days: we're going to Las Vegas!