A Sunnier Version of Sweden

the GRCA GRLS after crossing the Colorado River - Sunday, September 16th, 2018 Sunday morning, the alarm went off... and it was a simultaneous chorus of HOLY MONKEYS MY LEGS AND FEET ARE KILLING ME!! I honestly am not sure how we actually got out of the beds... all of the body was screaming. All of it. Shannon had us all supplied with Motrin, thank goodness, so we rucked up and headed out. NATURALLY! What else would West Point Women do?! First stop was the canteen, where a full, hot and delicious breakfast was ready for us to sit down family style. A little throw back to our cadet days, eating with strangers and shoveling in the food as fast as we could! coffee for energy! Thank goodness Melissa kept pushing us to get going early both days to avoid the heat as much as possible - in fact, we had to use our headlamps on Sunday morning for the first 15-20 minutes or so. Our headlamps had the side benefit of illuminating not just our path but the wildlife, to

With that 0430 alarm, and the ensuing energy and movement, spirits were running high! We had the 0530 shuttle from the hotel to get us the 1.5 miles to the trailhead, and just like that, it was time to go. According to my Garmin , it was 41* - I wasn't quite expecting that! Thankfully we'd had some idea of the potential for a cool start, so we were layered up. While it was cold at the top, we knew it would get warmer very quickly as we headed down into the Canyon. After a quick ride, we were at the trailhead along with many other people attempting the same hike. We stepped off at 0546, and the journey began. Sunrise on the North Rim side was absolutely spectacular; the whole thing was almost a spiritual experience, in so many ways.   Coconino overlook at the break of day - September 15, 2018 The first part of the hike was terrific; it was cool and pleasant, we had fresh legs, we knew there was a rest stop not too far ahead, etc. etc. We had a zillion th

Friday morning, alarms went off, but we all admitted to each other that we had all been awake to some degree and for varying lengths of time as the excitement of the journey in front of us had kept us from sleeping as peacefully as we had hoped. There was no dragging to get out of bed, though - our day of traveling to Grand Canyon National Park was in front of us. One more big hurdle to clear before stepping off on the Rim to Rim hike ! Amanda, Melissa and Shannon at a pit stop on the way Not unlike our cadet days, we moved with efficiency, getting dressed and heading downstairs to grab our free hotel breakfast (score!). With the hotel room swept for any left-behind items, we packed up the minivan for the four hour drive to the Grand Canyon!! While this trip was about hiking, the road trip element in between had us in high spirits. What a gift to spend four hours together with sisters of your heart, telling stories and comparing notes of the cast of characters we shared from o