The night before our hike, after a inspirational dinner, we had to meet in our group to go over the specifics of our trek into the Grand Canyon. This was the first time we met the group we'd be hiking the Bright Angel Trail with and also when we were introduced to our fearless leader - Seth.
Meghan and I were happy to see a few familiar faces. There were six of us, well seven including our experienced hiking guide Seth. And outside of Lisa from Salt Lake City, the rest of us were from Phoenix.
In our team meeting, Seth went over safety precautions that would scare any sane person. He told us that a hike in the Grand Canyon is unlike any other. That after 12.2 miles our bodies will feel like we had run a marathon. And that if we suffered any kind of injury, like a sprained ankle, or dehydration, we would be spending the night in the canyon. Dress accordingly, he said with a smile.(Apparently they only fly you out if you are dying - lovely)
Oh and he also told us to hydrate the night before. Once you hit the trail it's too late.
Meg and I went back to our room and tried to nail down appropriate canyon attire - again. And made sure we had everything in our packs - again. Meanwhile, we were downing as much water as possible.
We had to meet our team at 5 a.m. Saturday morning and soon enough, after a quick breakfast and a short bus ride, we were standing at the top of the Canyon.
Seth pointed out exactly where we would end up. We were speechless.
At that moment, Plateau Point seemed so far away and the only hint of a trail was a tiny white line way, way down at the bottom. (See the photo at the top of this post)
We secured our packs, sipped our water and followed Seth. Finally, our adventure was about to begin.
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