The Grand Canyon

On October 31st 2009 my dad, brother, sister, a niece and I set out on a journey to Arizona. Our plan was to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and back out again of course. We’d spent months upon months preparing for this trip. Equipment buying, stair climbing, website resource research, book reading, etc. We were ready.

We spent November 1st exploring the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. On the 2nd we went to the Grand Canyon to explore the rim and we also went to Wupatki and Sunset Crater.

On Tuesday the 3rd we began our decent down the South Kaibab Trail. We hiked all the way to Phantom Ranch (the bottom) the first day. It took us ALL day to get there and we were exhausted and sore by the time we made camp. It was worth every single step. I remember thinking, before we began the hike, that our destination would be camp. However, the very first step into the canyon made us all realize that WE HAD ARRIVED!

The next day was spent in the bottom. We hiked a few miles up the North Kaibab Trail which in that part of the canyon runs along one of the river inlets. It was a wonderfully beautiful, sunny day and an easy hike.

Thursday brought our bottom of the canyon camping to a close. We headed up the Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden for another night of camping. I think we all might agree that this part of our trip was one of the best. Although it isn’t easy hiking, it is absolutely incredible visually. The aspen trees were in fall foliage and BRIGHT yellow! The afternoon sun beaming through the leaves made them look extra bright and wonderful.

That night we discussed whether or not we’d walk out to Plateau Point in the morning to watch the sunrise. It would add another 3 miles to the hike that day and some of us weren’t sure we could handle that on top of the remaining ascent. My dad and brother decided it would be worth it and planned to get up before dawn. My sister, niece and I decided we weren’t sure we could do it.

Friday morning I heard the guys get up and shuffle off in the dark. A bit later I needed to pee so I got up and hiked up to the restrooms. The sky was just starting to lighten and I could see this very pale pink in some wispy clouds. I thought “Oh man… this is going to be an incredible sunrise. I can’t miss this!” Almost frantically I hurried back down to camp and grabbed my tennis shoes and hurried out in the dark to find the trail to the Point.

I wasn’t sure how long the guys had been gone. I wondered if I’d catch them or if I’d make it out to the Point before the sun first hit the top of the canyon walls. I was trying to hurry while looking all around to take in the scenery. It was hard to watch the trail and try not to miss anything at the same time. About halfway out I looked up and the clouds were really beginning to change color. Shortly after that I glanced back up and the change was so incredible it stopped me in my tracks. I gasped in the glory of the beauty and tears filled my eyes. Just the memory of it makes me teary.

I couldn’t have hurried any faster after that. I HAD to get there before the sun! And I made it. When my dad and brother saw me, dad chuckled. I suppose he thought it was pretty great that I couldn’t resist coming out there despite what the day would bring. And let me tell you, pretty great is hardly a good enough description.

It was too beautiful. I still can hardly comprehend what I saw that morning. Sure there are pictures and they do a decent job of reminding me of what I saw that day, but I don’t really need them. I will always remember. It was so powerful it only takes a second of reflection to transport myself back to the edge of the world where the beauty was too great to comprehend. I know I had never seen anything so incredible and I can’t imagine anything ever being more incredible.

After the sunrise we hiked back to camp and prepared for our final ascent. It took us the rest of the day to reach the rim. We got back to the car and drove to a hotel for showers and a real bed. The next day we headed home.

I don’t know about the rest of the crew but I am forever changed from this experience. I really can’t wait to do it again! We’ve got plans to go this fall if our back country pass is approved. However this time, we’re hiking rim to rim. YES!

for more photos, please visit my Flickr set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nadirah/sets/72157622653946771/

My Weekend: Catagorized!

I went bowling!
I took a half day trip to a small ‘town’ and ate BBQ!
I bought a new car!
I went bird watching!

Okay bowling first. My Uncle and I have a standing date every Friday to bowl. Sometimes things come up and we don’t go, but I’d say it is rapidly becoming a thing. We like it. It’s fun.

After a few games we met up with my Aunt and the 3 of us took a little half day trip out to Natty Flat Smokehouse. It’s this great little BBQ joint out in the middle of nowhere. Next to it sits the Texas Hill Country Furniture & Mercantile. I had a chopped beef sandwich and then bought a few little items for my nieces in the mercantile.

With typical hill country charm, in the parking lot sits “The World’s Largest Cedar Rocking Chair.” There’s even a certificate from Guinness in the smokehouse.

On Saturday I bought a new car. Buying a new car wasn’t in the plan. I didn’t expect to need a new car this weekend. However, on Thursday night, my old car decided it was time. Sure it was fixable, but it was hardly worth it at this point. I’ve been limping it along for a while now and since the current problem required replacing the engine, we decided to let it go. So now I have a shiny new car! And a car payment!

Saturday night, after 4 hours of haggling at the dealership, my husband and I took the new car out to my folks’ house to show it off and stay the night. We played games and watched TV as usual.

On Sunday morning, my father, mother and I went out on the boat to see the migrating water birds. As far as we can remember, there have never been so many birds at the lake!

I suppose the area isn’t usually a stopping place. This year however, it most certainly is. There are gulls, terns, cormorants, coots, and pelicans! We even saw an osprey. The pelicans took the cake though.

What a COOL bird. They’re like pterodactyls! We were in awe.

Horticulture

Since I’m returning to my blog from a very long hiatus I feel like I should make a series of posts to update some items mentioned in previous posts. That is of course assuming someone might read back through them. Or maybe it’s just for my benefit since this is my life journal. Anyway, first I want to update my work and school situation.

Some of my last posts were about quitting my job due to a long commute. The plan was to save some money to take a few months off at the beginning of 2009. By May, I’d start looking for work and hope to land something before July. I wanted something close to home. I wanted something different. I didn’t want to learn a new software program or be responsible for things no one else knows how to do. I wanted something I would like. This is a pretty tall order. However, miraculously it worked out just as I had hoped.

My last day at my previous job was Jan 30th 2009. I sat at home soaking up much needed downtime for 4 months. I landed a job in early May and started June 1st 2009. It is 4.5 miles from my house. It is something completely different. I didn’t have to learn a new software program. It is exactly what I was looking for and I wasn’t even sure what I was looking for.

I take care of plants. I work in the Horticulture department at a nearby hospital. It’s awesome. I love it. I love it so much I’m going to school to earn a Horticulture degree.

This leads me to my school update. In 2005 I went back to school to work on my basics. At the time I thought I wanted a career in the psychology field. Since then I’ve taken several core curriculum classes and figured out that I really love plants. Fortunately all of the classes I’ve taken since high school add up to 1 shy of being done with the basics. At this point I’m in that last core class and also taking my first Horticulture class. I dig it.

I know sometimes people go to school for things that pertain to their work, and that makes perfect sense. In this case, not only does that apply, it is also something I want to learn. If I get fired tomorrow, I’m still going to earn this degree. It isn’t just about the work. My point? I’ve finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

Back Again

I've decided to start blogging again. I had a hankering a few weeks ago and then today it just hit me like a ton of bricks. It's time to blog. As you can see from my archives, I've done this off and on for quite some time. When I felt the urge earlier today I almost started a new blog. Then I decided I would rather just continue on here; however I did change the title and URL.

I'm often called The Plant Lady at work, since I water plants and all, so I've officially adopted it as a title. It seems endearing, sort of like Lunch Lady. But I like it better.