Fredericton to ... (On A bus): Grand Canyon Day 1 (all pictures at end of text)

I landed in Phoenix at 11 15, and spent the night at a shady hotel near the airport. After four hours of sleep I was up and thieving all I could from the continental breakfast before catching the shuttle to Flagstaff Arizona, 2 hours away. First and foremost, before we sink our teeth into the first Grand Canyon trip I need to say something: I saw a cactus. I real one. Not some artificial thing, a real, growing on the side of the highway, cactus. It was awesome. There were a lot of them, I didn't get a picture because my camera in my bag in the back of the car, I thought I would see more but I didn't. Anyway, I was pumped.

So after a shuttle to Flagstaff, a wait in an internet Cafe and another 2 hour shuttle, I had arrived at the America's "grandest" natural wonder. One thing that makes the grand Canyon so spectacular is that there is zero build up. Basically you just drive, stop and then bam, you are staring 7000 feet into the abyss.

I only had 4 hours on the first day before I had to catch the shuttle home, so I decided to tackle what they call Angels trail or something. It is basically a full day hike down the canyon's side to the Colorado river. People aren't allowed to do the whole thing, there and back, in one day due to the looming death that ensues. Luckily there is a rest point at the bottom (or what I thought was the bottom) where you can camp the night.
Anyway, I of course did not do any of that because of the whole only having three hours thing. I began trecking down this path that criss crossed down the side of the canyon. I was motoring. Making excellent time, no worries at all. The people coming up however, they were looking like they had more difficulties. It wasn't until I saw a man in his late 20's sporting a "US Rowing Team" shirt, sweating through his shirt that I realized I might be in for a meal.
It was difficult to time it. I couldn't go too far, I would miss the shuttle and be forced to spend the night nestled in one of the bus stops, combating the cold night of the Canyon. But I didn't want to be back up with 40 minutes to spare either.

I turned around about 20 minutes after the first rest hut, fifty minutes of walking - Fresh as a Daisy. It didn't stay that way for long. The hike back up was pain staking at the best of times. You could walk for 20 minutes and no progress was apparent. I did make it back in time, but good god was I beat. I retired for the night in Williams, an hour and a half away from the Canyon, in one of the few hotels available on such short notice. It wasn't far from being a dump.