6/26 & 27: Steven & Sons Hiking Down & Up the Grand Canyon!

Hiking down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon on the Bright Angel route hadn't been exactly on Steven's 'bucket list' but was sure something he'd talked about doing for a few years. The opportunity to stay overnight down at Phantom Valley Ranch is so sought after that the national park opened it up to a lottery system for people to apply up to 15 months ahead for a very coveted spot. Steven was thrilled to bits when he heard the fabulous news back in March of 2018 that he'd won three bunks in the dorm for the night of June 25th of this year and immediately asked our sons,  Alexander, now 29, and Zachary, now 27,  to join him on a father/son trek. 

When they said yes, Steven began 'training' for the arduous hike doing the stair stepper at his gym. He was pretty apprehensive as to how difficult it might be and wondered, more than a few times, if perhaps he'd bitten off more than he should have at his 'age' and with his reduced lung capacity due to having asthma.

Our sons flew into the tiny Flagstaff, Arizona airport from San Francisco and Denver, respectively, on June 25th and then the three of them got up at the crack of dawn the next day for the 90 minute drive up to the Grand Canyon's South Rim to begin their adventure so they wouldn't be hiking the entire seven miles and 4,400 feet in elevation change in the extreme summer heat. This was their 'before' photo! I so wish there was an 'after' photo, too, to share with you all!

I stayed in the comfort of the hotel in Flagstaff 'working' surprise, surprise, on this travel blog and also what was then our upcoming six week trip to the British Isles beginning on August 25th as well as our 3.5 month long trip to parts of Asia beginning in March. 

The following photos are courtesy of Zachary. He is on the right and Alexander is on the left.

After hearing about their grueling hike, I was sure glad I hadn't also gone on it. I was so proud they all managed it with no cases of sunburn, or hurt ankles, etc as the hike sure wasn't a 'walk in the park.' What a sense of achievement for each of them to tell their friends about, I thought, especially in the extreme heat of the summer which made conditions that much tougher.

Zachary is our youngest but he was the only one of our four to get the 'tall genes' that came from either Steven's father or my father!

I know Zachary prepared for the hike by doing a lot of walking every day well in advance of the hike. I was so glad to see he's kept up that regimen since coming home, too, as he never was interested much in walking beforehand although he enjoyed going on occasional hikes with friends when he had a rare day off from his two jobs.

I wonder what caught Alexander's attention at this part of the trail? He's always been an outdoors man going bouldering  with his friends in the foothills around Denver and then rock climbing out in northern California when he was out for undergrad and graduate school and then later when he made the Bay area his home with his lovely wife, Cory.

All three guys raved about their experiences when they reappeared in Flagstaff the next afternoon! Steven walked pretty gingerly, though, as his 40 plus year-old hiking boots were only hanging on by a thread and had to be thrown out immediately. He was pretty darn sore and walked around as if he had just completed an arduous hike, which of course he had! 

Next post: Adios to the boys and then we return to the canyon for a much shorter hike en route to the out of this world rock formation in southeast Utah.

Posted on August 28, 2019, after a beautiful, rain-free day sightseeing in Dublin more on that soon!