opening

Things have changed, but that was expected. The Employee Dining Room (EDR) is relatively empty now and it is harder to get a group to hang out because our schedules are different. So, whoever is around becomes your friend.

Saturday and Sunday were my days off so I gathered some people together to go hiking. On Saturday few of us hiked about 2 miles down the Kaibab Trial. This trail is named for the limestone formation that is the top rock layer of the Grand Canyon which formed about 250 million years ago. We hiked to the Supai Tunnel, which is a man made tunnel in rock in order for the trail to continue its 14 miles to the bottom of the canyon at Phantom Ranch.

View from the Coconino Overlook on the Kaibab Trail.

The way down was easy, but we almost immediately started shedding our jackets as it warmed up below the rim. We passed a group of people restoring the trail for the season and many hikers finishing the 22 mile Rim to Rim hike. Saturday was opening day for the North Rim and the people came flocking in.

The Tunnel's shade was welcoming and the rock was cool. We didn't stop for long because Eric and Heather had to be at work by 2:00 pm and it is said to give yourself twice to three times the amount of time that it took to hike down to hike out. It was difficult going up the steep switchbacks and ascending the 1400 foot elevation change. Still not totally acclimated, we stopped every 10 minutes to catch our breath and replenish our fluids and electrolytes. When we emerged, we felt victorious, and it hadn't taken as long as we had expected.

Sunday I rounded up some people to try out another trail. We drove out to Point Imperial (the highest point in Grand Canyon National Park at 8803 feet above sea level) where you can see the Painted Desert in the distance. We hiked about 5 miles round trip on the Ken Patrick Trail, branching off to where it stopped at a point of rock. We had to bushwhack through brambles and scramble down and then back up a steep slope of icy snow.

We stopped to take in the view under a dead tree on the Ken Patrick Tree.
(From left to right: Justin, Miranda, Lisa, Caitlin)

Neither hike was incredibly grueling, and I look forward to more miles which I will start to add every time I go out.

My legs weren't sore until I started working--walking up and down a short flight of stairs every time a table is ready to seat. I worked dinner shifts Monday and Tuesday, and again Today. So far our guests have been agreeable and understand the difficulty of guaranteeing a window table. Monday I was a bit more reserved, nervous about my first real shift, but yesterday I was open and chatty. Neither nights were very busy, so I had the extra time to say hello and hold a small conversation with the friendlier groups. When leaving after eating his meal Monday night a man stopped me and said, "Every time you walked by us and made eye contact, you smiled. It made everything so nice. Thank you."