The red cliff valley is spreading. At the bottom there is a river, which it cannot be seen from the edge. A tear runs down the cheek. So breathtaking is the sight. One of the wonders that exists on earth lies ahead of me. I lock the rental car and start walking. Go down the mountain after a trail and think it may not take that long.
It is about two kilometers down vertical and horizontally maybe four kilometers, to the river. I had 1.5 liters of water with me. It is warm, so that small droplets are formed on the pan immediately. It is about two in the afternoon. I am well trained and I go fast.
A woman stops me halfway. You go too fast and she urges me to turn around because I won’t get down and up before it’s carbon black when the sun goes down. Drinking some water and calming down the pace, a little, but determined to take me down.
After two hours I’m down at the river. A giant footbridge takes me to the other side of the river. Talk to a guide, for the area and he says I have to hurry. I don’t really understand him. Well, you can not sleep here, it has been booked for several years and should cover the mountain edge, you must go now.
He wondered when I started going down. Two o’clock I said. His eyes were staring at me and he didn’t believe me. Do you have water. I showed the now half-filled water bottle. It must be enough for you to not refill here, due to water access.
The river rushes quickly and is impossible to cross. I make my way to the other suspension bridge, which is probably 60 meters between the rails, and start the journey up. Taking some melted biscuit chocolate and washing my hands in a stream that sprinkles down on the red rock. Completely clean greased rock.
How are you, I hear a voice say. Good, and the conversation is taking off. We’re going to ride a water slide on a rocky slope here, you want too. Of course I followed. Underwear in the heat, we went from one pond to the next on the smooth velvet pours. Pond after pond, maybe 5 or it was 7. They had started their hike before the sun came up. I was only in my 3 hour and had already started the long road up.
The walk with these people was slower but it was probably good. 10.5 hours before, I walked the entire round of about 25 km. The people I went with the last bit had spent almost 18 hours. I was well trained and had missed the Olympics that year. So for me it was no challenge.
The hike to the Colorado river is more than 25 km 15 miles and to walk in hilly terrain about 9 hours. But this is mountain, so normally at least 12-15 hours. Guides urge you not to go up and down the same day. It is forbidden… This Canyon, should be on everyone’s “bucket list”. You can’t explain you just have to go there ..
The day after is the partial solar eclipse …