Today we are on our way to the Grand Canyon! This stop has been on my bucket list for ages!
After napping in the van on the way there (hey, yesterday was such a full on day!) Morgan took us for a ‘Grand Canyon reveal’, where we had to close our eyes and do a trust walk. We placed our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us and let Morgan lead the way (this was a very big thing for me as you all know I have a habit of tripping and falling everywhere), but we made it to the edge of Mather point and we opened our eyes…
I can’t really describe how I felt in that moment apart from feeling extremely lucky to see one of the natural wonders of the world. It truly is breathtaking in real life as it is on film or in pictures! Naturally, we took plenty of selfies before having lunch and chilling out by the watch tower.
the grand canyon, me and polly, watch tower
It was then onto camp to quickly set up our tents before heading back out for our Grand Canyon helicopter ride. Another first for me! I was a bit apprehensive before the trip as to whether I would do it. as it’s so expensive (a whopping $285!) but it was the most expensive thing I bought on the trip (a close second was a Wicked Broadway ticket in New York) but it was well worth it! You get to see the canyon from a different perspective and we all got some great aerial shots!
helicopter, me and polly, views of the canyon from above
As I’ve mentioned before, one thing I discovered about going on a trip like this, is that you hardly get any sleep! So on the helicopter ride I decided to sneakily close my eyes – for just a few seconds – and enjoy the moment, but Polly cheekily said I fell asleep – let’s just say word got out to the trekkers who left and they wouldn’t let me live it down! According to them it was the most expensive nap I’ve ever taken! All in good jest I suppose aha! Once the ride had finished, we headed back to camp so me and Polly could cook tea for everyone – a delicious spag bol! It was then time for an early night as we would be up at 3.30am for sunrise!
sunrise in the grand canyon
We surprisingly woke up on time this morning (to say all of us were shattered from the previous few days was an understatement) to catch the 4am bus to see the sun rise on the Grand Canyon. All of the girls decided to have a chill day today, bar Matty and Dave who wanted to do a big hike. So me, Polly, Bobbi and Kirsty all headed to prime sunrise spot Yamapi point. It was surprisingly so cold but we all braved it! As beautiful as it was to see, I think I prefer seeing the sun set to rising as its a lot prettier but it was still an amazing experience to tick off our bucket lists!
After sunrise we headed to the market plaza for breakfast! It was so nice to eat food, chill and chat! After a little pick-me-up, Kirsty and Bobbi headed back to camp whilst me and Polly headed to the South Kaibab trail to do a small hike to Ooh Ahh Point. A moderate trail which takes 1-2 hours to go up and down, the South Kaibab trail was just what we needed to do some exercise all at our own pace. Saying that, we both smashed the whole thing in 45 mins – go us ! We of course stopped along the way to take in the views and get plenty of pics! After our mini and wait for it… last hike on this trip – we headed to the visitors centre to watch a film about the Grand Canyon before heading back to camp, where we met with the girls and all snuck a free shower before spending the rest of the afternoon in the laundry room – standard!
I finally made it to ooh ahh point!, me and polly
That night Kirsty and Bobbi cooked us a yummy sweet and sour, whilst Polly, Steph and Emma headed back to the canyon to see the sun set. The rest of us, feeling tired after a long day stayed in camp and hung out. We all made our own horror movie up with classic cheesy deaths and Morgan being the serial killer – it would deffo sell out in the cinemas! When the girls came back we then set up a camp fire and made smores before heading to bed!
The Grand Canyon has been a nice, chilled retreat after the hedonistic time we had on the Northern Trail and in Vegas! Bring on tomorrow and Monument Valley !
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