Our "Grand" Grand Canyon Spring Break Adventure, Pt. 2: Ooh Aah

When we woke up the morning of March 13th, after our first night of camping at the Grand Canyon, we were really cold. Really. Cold. Our fingers, toes & noses were numb, our faces were tingling, we dreaded leaving our sleeping bags and braving the cold air. (Well, I wasn't too sad to leave my sleeping bag...at some point in the middle of the night, Celeste had crawled inside my bag with me, leaving both of us pressed together awkwardly for hours. Sleep in those conditions was nigh impossible.) All this, even though we had gone to sleep wearing 2-3 layers of clothing, hats, and even bulky ski gloves to stay warm! It was a rough night.

Still, if we wanted food and warmth, we had no choice but to get dressed and get going. We built a fire to warm ourselves; we were so grateful that Nathan had picked up some extra firewood at the camp store the night before. The fire didn't help much (our extremities stayed numb and/or tingly for a few hours), but it did help us stave off the worst of the cold. We were also able to eat a hot breakfast, thanks to our camp stove, which we used for the first time on this trip. True, we also brought along some pastries, fruit, & nuts...but there's something about having warm bacon, sausage & eggs for breakfast that picks up your spirits no matter the weather.

When our meal was done, we sat around the fire a while longer, reluctant to leave even though we wanted to go exploring. All things considered, the Mather Campground at Grand Canyon National Park was pretty swanky. It has easy access to the park's road system and shuttle service, and it has clean bathrooms with flushable toilets & running water. Also within easy walking distance is the "market" (basically a small grocery store), a post office, a bank, and other camper services. Just a little walk beyond that is the South Rim itself and all the trails associated with it! In other words, it's the perfect campsite for non-expert campers like ourselves! Despite all that, the campground was a quiet place that didn't feel too "civilized." We still were surrounded by beautiful tall trees and friendly wildlife (more on that later), even though we weren't far from the amenities.

The shuttle stop was a half-mile walk from our campsite, and the girls were whining and complaining the whole way...this, even though the sun was out and our feet were (mostly) thawed. But once they climbed on board the shuttle, the complaining quickly stopped...because we were inside, and in a vehicle that had heating! The warmth of the shuttle quickly invigorated all of us.

Because it was still cold outside, our family probably spent more time in the Visitor's Center than we otherwise would have done. Good thing it was a pretty cool visitor's center, with a lot of neat exhibits and learning tools to help us get to know the Grand Canyon a little better.

For example, there was this big world globe/spherical video-screen, which displayed several different maps, including the geological history of the area and the continental drift of the whole earth.

There was also this two-story relief map of the whole canyon; it took up a whole wall of the visitor's center. We had fun highlighting certain areas of the map to see some of the canyon's highlights.

There was one other important thing to get at the visitor's center before heading out: the girls needed their Junior Ranger packets! Some friends had told us these were great for keeping kids entertained while exploring and hiking. We were about to find out. After this, we headed outside, caught a shuttle, and headed east along the canyon rim. It was time for a family hike!

We decided to go a little ways down the South Kaibab trail head. This trail runs from the South Rim all the way to the North Rim, but it was never our intention to hike the entire breadth of the Grand Canyon on this trip. We didn't bring any of the proper supplies & equipment for such an undertaking; and besides, the girls wouldn't be physically up for it. But we wanted to do some hiking a little more intense than just "walking along the rim on a well-paved, flat trail." As we looked at the Kaibab trail map, we noticed that there was a point of interest on the path called (no fooling) Ooh Aah Point. That seemed as good a stopping point as any for us!

 

The hike was nowhere near as intense as our epic Picacho Peak hike last November, but the trail was still a bit tricky to navigate at times. The trail was fairly wide and free of debris, but it was unpaved and fairly steep, with virtually no guardrails. And to make things more interesting, there were several patches of ice along the trail left-over from an old snowfall. The ice, combined with the biting wind and the deep shadows in the canyon (we hiked in mid-morning) meant this was probably one of the chilliest hikes our family has ever done.

 

But it was still great fun. The girls grumbled a bit at the beginning, but quickly realized that the exercise was keeping them from getting too cold! And Ooh Aah Point did live up to its name:

 

 

The girls had fun filling out their Junior Ranger packets along the way:

And we also saw several squirrels...but we were sure to stay away from them. There were signs all along the rim warning visitors that the squirrels may be carriers of the plague. Yikes! We referred to them as "the Plague Squirrels" from that time forth.

After our triumphant hike, we decided to head back to our campsite and rest a bit, before attempting any more adventures. After our long night, we all needed a bit of a break. This was the warmest point of the day; it was nice to lay down in the tent and get a little shut-eye. The girls eventually joined me inside, doing some quiet activities and relaxing a bit. It was also nice for everyone to take their coats off for a while!

 

But we wanted to do a little more exploring before it got too late! So after a couple of hours, back to the Visitor's Center we hiked. There was still some time for the girls to fill out their Junior Ranger packets before finishing up for the day!

Luckily, there was a park ranger giving a presentation outside the visitor's center. His presentation was about javelinas; and he even had a javelina skin for people to touch! (Ick.)

But after listening to the presentation and asking the ranger a few questions, the kids were able to get their last coveted stamp in their Junior Rangers' workbooks. Success! Inside the visitor's center, they were awarded with pin-on ranger badges and stickers. This made them all very happy. It made me happy, too; those workbooks helped keep the kids engaged and learning the whole day, distracted from the cold and fatigue.

After pinning on their badges, our family hopped onto the shuttle and "rode the rim" for a while, getting a look at the more "populated" parts of the park while getting a little more rest.

Or a lot more rest, in some cases. By this point, Aurora was done for the day, and I was feeling about spent myself. Besides, we had another chilly evening to prepare for!

Back at the campsite, we built another fire...our last of the trip. We huddled around it a little desperately; none of us really wanted to spend another night in the tent! But after a dinner of hot dogs & S'mores, we felt a little more invigorated and prepared. This time, we took no chances; everyone put on three layers of shirts, pants, & socks. Everyone wore a hat. Everyone who had ski gloves wore them (Nathan, being the manly man he is, didn't have any gloves). Aurora insisted on spending the night with me in my sleeping bag, which meant another largely sleepless night for me.

Were we still cold? Yes, we were; that's just what happens when you sleep outside in below-freezing temperatures. But for the most part, we bore it better than the night before. No one complained the next morning, and no one woke up crying in the middle of the night. It seemed that we'd mastered the "sleeping in the cold" trick; all the same, we were glad it was our last night out of doors for a long time!