The chill made my breath visible. The headlamps of fellow hikers along the pathway ahead of us looked like fairy lights descending below. My wayward hair kept dashing across my headlamp and in front of my eyes making the navigation along the edge of the north rim in the darkness a bit of a challenge. The wind was ushering in the cold front as we descended into the canyon, and there was a strange excitement in the air. I was so filled with anticipation, it's entirely possible that the excitement was created by my own heart. :-) Krista and I were FINALLY hiking the rim to rim of the Grand Canyon together, after waiting years and training for months.
That one place in the trail where it looks like jumping off a cliff is the only forward option...
In reality, it turns sharply and descends along this wall. :-)
The headwaters of the roaring falls - the water apparently comes straight out of the rocks.
We walked, talked, listened to the absolute silence and simply absorbed what is impossible to comprehend in the magnitude of the place.
At this point, Krista was getting irritated with me for being a "drill sergeant". Keep. Moving! We had to push past the pain and fatigue; if you stop too long your body locks up and refuses to comply.
We completed 22 miles in 11 hours. When I announced this fact to Krista at the top, she teared up... we've worked hard to get to this place and it was such an incredibly special thing to share together. I will treasure these memories all the days of my life.
1 comment:
Such incredibly fond memories of walking the same path but way slower!💗🙏
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