Today was in total contrast to yesterday. Yesterday we were awoken by the cleaners at 12 after a slightly longer than planned lie in, this morning our alarms went off at 5am! Yesterday we were home well after sunset, today we were back at the hotel by 11am! The beautiful skies, however, remained consistent although it was pretty chilly first thing.
We'd decided that today we'd head up to the eastern edge of the park and get a view of the sun rising over Canyon. Having had such a long lie in and effectively short day neither of us could get to sleep, while I managed to drift off for a few hours poor Carly gave up and spent the night wide awake planning Hannah's hen do! So with a few hours sleep between us we had a quick cup of tea and set out to meet the sunrise.
The early start was totally rewarded by stunning views over the Canyon and an almost deserted viewpoint. We were joined by a family in a campervan who were still in their pyjamas and a few passing ravens. It was the coldest we've been all trip but totally worth it to see the changing view before our eyes. The light began with brilliant orange and then half an hour later the sun rose above the horizon and painted the sky red before us.
We spent nearly an hour at Navajo Point as the sun rose and the Grand Canyon began to reveal itself below us. The sunset yesterday was beautiful but the sunrise was so much more special today and worth the sleepless night. As the sun came up we drove further east and along to the watchtower for some more shots.
With the sun now risen we headed back to the main canyon village to grab some breakfast ahead of our hike into the Canyon. Neither of us were prepared for a full days walking but were keen for a wander into the canyon for a different perspective. Breakfast was just what we needed; croissants, muffins and coffee.
Our initial thought was while the Grand Canyon is stunning once you've seen it you're kind of done but today we were proven wrong. Firstly the sunrise had been stunning and then walking into the Canyon gives you a whole new perspective. We'd chosen to walk the South Haibab Trail which takes you down via a series of switchback paths.
With our early start we managed to make it to the start of the trail by 8:30 with most of the trail still in shade. Throughout the trip we've both learnt what we enjoy from a days activity and this was perfect. A long enough hike to get rid of most tourists but short enough to not be mixing it with the real keen beans!
The walk was a 2 mile round trip down into the Canyon to Ooh Aah Point and back up again.The trail continues to the bottom of the Canyon and up into the North Trail but this wasn't for us! We passed a real mixture of walkers as we passed down the trail, keen hikers with enough gear for a weeks trek, rangers ensuring everyone was sticking to the paths and the more casual trekkers such as ourselves.
Neither of us would profess to be in the best physical shape, particularly after a few months travelling, but we absolutely smashed our little hike! Carly set the pace as we kept good pace down to the viewpoint and then kept a consistent speed back up to the pass. She's got a very consistent pace uphill that Steve taught her when she was training for DofE challenges and it held us in good stead today. I tend to go for the all out approach and then lag halfway up but today I stuck behind the pacemaker and felt all the better for it. The views along the trail were spectacular as the sun continued to rise revealing the Canyon in all its glory.
We were back at the car by 9:45am and decided that back to bed was in order after our restless night and successful morning. Carly managed to get some sleep while I was able to have, potentially, the last planning day of the trip. With Vegas, San Fran and New York now pretty much organised we're almost there. In two weeks we'll be on our last flight back into Heathrow! The matrix trilogy was on the tv as I tripadvisored and booking.commed my way through the remainder of the trip to ensure all was in order. 
Following our afternoon's rest we watched a few episodes of Netflix and headed down to the bar for dinner. We're slowly learning how to order in America and one pizza was more than enough for the two of us.
Off to Vegas tomorrow via the Hoover Dam!
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