The second day of our trip was full of river-rafting and sightseeing. If the immense walls, peaks, and cliffs of the Grand Canyon didn’t take our breath away, it’s ice-cold waters sure did. We traversed through rapid after rapid, holding on for dear life along the way. We rode our way past notable rapids like the House of Rock, one of many rapids in the Grand Canyon that is rated past a “6” on the universal 1-6 scale many whitewater aficionados may be familiar with. Yes, it was intense, to say the least. That night, we enjoyed fish tacos on a beach made of some of the world’s finest sand, and for once, we didn’t have to do the cooking.
The next two days of our voyage continued much like the last; good food and good times with good people. Along the way, we took a break from the Colorado River and hiked up to a beautiful, scenic, and historic view by the Nankoweap Granaries (also seen on National Geographic). Our history lessons were coupled with amazing, breathtaking views and our next noteworthy stop was the aptly named Blue Spring where the Colorado River meets Little Colorado. There, the water was surprisingly warm and incredibly blue due to the calcium carbonate minerals in the water. We did our own body-rafting down Little Colorado and its turquoise waters before finding camp and enjoying prime rib and key lime pie.
The last day of our trip started with an early, 5-am call, hot coffee, and already-made breakfast. After eating our fill, packing our lunch, and packing our bags, our 10-mile hike up to the rim started. The boys were all well-rested and well-fed, so the usually daunting and grueling hike was made a little easier than usual. We stopped by Indian Gardens to conduct a meeting reviewing the week before continuing our trek upward, to the vans, and back to the place we call home. For now, at least.
