Since our move to Arizona a little over 1 month ago, just about every day has been a new adventure. My work has been especially hectic, time consuming, and frustrating. However, in the time off that I have had, Karly and I have been trying to make the most of it. One such adventure, which was a high priority for me, was our visit to the Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon is a reasonable 3.5 hour drive from our apartment in Phoenix, so by starting out early in the morning we managed to get there at around 10:00. Our drive took us up and down several mountains, starting at around 1500 feet above sea level at home, and finishing at 7200 feet at the Grand Canyon. With the gain in altitude came a drop in temperature, my truck’s thermometer reading 42 degrees when we arrived. The drive was mostly uneventful, although we learned Karly should not pick our traveling audiobooks, but the beauty was plentiful and kept getting better as we went.

After we arrived at the park we drove to the visitor center to get some information. We decided on the South Kaibab trail as far as Ooh Aah Point. We took the shuttle over to the trail head and I was greeted with my very first view of the Grand Canyon. Like most people, I’ve seen photos and have been amazed by them. The real thing is an entirely different experience. Nothing can express the complete beauty, majesty, and overwhelming size of the canyon.

One thing I would like to note is that hiking the Grand Canyon is a truly special experience. However, it is not for everyone. Our hike was 2 miles round trip, with a loss and subsequent gain of 600 feet of elevation. It took 35 minutes to get to Ooh Aah Point, 1 hour and 15 minutes to come back up. Thus the overlying saying of the Grand Canyon: “Down is optional, up is mandatory.” Going down is incredibly easy, so easy that it was tempting to push on, but that’s the trap of the Grand Canyon. Setting out, we knew that we were not quite as physically prepared as we would have liked, so we made Ooh Aah Point our turn around point.

Another issue we saw a lot of was lack of preparation in those around us. We felt relatively prepared: good hiking boots, trekking poles, plenty of water, food, first aid kit, minor survival tools, and a map. This was not the case for most people we saw. So, if you are planning a trip to any park in the future, please go prepared with proper equipment. Luckily, no one was hurt while we were there, but the shear drops, uneven footing, and other potential dangers could have quickly changed all of that.

After our hike we did some shopping at the gift shop, did some research on a Rim to Rim hike we will be doing in the spring, and returned to Williams, AZ to our hotel. That night we ate at a wonderful Mexican restaurant along the historic Route 66, saw some the sights, and went to bed tired and satisfied.

The next morning we had breakfast, loaded up the truck, and drove into Flagstaff. We had been doing some research on good places to see the fall colors in Arizona, and one trail that was suggested was Lockett Meadow. Our drive into town was once again nothing short of inspiring, the mountain tops peaking up into the low cloud cover, snow caps barely visible from the road.

To get to the trail head, we turned onto a forest service road and wound our way carefully up 3 miles of narrow, rough, and at times frightening dirt road. Most of the road way was barely large enough for the truck, so passing opposite direction vehicles was tricky, but doable. I’ve never been so glad that my truck has 4 wheel drive. It was all completely worth it when we reached the top. The road way opened out into a beautiful valley, mountain peaks encasing us on all sides, the meadow itself featuring a small pond from which you get the most amazing view of the mountain peak beyond, its snow cap in full grandeur.

Once we found parking, we put on all of our warm clothes as the temperatures here were hovering a bit above freezing, and set out. There were plenty of people to share the trail with, some more polite than others, and many far less equipped (a recurring theme). The trail was uphill for one and three quarters mile, climbing 700 feet higher to a peak elevation of 9300 feet above sea level. Our biggest issue with the climb was the altitude, the thin air making it hard to maintain our strength and stamina. This being said, I feel we did quite well and are very excited to continue training for better and longer hikes next year. Down hill was much easier, finishing out our 3.5 mile hike on an easy note.

The hike amongst the towering giants of the San Francisco Peaks, the beautiful fall colors contrasting with the evergreens, and the grandiose views on our drive home made for another perfect day, until we got stuck in nearly 2 hours of gridlock traffic due to an accident (but we like to omit that part).

Another adventure is in the books, but it has sparked so many ideas for future trips to come. We have absolutely fallen in love with the state of Arizona and are so glad that we made the choice to move. We cannot wait to see what else awaits us!

Until next time!