Reaching our destination: Indian Gardens to Plateau Point

Plateau Point is less than 2 miles away from Indian Gardens, but the sun's increasing heat can make your body tired quick.
Lucky for us, the trail to the point was relatively flat, an unlikely scenario for the Grand Canyon. And the adrenaline that comes with knowing you are so close to reaching a goal can bring you a long way.
The trail was almost white and I realized immediately that this was the tiny line our guide had pointed to earlier that morning. From the top my eyes had moved along the thin, white trail until it abruptly stopped. The end meant you were at the point.
Now, only just a few hours later, we were almost to that very spot.

We pressed on and the terrain began to look more like Phoenix. There were cactus everywhere (like the one pictured above) and other plants familair to us from the desert.
Soon enough we could smell water. We could also hear a subtle rumbling. This meant the Colorado River was indeed close.
A few minutes later, this sign let us know we had made it.

The point was actually a platform of rocks that look out onto the Colorado River. (It's pictured at the top of this blog entry)There was a railing to keep people from falling into the river, but you could roam around alongside the edge and to get the best photos of yourself with the river at your back.
Like this one!

Our group hung out at the spot for almost a half hour. We soaked up the views, took photos and tried to wrap our brains around what were were seeing. It was one of the most spectacular views of my life. And by looking around at the faces of others in our group, it was obvious they were feeling the same way.
I mean after all, we were staring at the landscape pictured below.

Nothing is more satisfying than reaching a destination you'd been waiting to see for months. But after all the cameras found their way back into our packs and the views were soaked in, it was time to keep moving.
We commented to a group about the magnificent landscape of Plateau Point. One man said, "It's beautiful, but the canyon will make you pay for these views."
I wouldn't truly understand what this man was talking about until I was deep into the ascent on Bright Angle.
The scenery was spectacular, but with it comes to the canyon, coming down ultimately means you must go back up.