Zion II & Grand Canyon I

Greetings from nature! After a lot of partying, city life, and alcohol, Anne and I rented a car yesterday and headed out into nature to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and find some peace and quiet.

Since Anne wanted to see Zion National Park, I gladly sacrificed myself to go there with her.

 Zion National Park is so large that we easily found hiking trails there that I hadn't walked before. Once again, Zion simply amazed me: hiking through this natural beauty makes all the stress of the city disappear, relaxes the soul, and provides plenty of space for interesting conversations with such a great friend like Anne. Although Anne is not as enthusiastic about nature and hiking as I am, I am very grateful that she still tries to share this natural beauty with me. So we climbed through the Zion Park, finding hidden canyons and admiring the beautiful mountains and cliffs. 

After spending half a day in Zion National Park, we continued our trip to Flagstaff. We wanted to stay there to be close to the Grand Canyon, which we visited today. The long drive from park to park goes by faster when you have a great person to chat with by your side. However, I realize that I'm not necessarily made for permanent, never-ending car rides, especially when it's dark outside and you can't fully enjoy the beauty of nature while driving.

Anne and I were not quite aware beforehand that most of our drive would take us through the middle of nowhere for nearly 5 hours. So we didn't find anything to eat or any gas along the way... And even with the two of us, it was quite nerve-wracking. As our tank got emptier and emptier, we slowly began to accept that we might have to spend the night in the car on the side of the road. We imagined being hungry and cold in the car before we could seek help the next day to refill the tank. Especially since neither of us had internet without an American SIM card, we couldn't figure out where the nearest open gas station might be, and our anxiety grew. After passing two closed gas stations without success, we fortunately found an open one at the very last drop of gas, and we were able to continue our trip to Flagstaff... sometimes it's better to be better prepared, even if it takes up a lot of time.

After a short night at a motel, we continued to the Grand Canyon National Park today. 

Contrary to what many people had foretold, the Grand Canyon did not disappoint! Even if you've already seen Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, the Grand Canyon is still unique and beautiful. Especially when it shines in the sunlight, you can discover beautiful colors. Green, red, gray, and even blue at the bottom, as the Colorado River flows through the Grand Canyon. The colors change in a magical way with the changing sunlight and the changing angle of the canyon.

I found the beauty to be so overwhelming at times that I find it hard to capture the whole picture and hold it as real. And the weather gods wanted to make it clear to us how beautiful Zion and the Grand Canyon are once again, because we had sunny warm weather, which is unusual for the end of November. We could walk around in T-shirts and enjoy the sun! Even the great weather couldn't stop me from hiking through the Grand Canyon. So we descended about 6 km into the canyon, which was relatively easy. The views were sometimes magically beautiful, and it's a great feeling to be in the middle of the canyon. We encountered mountain goats, elk, and other hikers climbing the trail on mules.

The way back up, on the other hand, was much steeper. Especially when you can just go down so easily, a steep climb afterwards is a complete contrast. I think Anne hates me a little for my enthusiasm for hiking and nature since she had to walk uphill with me ;). Nevertheless, I am incredibly proud that we managed to hike the 12 km of steep trails together after a short night.

And the great thing about good friends is that they love you despite your quirks and sometimes do things for you that they may not be thrilled about at the moment. While the mountains and views of the national parks don't necessarily excite Anne, they fill me with the greatest enthusiasm. On the other hand, Anne can be fascinated by the most diverse beaches, where I can hardly tell the difference. After visiting the Grand Canyon again tomorrow, Anne's passion is calling for us to travel to sunny, beachy California to enjoy the ocean a little more.

 Even though we both have to make compromises (poor Anne pushes herself to her limits while hiking, and I have to forego a few national parks), when you really like someone, you're happy to make compromises. It feels good to see that you can still feel comfortable and have so much joy when you do something for someone else. True, supportive friends are probably the most important thing in the world. And it's worth making sacrifices for them =)