Road Trip Adventure: Grand Canyon

Before I left for the Army, I made a decision that would forever change me. I took a road trip from Memphis to the coast of southern California. So, I packed my little car with a mountain bike on the back and set out west. No hotels, no specific route, no general time-line. Just a lot of camping gear with great expectations of adventure. Adventure is such a great word, because that is exactly what it turned out to be.


Can I say... Grand Canyon! I was a little bummed on arrival to the Grand Canyon, because of failed attempts to get hiking permits before arrival. On the phone, the rangers said a hiking permit would be almost impossible. I thought I would go to the ranger station and plead for one anyway. The ranger was shockingly cool and hooked me up with a permit to hike the Grand Canyon! I couldn't start my hike until the next day. I asked the ranger if he new any free places to camp. He asked, "how primitive?" I replied, "as much into the wilderness one can get." He chuckled, as if he was going to send me miles off into the woods where no one could find me. He did just that! Let me give you an idea of how primitive this place was. As I set up camp, wild elk glared at me from afar as if they were stalking me. As I was trying to sleep, coyotes/wolves (whatever they were)were growling and fighting within 50 feet from my tent. Guess how dumb I was in the situation? I had open hot dogs in my tent. Excuse my language, but it was an "oh shit" moment. Thankfully, no coyotes or wolves attacked me for my hot dogs. As I was trying to sleep, the temperature dropped to 25 degrees. Who knew Arizona got that cold in early fall? I found out the hard way.
I woke up and began a journey to hike for a place less than 1 percent of Americans go.... the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The views of the Grand canyon from the top are cool, but the views of the canyon during the hike are breathtaking. How massive and epic is the Grand Canyon? When you look down into the canyon from the top, you can not truly see the bottom. You must hike down to see it in its full glory. I had many wonderful and personal moments with God on this hike.
About half way down, I linked up with a married couple in their 40s. I hiked the rest of the way down with them. They knew what they were doing. It is weird how you can build friendships on adventures like this. But somehow, we did. Paula and John Going (Paula calls me her adopted son in our only picture). They love God's creation so much... it's inspiring!
So, remember that I said it was 25 degrees when I woke up? In that same day, at the bottom of the canyon, it was 87 degrees. This is caused by the drastic drop in elevation. Like I said... you really can't see the bottom from the top.


The magnificent beauty of the bottom is worth every tiring step it took to get there. The fast flowing waters of the Colorado river and small streams bring life to the desert here. Deer frolic 5 feet in front of you. It is quite a serene experience. Although I was tired from the hike, I couldn't sleep because I was in awe at the vibrant sparkle of the stars. I laid there for hours just staring up out of the window of my tent. I will never stop thanking God for that moment.