An inauspicious start
I had a bad night's sleep in Flagstaff because of a loud, constant buzzing; changed rooms around 1am, got a few good hours. Then breakfast was pretty lackluster, and the hotel's coffee tasted like burnt socks.
Got close to the entrance of the park then gridlock.
Paid my $35 and circled the parking lots until I eventually found a spot. Swarms of tourists (I know, I'm one of em) were puttering around everywhere. I was really starting to wonder if it was gonna be worth it.
But then you see it, and you're like, "Oh, OK, yeah, I see the appeal."
It's so big, your brain can't fully comprehend what it's looking at. It's an upside-down mountain range (which is basically the indigenous term for it, kaibab). A gaping, crackling maw. If the earth had a mouth, this would be it. Coronado tried to reach the bottom with his army and failed. I forgot everything bad that happened in the morning, I was just in awe. In other words:
Not bad.
South Kaibab Trail
I took the shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead aiming to reach Ooh Aah Point. It's only a mile from the trailhead, but the equivalent of 76 flights of stairs in the hot dry sun, rocky uneven terrain, and there's no railing.
I got about halfway and turned around. I probably could've made it, but I didn't want to end up like the guy above. It's hard not to get daunted when you look back and see how far you'll need to go to get back up. I don't remember where I heard this quote, but it kept playing in my head, "down is optional, up is mandatory."
Still a fantastic hike though and plenty of oohs and aahs.
Started driving east towards Page, AZ, on a winding road through the Kaibab Forest with the canyon still visible on the left. Saw elk just hanging out on the side of the road on more than one occasion.
Was also getting aggressively tailgated with no place to let the tailgater pass, which was a uniquely intense experience. It reminded me of this quote from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs that I hadn't thought about in years:
Okay--now, don't take this the wrong way, because I'm probably just nuts, ... I'm probably overreacting for no valid reason, and I hate to sound unreasonable or immature, and I don't want to sound pretentious, but elks are prevalent. And perhaps this is out of line and I'm certainly open to debate on this issue, but I need to go on record and say that I am not 100 percent comfortable with the situation regarding this truck at the moment, because I have a feeling that we are all going to die. -Chuck Klosterman, also me
Did not die though. Made it safely to Desert View Watchtower. Here's a picture and a video.
The rest of the way to Page was spectacular and uneventful.
The views and the hike were obviously great (grand you might even say), but there were a couple things I wasn't expecting. I heard so many different languages while I was there, many I didn't even recognize. And there wasn't any factionalism; we were all just people enjoying nature. During my climb back up the trail, a woman in a Blue Lives Matter shirt stopped for shade with me and a few others. There wasn't any politicking or soapboxing. We all just enjoyed the shade.