Grand Canyon, Day 2

Day two of our get away was spent hiking. The weather forecast called for rain and snow showers in the afternoon, so we got up way too early to get a head start.

It was a brisk 22 degrees when we started our hike, with winds gusting at 40 mph. That's a windchill of about 2 degrees. Needless to say, the trail was icy and slick!

 The view, however, was amazing!

Fortunately, the hiking gets better as you descend. The wind was blocked by the canyon walls, as as we dropped in elevation the temperature rose dramatically. The trailhead was at 7,000 feet, so it was nice to drop down into warmer temperatures, not to mention more oxygen.

Here we are 1.5 miles down the trail. We were still so high up!

It was so warm when we stopped for lunch that we took a little nap.

As great as the trip down was, the hike back up was not nearly as fun. Going down, the temperature kept getting better and there was increasingly more air to breath. Going up was just the opposite! But we beat the snow to the top, and that's what matters.

The very best part, though, was getting to spend time together. Since coming home in September, Paul has had to work almost every weekend, not to mention several weeks of night shifts. It was great to escape and reconnect.