Overview

The main goal of our trip to the desert was to hike the Grand Canyon. The idea to undertake this adventure was born about Christmastime last year. It was something that had been on my to-do list for several years (since my brother suggested it actually), but I hadn’t gotten the opportunity to accomplish it. Somehow, I managed to convince Kurt to accompany me on this trek.

We did a little research online and discovered that we needed a permit to camp in the Grand Canyon. Only a certain number of permits are available on any given day, and these permits can be applied for up to four months in advance. Kurt and I decided beating the summer heat and the height of the tourist season sounded like a very good idea, so we settled on the beginning of May for the trip. As soon as the first of January rolled around, we faxed our application information to the National Park Service in Grand Canyon, AZ. About three weeks later, we received our permit back in the mail along with a good amount of information about the Grand Canyon.

Preparing for this trip took quite a good deal of dedication. Kurt and I spent three months getting in shape: jogging, running stairs, and hiking long distances at area lakes. We also researched the Grand Canyon, its climate, dangers and terrain. We studied the trails we would be hiking and learned where we would and would not be able to acquire fresh water. We searched the web and area sporting good stores for all the equipment we would need.

We then pieced the rest of the trip into place and obtained airline tickets into and out of Las Vegas. We tried to think of everything we would need for the trip from hotels (at least for the towns we knew we would be staying in) to a rental car. Of course we left a good portion of the trip unplanned (the time after we left the Grand Canyon) so we could be spontaneous.

We had a fabulous time, so follow us along on our adventure! (Day 1)