Grand Canyon

Ivar Hagendoorn -

For as long as I can remember I've wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. I don't understand why I waited so long to actually do so. In 2007 I booked a helicopter tour from Las Vegas to the West rim of the Grand Canyon. What's interesting about the approach by helicopter is that you descend about 1 km to the canyon floor and in so doing you get a good idea of how high the canyon walls are. In 2014 I stayed two days at the South rim, from where I hiked part of the South Kaibab trail and the Grandview trail. I'd love to do a rim to rim hike some day.

There are three trails that lead from the South Rim to the canyon floor: The Bright Angel trail, the South Kaibab trail and the Grandview Trail. This is the view from the South Kaibab trail.
The Grand Canyon is one of those places where it's hard to stop taking photos.
I hiked the South Kaibab trail until Skeleton point (at the start of the switch backs in the photo to the right). I now wish I'd descended one more plateau, but I didn't want to take any chances.
The park guide strongly advises not to hike any further than Skeleton Point on a day hike. Although I felt I could have gone further, I didn't want to take any chances, so this is where I had a brief snack before making my way back to the rim again. The round trip distance is around 6 miles (approximately 10 km). If you start early you can walk in the shade for about a mile or so. After that you are fully exposed to the sun.
The Grand Canyon is absolutely stunning, but difficult to photograph due to the haze
This is what the Grand Canyon looks like from up close.
This is what the wall of the Grand Canyon looks like from up close. I didn't recall seeing any close-ups of the canyon wall, which is why I took these photos.
The wall of the Grand Canyon once more
The start of the South Kaibab trail consists of a series of switchbacks, easy on the way down, brutal on the way up.
Looking down into the canyon
On my first visit to the Grand Canyon I'd booked a helicopter tour from Las Vegas to the West Rim
The wall of the Grand Canyon as seen from the helicopter