The Grand: Being Outdoorsy (Part 2 of 4)

We arrived at the Grand after over thirty hours of beautiful, ugly, and exciting driving time. It was in the wee hours of the morning--cold, windy, rainy. We paid our fee at this entrance, gate, drove to Mather Point, and walked down to the lookout.

So look at this next picture, and imagine this in all its 180-ish degree beauty. Yep, we were pretty stoked.

We walked to the visitor's center and chatted up one of the interp rangers before heading to our South Rim campsite. After lounging around for a bit, we located the showers, bathrooms, and water pumps. Thanks to smart planning, we were able to secure a site close to the bathroom (but not TOO close.. yuck).

We were enjoying not inhabiting a car. I went to use the little ladies' room, and as I was returning, I saw Torrye sitting at our site's picnic bench writing in her journal. Suddenly, as I was walking up, I spotted something across the path. I froze in my tracks.

I whisper-screamed at her, "TORRYE! Don't move. And get your camera."

It was a deer. (Gotcha!) Nothing to be afraid of... but definitely a cool sighting. The deer was poking around, being very chill, until it eventually wandered into the forest. I feel so happy when I spot a deer because they're usually so skittish, and it's a rare treat to be able to see how peaceful they are when they aren't freaking out.

Now that I think about it, this particular deer was probably partially domesticated and probably was searching for human food.

We set up our camp before deciding to check out the watchtower, which is on the eastern end of the South Rim.

We drove along, listening to John Mayer and Amos Lee and Donovan Frankenreiter. Doesn't every adventure need a soundtrack?

Torrye taught me the beauty of sticking my feet out the car window... but kids, be safe. If your driver needs that rear view mirror... hehe

We arrived at the watchtower, and when we found a parking spot, Torrye promptly shut her hoodie in the car door. She's sleep deprived. Please excuse her.

After a while, we began to get bored with the actual watchtower, which has no historical significance other than the fact that they built it to "look" ancient and important. So we took some jumping photos on the second level of the watchtower.

We soon began to notice that other people were noticing us. We have no idea why we were attracting all this attention...

Torrye threatened to fight them.

Then she intimidated the crowd with her gang hand signs. She also kicked that lady in the back:

After a while, the group kinda got used to us... but most of them thought we were awesome. I bet they took some jumping shots right after we left.

Here's Torr being all photographery:

We drove out of the watchtower parking lot and stopped to take pictures at a couple lookouts on the way back to Mather Point.

And just so you know, the two of us will do almost anything for a good picture. We didn't endanger our lives much or anything... we just wanted to put ourselves in a photo next to something huge and significant. And plus... the pictures look pretty cool. Here's Torrye:

And of course, I wanted an awesome photo, too, so I went to the edge and surveyed the Grand while Torrye snapped a couple of shots... (you can see the watchtower in the left hand side of this photo)

What I didn't realize, however, was that there were three elderly women in pastels and sneakers who were coming up behind me. No, they didn't push me off. But you can tell from this next picture that they were not happy with me. Notice how I'm completely oblivious to their presence...

Here's how that scene played out...

Lady #1: "You're making me nervous, young lady!"

Me (nervous laugh): "Yeah, I'm making myself a little nervous too!"

Lady #2 (angry... very angry): "Don't you go and fall down from there!"

Me: "Yes, Ma'am!"

Lady #2 (mockingly): "Yes ma'am, but you're just standing there!!!" (still angry)

Lady #3 is shocked into silence

Me: "...."

hehehehe.... I offended the elderly on this trip so I just want to say sorry to all of those whose hearts I temporarily made palpitate.

I apologize.

BUT...

I'll do almost anything for a picture.

After that, we drove to the cafeteria where I became obsessed with finding the perfect corner. My internal outlet detector was put to test, and I located a table at which we could hook up a 15-min. AA-battery charger, a laptop computer, and two phone chargers. I have refined outlet locator skills because of the dozens of airport layovers that I've experienced. Torrye calls me a gear and gadget freak. It's understandable.

While the batteries were charging, we would dump our photos from our cameras to the laptop so we'd have lots of room for the next day. I also had my external hard drive in case I ran out of room on my laptop. I've just come to accept that I'm a geek.

We went back to the campsite after driving around and familiarizing ourselves with the layout of the South Rim, and we downed some Nyquil or Tylenol PM. That's how we fall asleep at night when we're in the wilderness. And trust me--we needed that sleep.

The next morning, we moseyed around the campsite, brushing our teeth, writing in our journals, and warming up our cold limbs. Our breakfasts were usually made up of instant oatmeal, chocolate teddy grahams, granola, and peanut butter mixed in a cup. I was skeptical when Torrye first suggested it, but it is ten thousand percent energy. And I love it.

If you notice in the above picture, Torrye and I both had MSR Pocket Rocket camp stoves... which made for a faster operation... which meant we could actually eat our food from separate pots! Awesome. Notice that Torrye is wearing socks with her Chacs. Typical for us because less is more is less is more.

We needed to replenish our water bottles, and I sat in the car watching Torrye do all the work. Then, when she began to spill water everywhere, I started shouting, "Stop wasting water! Don't you see the sign right next to you?!"

What are friends for, anyway?

But I was excited mostly because we were going to be hiking for our first time into the canyon on.... The Grandview Trail!

Our hike into the bottom ended at Horseshoe Mesa; this trail was the steepest trail, but it didn't go all the way to the river, so it was a good out-and-back day hike to get familiar with the terrain. We stopped a couple times to talk to a couple volunteer rangers before heading out.

About twenty minutes down the trail, I spotted a nice slab of rock beneath a tree that overlooked the Grand. I called a halt and pointed to the rock, "Relax!" I said.

This is one of those moments when having experience in the wilderness with a good friend pays off. She actually figured out that my single point-and-"relax" command meant "sit and look relaxed on that rock so that I can take an amazing photo of you!"

So here's the shot.

And who doesn't love a good ole black and white?

We finally reached our destination, and we had some energy to burn. So we took some jumping pictures. The following is the only decent jumping picture of me that exists in the world.

Gooo Torrye:
We hiked from the rim of the canyon down to this point... and we were about to hike back up.

If you've ever been to the canyon, you know that the dirt is reddish brown. And it gets everywhere once you hike it. Our hiking footwear was covered in the red powder.

Torrye had a few hot spots--places where blisters would appear if not given "cool-looking" moleskin donut-shaped bandages.

....

I know, I know, I know.

... don't tell Torrye that they don't look cool.

We kept exploring our little lunch spot, and we discovered...

The toilets.

Ah, yes, the toilets. So here's the thing. When I said earlier that we had chatted with a couple of volunteer rangers, I didn't mention that when we saw these two rangers, they were perched on the edge of one of the switchbacks, watching the hikers below with their binoculars--their very powerful binoculars. As Torrye and I were hiking down, we kept waving up at them because they told us they would be watching us descend.

Now, these toilets are very three-sided. And the sides that exist don't do much to obstruct the line of sight. But... we wanted to experience the Grand to its fullest, and we'll do almost anything for a picture...

So, just so we could say that we did, ... we did.

I hope those two rangers weren't watching.

We also explored some ruins.

Wait, wait, wait.

I should probably explain something. Neither of us is a history buff. Actually, neither of us is remotely interested in museums or History Channel specials. Our friend Alicia would know all the facts and dates and stories behind the ruins that we explore, but as for us...

... we just like to play.

It was an uneventful and fun hike in, and it was a nice and hearty hike out.

When we topped that trail, we came out dusty, dirty, sweaty, and smelly. But despite all that, the people at the top were (probably) thinking, "Those two girls are amazing. They just hiked that trail like it was no big deal."

Then we took some post-trail photos...

...and we decided to hang out at a lookout and watch the sunset.

We got a woman to take our picture, and she was extremely nervous for us as she took it... She was from the north, and her Sarah-Palin accent warbled with anxiety as she said, "Ohhhwwwh crap," and snapped our picture.

It's pure bliss to have spent all your energy doing what you love (hiking in nature), getting a shower, then relaxing with a pal to watch the sun set.

Here's a pic of me enjoying the Grand:

Torrye's foot:

And remember: don't knock the sock-chacs:

Usually, we go to sleep when the sun does. But we began our preparations for our overnight/backpacking trek to the Colorado River @ the bottom of the Grand. These preparations included two hundred peanut butter honey sandwiches, full Nalgenes, and clean cookware.

Next time:

The Grand: The Descent (Part 3 of 4)

Saturday Mornings w/ Naomi

I've decided to take a little break from my Grand Canyon story to give you a little insight into how my days begin here on the little island of Maui.

My day usually begins with a wake-up call.  If I'm running downtown (where it's hotter and not as breezy), I'll wake up before the roosters.

I'll drive down the mountain, listening as my iPod sings songs like "Bus Driver" by Caedmon's Call or "Rock & Roll" by Eric Hutchinson.  If I'm scheduled for a speed workout, I'll park near the stadium, grab my gear from Betsy the Truck, then walk to the track.

Sometimes I'll even waste time taking pictures like this:But you guys are used to that.  And today is Saturday.  Which means that my workouts in town will have to wait to be chronicled at a later time.  TODAY, we're going to talk about my short maintenance runs:
Today I didn't want to do this short run... which is weird because short runs are fun.  Short runs are easy, quick, and (mostly) painless.  Why don't I wanna do a short run?  Because I'm a lazy okole, that's why  (okole = bum/posterior/tush/derriere).When I finally make it outside, I usually mess with my Nike+ iPod a little before turning right and beginning my workout.  Here's a shot of my house.. Hey--there's Betsy the truck on the left side!!

This is the big hill near my house.  It doesn't look like a big hill when you're standing @ the top and looking through the lens of my cell phone's little bitty camera:

My neighbor has two very aggressive dogs who like to bark at me.  They're chained up, but I like to pretend like they're loose and chasing me so that I run faster :)

The way to the park is mostly uphill.  Here's the first uphill stretch before I get to the Secret Passageway:

And here's the entrance to the Secret Passageway... It's so small and obscure that most people miss it.  My brothers and sisters and I used to walk this way to school (our elementary school is right next to the park I run at):

Secret Passageway.... it actually looks pretty cool.  The only problem is that sometimes hoodlums hang out in here and smoke pot and drink too much and attack women at night.  Just gotta be careful and carry pepper spray ... http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/508696.html (in the article, she calls it "Graffiti Path," but I think she just made that up.  "Secret Passageway" sounds better, right?).

And yes, I said hoodlums.


Here's a not-so-funny little anecdote about Secret Passageway.  This little fun shortcut is like a path that travels between people's houses and yards.  You can't really see it, but the house on the far right in this next picture borders the East end of Secret Passageway.  One day, I was running by, and I saw the car that was normally parked there.  Someone was in the driver's seat, so I slowed down and looked again.

Suddenly, I realized what was happening; a woman was slumped over and to the side of her steering wheel.  I sprinted around the fence to get to her car.  When I got there, I looked in and I saw that this unconscious woman held a cigarette between two of her fingers.

Let me tell ya, the adrenaline was pumping as I rapped on the window and yelled at her, "Are you okay?!"  She nearly scared me half to death as she jerked up and looked at me, opening the car door in confusion.

Oops.

I apologized profusely, saying, "I'm so sorry!  I thought you were in trouble."

She  shook her head, and gulped, "Don't apologize!  You did the right thing.  I know I didn't look okay, but I am.  I just got done with a night shift, and I was so tired.  I just passed out with my cigarette... it's okay!"

Mmmm... Embarrassing.  After that, I used to see her passed out in her car a lot.  Poor thing.

Let's move on from that slightly scary story, shall we?

Okay.  So once I exit the Secret Passageway, I run through a super-nice neighborhood in which a few dogs have chased me.  More excitement to run faster!

My next uphill run is up this street, where I get my first good look at the mountain.  It's actually a volcano.  It's actually the largest dormant volcano in the world.  I'm slightly obnoxious when relating to my island.  I apologize.

By this time, I usually get a good rhythm going for the run... my left knee has given me problems in the past, so I try to wear a knee brace so that my uphill runs are less stressful on my leg.

One last not-so-secret passageway to run through:

Followed by a field:And I'm there!  This park has a half-mile loop that I'll run when doing hill workouts (it's very hilly).  This is the bottom part of the running path:

And how cool is it that we have a recycling program?  Go recycle your stuff, everyone :)

The park has basketball courts and an awesome little kids' playground (when I went to school there, we called it "The Pit" because it was a gated area filled with sand... I don't understand the logic, but that's what we called it)... Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of that area!  But here's what I see when I look down at the western side of the island:

Turn left, run uphill... (you can see the road on the right side of the photo... that big hill is one of the hills I tackle for my hill workouts):

A little more uphill running:

This is my iPod nano w/ the Nike+ receiver/thingy in it... I love this thing:

This smaller section passes the tennis courts and swimming pool... I circle a smaller .25-ish loop if it's just a maintenance run so I don't put too much stress on my knee.  This smaller loop is flat and even... and it gets a good breeze most days:


Passing by the baseball field... It feels good when it's overcast like that... I even felt a few raindrops here and there.



That plume of smoke means that they're burning a field of sugar cane.  Sometimes we get what we like to call "Hawaiian Snow" -- ashes of a burnt sugar cane field that rain down on nearby neighborhoods.

A couple more turns at the park...

Another nice turn on a different street through the neighborhood:

I'm a waver.  I like to wave, smile, nod, and "good morning" all the other walkers and runners at the park.  But I felt weird about taking their pictures.  I'm sure it would weird them out, too.  So instead, here is my inanimate representation of all of those other people I saw today.  "Go, dude!" 

Turn right at pedestrian sign.  Run back through the Secret Passageway (snapped a pretty picture of some flowers):

Stop?  No way.  I slow down, look for cars, then get back on my home street.


This next picture is of the big hill in front of my house.  I usually sprint this... You can't really tell, but there are a couple speed bumps up this hill.

Do you guys remember the Mario Kart racing games?  When the little dude in the car would go over those >>> arrows and speed up?  Well, I like to think that when I run over the speed bumps, I "power up" the hill.  In case you didn't know, I'm a little dorky.

Just a little.

Excuse me--I need to sprint this.

Here's my post-sprint fake smile... I walk around, stretch, grab the mail/newspaper, then head into the house.


It feels great to finish a workout... even if at the beginning I hated getting out on that road.  I think everyone should run.  Seriously--go run!

"Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." 1 Cor. 9:26-27