This week we were in the grips of mother nature while visiting the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we left Flagstaff on Sunday morning we were met with the first snows of the season and we knew we were in for a treat.
The first day, after setting up camp, we split up into two groups and went on different hikes. The first group went down the North Kaibab trail for about 6 miles round trip. We got to see the colors of Autumn and a forest shrouded in low hanging clouds on our way down into the canyon. We ended up crushing the hike despite the undesirable weather and finished in about 3 and a half hours. The second group went on a short hike along the edge of the North Rim and got to see an awesome view of the sunset. That night we all got to spend time around the camp fire while warming up and having a good time. After waking up we were grateful for our tents and sleeping bags because it ended up snowing through the night.
On the second day we split into separate groups again and tackled different hikes. The first group did a 4-mile hike out to an extremely exclusive and overlooked part of the North Rim called Cape Final Point. Though it started to snow the second we got out the van, we persevered and got to see a spectacular view of the Grand Canyon through the heavy layers of snow. After finishing the hike we drove to a number of different viewpoints along the North Rim and got to take a bunch of pictures of the cool views. The Second Group did a straight hike that ended at the trailhead of the North Kaibab and had to push through 7 miles of sleet and snow. Though patience was tested they eventually crushed the hike and met up with the other group back at camp. We all spent time in the vans warming up before making a fire and hanging out for the rest of our last day out there.
Overall the trip was a great experience because a lot of the guys haven’t seen much snow before and we got to spend the weekend right in the thick of the elements in the Grand Canyon. Though the weather was pretty tough, we all got to learn how to persevere when the going gets tough.
From,
Residents L and D
