Tag 7: North Rim

Today we want to go hiking in the Grand Canyon. To do this, we drive the 30 minutes from the campsite into the national park and quickly find a parking space. Our tour begins from there. Since we are not allowed to park in the official parking lot due to the size of our camper, we have to choose another place. From the starting point of the hike, it is a steep descent to the lookout point of 1.1 km with an elevation difference of meters. The North Kaibab Trail stretches through the entire canyon to the South Rim. However, without a permit, it is only permitted to walk 4.2 km with an elevation difference of 670 meters. The conditions for the hike are listed as high. The problem is that you first walk down and therefore have to know your strength well to get back up the canyon. We reach the first lookout point after 30 minutes and admire the great view again. Then we decide to walk a little further. So we walk on for a while and then turn around. The sun is shining and it is getting very warm. We don't want to take any risks. We have to walk the 300 meters back up. With a constant pace and regular short breaks, we manage well. Back at the first lookout point, we watch a helicopter rescue and a man plays a flute. After 2 hours, we reach our starting point and enjoy our lunch snack there. I would have loved to walk further, but a thunderstorm is brewing. We hurry back to the car and as soon as we sit inside, it starts to rain heavily and hail. There is lightning and thunder. We are right in front of the laundry and now take the opportunity to do the laundry. The prices of $1.50 for washing and $1.50 for drying are unbeatable. We usually pay double or triple that. That way, René can take a nap, the kids can play on their tablets, and I can read a little. Then we leave the Grand Canyon and land in Jakob Lake again. There we visit the visitor center for the Kainab National Forest.
It's unusual for us to be at the campsite so early. We relax and the children play with the carving knives.
In the evening we play cards together again. The stars are already clearly visible the night before, so we wait with the children until it gets dark and marvel at the splendor of the stars. There is hardly any light here and the multitude of stars shine brightly on us. The longer we wait, the more appear in the sky. We listen to film music. René and I even see a shooting star. I could have sat and admired the spectacle for hours, but the children are tired. By 10 p.m. they are both in bed.