Hello from the Grand Canyon!! It is hard to put into words what the experience at the canyon has been. The pictures only capture a small portion of the beauty we have witnessed here the last 3 days. From sunsets, to hiking, to sunrises...this has been a popular favorite among all of the participants.
After taking in the beauty of the sunset over the Grand Canyon on the first night there, we set up camp and prepared breakfast bagels for our hike in the morning. Waking up at 4:00 a.m., we were really ahead of the game. Our goal was to hike in and out of the canyon by 10:00 a.m. We split up into the 1 ½ mile and 3 mile groups and went out on our way. The beginning of the hike was a little chilly and dark because we were in the Canyon before the sun came up. But OH MY, that sunrise was absolutely beautiful!! When the counselors said that going down would be completely different than coming back up…they were right! It was a breeze hiking down, there was plenty of shade and a soft wind. After our water break when it was time to turn back around and hike up, things became a little more difficult…it was much hotter and sunnier. Somehow, the inclines and switchbacks felt much steeper than before. Eventually, we made it out and a couple of hours later, and the last of us stumbled out 3 minutes before 10:00. The groups began coming back and everyone had plenty of free time for showers, laundry, and phone calls home.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but you need a million to describe the Grand Canyon.
We also got to see some awesome wildlife at the Canyon
As if seeing this wildlife wasn't enough, we also discovered that our counselor Ty is basically the Chuck Norris of the Grand Canyon and all of its wildlife.
Other than some close encounters with animals, we had an amazing and safe hike down and out of the canyon. We were all out before 10:00, which was the recommendation of the park rangers. Although some of us were disappointed we were not allowed to go to the bottom, none of us left the canyon disappointed.
- “My mom’s going to be mad that I didn’t take pictures of the canyon but I don’t think pictures could do it justice” –Alex Cormier (Mooresville, NC)
- “The Grand Canyon was the most amazing thing I’ve seen in my entire life.” –Landon Wright (Kings Mountain, NC)
- “Pictures will never do it justice.” –Emilio Blair (Winston-Salem, NC)
- “America is amazing and God is for real.” –Avery Lawrence (Mooresville, NC)
- “I just did that.” –Jordan Thompson (Whiteville, SC)
- “One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen.” –Kayleen Smith (Davidson, NC)
- “The Grand Canyon took my breath away… metaphorically and literally.” –Jess Dulin (Kings Mountain)
- “It’s a moment you cant just take a picture of.” –Kate Overman (Winston-Salem)
- “I can’t describe it with a quote.” –Morgan Bostic (Gastonia, NC)
- “The Grand Canyon was awesome.” –Avery Clark (Gastonia, NC)
- “If it rattles, it’s not a baby.” –Kayla Capps (Kings Mountain)
- “Wow.” –Hunter Wood (West End)
- “It was an experience I will remember for a lifetime.” -Sara Kate Rankin (Statesville, NC)
- “Until I find someone that makes me as happy as the canyon, dating is pointless.” –Jake Studebaker (Indian Land, SC)
- “No words can describe how you feel when you walk out of this amazing creation.” –Lauren Whitaker (Sanford, NC)
- “Pictures have nothing on the actual canyon.” –Natalie Warner (Southern Pines, NC)
- “Everyone should see this beautiful creation.” –Callie Smith (Monroe. NC)
- “Probably the first time I have seen something this beautiful. God is real.” –Taylor Thomas (Monroe, NC)
- “Absolutely breathtaking.” –Clara Little (Monroe, NC)
- ‘Pictures don’t do the canyon justice.” –Eleni Hull (Greensboro, NC)
- “No picture could capture the beauty of this creation that you would find by seeing it for yourself. Everyone should take that opportunity.” –Carson Little (Monroe, NC)
- “It is by far the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. As soon as I saw it, I was speechless and couldn’t believe it was real.” –Trey Dry (Rockwell, NC)
- “It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. No picture will ever compare.” –Brynn Robinson (Mooresville, NC)
- “Beautiful. Just gorgeous beyond words.” –Meghan Maxey (Salisbury, NC)
- “Expected nothing less of God’s creation.” –Kate Reed Inabinet (Franklin, NC)
- “The canyon was 1776% awesome. ‘Merica.” –Ethan Manning (Oxford, NC)
- “Hiking the canyon was the best thing I have ever done.” –Shelby Auvil (Stanley, NC)
- “Nothing but the hands of God could have created something so beautiful and amazing.” –McKenzie Auten (Cherryville, NC)
- “Just the sight of the canyon can bring you to tears.” –Scotlyn McDowell (Pelham, NC)
- “While at the ‘bottom’ of the canyon, you feel like you’re on top of the world.” –Bradley Olson (Lake Waccamaw, NC)
- “Nothing can help you fathom the immeasurable beauty of such a vast wilderness.” –Carly Brown (Wilmington, NC)
- “When the Deaton’s tell you that describing the beauty of the Grand Canyon is like describing the color green to a blind person… they aren’t kidding, it is absolutely breathtaking.” –Katey Taylor (Rockingham, NC)
- “The Grand Canyon was honestly the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” –Logan Schultz (Whiteville, NC)
- “Hiking the Grand Canyon was one of the most memorable things I have ever done. So thankful.” –Emily Maxey (Salisbury, NC)
- “Words cannot describe the Grand Canyon and God’s amazing creation. Hiking the canyon is an absolutely breathtaking experience.” –Kaely Miller (Oak Ridge, NC)
- “We all left a little piece of us in the canyon today… some more than others.” –Drew Hughlett (Gastonia, NC)
- “Hiking the Grand Canyon has to be the most breathtaking yet dangerous thing I’ve ever done.” –Allison Roney (Gastonia, NC)
- “Well, it was easy on the way down.” –Rhiannon Smith (Gastonia, NC)
- “Mama I made it.” –Bailey Patterson (Mt. Holly, NC)
- “Can’t believe it was real.” –Avery Biber (Wilmington, NC)
- “No matter how tiring it was, my calf’s look perfect now.” –Brooks Godbold (Mooresville, NC)
- “It was pretty GRAND!” –Cailin Baldwin (Whiteville, NC)
- ‘If I had the power to fly, the first place I would fly over would be the Grand Canyon.” –Sara Beth Parker (Gibsonville, NC)
- “Mom, I didn’t even run when I saw the rattle snake.” –Kaytlin Teal, (Wadesboro, NC)
- “I wouldn’t want to die anywhere else.” –Elizabeth Cox (Cheraw, SC)
- “I’m pretty sure my spirit animal is a mountain goat.” –Alex Garrigus, (Laurinbrug, NC)
- “It was a tough one.” –Grayson Jackson (Cheraw, SC)
- “I did it, Dad.” –Annalee Decker (Belmont, NC)
- “The canyon is so beautiful that I almost forgot honey bees are dying at an alarming rate.”-Mack Slaughter (Mooresville , NC)
- “Worth every step”-Olivia Andrews (Mooresville, NC)
- “It is an option to go down the canyon, but it isn’t an option to come back up.”-Riley Keifer (Mount Holly, NC)
- “I conquered the hole in the ground.” -Claire Quiggle (Sanford, NC)
- “I peed twice in the biggest dry hole in the world.”-Luke Edwards (Mooresville, NC)
- “The view was breathtaking, it was worth it.”-Grant Swicegood (Charlotte, NC)
- “The climb is difficult, but the view is great.” –Hannah McAferty (Gastonia, NC)
- “Learned that down is optional, but up is mandatory.” –Sofy Saiz (Gastonia, NC)
- “I went in as someone I thought I knew, but came out as someone completely different.” –Ashley Lowry (Gastonia, NC)
- “Every step counts when you feel like giving in, look to the right at God’s beautiful creation.” – Claire Fry (Mooresville, NC)
- “Only our God can create something this breathtaking and beautiful.”- Anna Ramsey (Bessemer City, NC)
- “Mom, I have marked my territory in the Grand Canyon.” –Matt McConnell (Chapin, SC)
- “Today, I have climbed to new heights, within myself and in these friendships. Despite my fear of heights.” –Sophie Andrews (Salisbury, NC)
- “Taking pictures does not justify the beauty in person.” –Emily Davis (Mount Holly, NC)
- “Miserably beautiful.” –Sydney Craig (Gastonia, NC)
- “You know something is truly breathtaking when words fail to describe it.” –Sam Russell (Belmont, NC)
- “I’ve never appreciated water so much.” –Allie Binkley (Mooresville, NC)
- “If God doesn’t exist, how does the Grand Canyon exist?” –Caroline Swaim (Gastonia, NC)
- “It’s simply breathtaking, your heart skips a beat every time you see it. It’s the prettiest thing I’ve seen and will ever see.” –Hundley Rhyne (Lincolnton, NC)
- “The view is unreal.” –Madee Draper (Wilmington, NC)
- “McDonalds beforehand was a bad idea.” –Ryan Phillips (Laurinburg, NC)
- “Free falling.” –Landyn Gray (Hickory, NC)
- “I think we’re almost there.” –Katie Shepard (Charlotte, NC)
- “Singing at the top of your lungs makes everything better- true story.” –Georgia Privott (Mooresville, NC)
- “Can we take a break?” –McKenna Caudill (China Grove, NC)
- “That was the biggest, most beautiful toilet I’ve ever seen.” –Tristan Benson (Lowell, NC)
- “Get as many tourists to take your picture as possible.” –Sloan Edemann (Troutman, NC)
- “The testosterone was higher than the cliffs.” –Bryson Bingham (Gastonia, NC)
- “Straight outta the canyon.” –Nolan Beaty (Gastonia, NC)
- “The second we pulled up to the canyon edge to see the view, I couldn’t breathe for a minute. This was the only time I have ever had that ‘breathtaking’ feeling.” –Olivia Comer (Charlotte, NC)
- “It was amazing but I’m glad I chose the 1 ½ mile.” –Natalie Royal (Whiteville, NC)
- “I’d rather do it in winter.” –Maddie Lawson (Kernersville, NC)
- “Wish my family was here to experience it with me” -Abby Chrisitan (Mooresville, NC)
- “I can’t put words to it. It was incredible.” -Josie Crooks (Gastonia, NC)
That night, we had one of the best sing-a-longs yet and went to bed excited for the ability to sleep in late the next morning.........or could we?
