GRAND CANYON!!!

                    At the top! South Rim!

We made it!!! It was awesome, hard, amazing, hot, spectacular, challenging, jaw dropping, breath taking!!! And we did it together!! It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and we not only saw it from the top, but we actually went down into it, passed through the bottom, and then climbed out to the top on the other side!  Before we headed down, we asked a young girl who had just come through it to the North Rim, how it had been for her. She said 'Amazing! But I won't lie! It was HARD'. And that is exactly how it was for us!

                Showing part of trail

                Notice the switchbacks

Soaking in Bright Angel Creek at the bottom of

the Canyon.  We just sat - 45 minutes!

                The 5 men on the trail

We headed down into the canyon Saturday morning about 8 AM, and came out yesterday, Tuesday at about 10:30 AM.  Carrying 30 lbs in my pack, plus 3 to 4 liters of water is heavy! Though by the end of the tramp it was starting to feel like it was a part of me. We couldn't believe how hungry we were on the last day out, as we were climbing up about 3000 feet in just under 5 hours!

Provo, Utah to Bryce Canyon to Kanab, Utah

It was a sleep in day! This morning we only left at 8:00AM! But it's a short driving day. Driving south to Bryce Canyon, we drove through a farming valley with mountains on either side. When I think of Wyoming, I see colors of browns and greys. When I think of Utah, I see colors of red, greens and yellows!!!

       

      We saw ditches full of these and other yellow 

           flowers while driving to Bryce Canyon.

Our first close glimpse of the hoodoos of red soil.

Jerry and I in Bryce Canyon.  Showers were threatening!

                           Hoodoos

 How they can grow in this soil is quite amazing!

                             Stunning!

                            Having fun!

   The end of the hike for today! One more day, 

    and we hike down into the Grand Canyon!!!

Spearfish, South Dakota to Provo, Utah

We were up early again! Drove through the state of Wyoming. Dry, brownish and very desolate. But the miles fly by when you're in a van with 5 other people and the jokes and stories are flying!!! One of our traveling mates has taught stats at the uni, and loves making spread sheets. So on the first morning we were given a seating chart!  We have two different arrangements per day, and will never have the same arrangements twice!!! We are the F grouping. 

              Wyoming

Utah is beautiful! The colors of the soil and the trees. We had a few torrential downpours and then the sun would shine! At one point, there was a most magnificent rainbow!! The pictures we took while driving do not show how vivid and bright it was.

     A complete rainbow, and a bit of a double one! 

Winnipeg to Spearfish

Yesterday, day 1, took us from Winnipeg to Spearfish, South Dakota. We left Winnipeg at 6:00AM!! a bit of an early get up for me!

   

          Hot and sunny all the way!  This group likes food! So there were several stops!

                                                          Ice cream!!!

Packed!

We are packed!  The day did not go as planned! Many hiccups!  Our power went off around 10:30AM, and was finally turned on again just after 2:30!!!! So we did not roast chicken for Kristin's birthday supper; we ordered sushi instead! And I did not bake a chocolate cake; we got a Mary and Martha (M & M) cake instead! Still good to spend this evening with family!

 This will be ourbreakfast and supper rations!!! Lunch will get added the day before we go into the Grand     canyon! Think it's enough???   Now we need to try and get some sleep. Up at 4:45 AM tomorrow!

Crossing the Grand Canyon

CROSSING THE CANYON FOR MENTAL HEALTH, SEPT 14 – 17, 2013

Six “Plus 60” individuals from the Fort Garry Mennonite Brethren Church in Winnipeg are preparing to hike through the Grand Canyon this September and raise funds for Eden Health Care Services. The members of the hike are Anne and Jerry Friesen, Dave Loewen, John Janzen, John Pankratz and John Unger.  Grace and Bill Martens, Grace Loewen, Ruth Janzen, Pat Pankratz and Merril Unger will make the trip with the hikers as their support team. The hikers will carry their own food, water and other essentials for the 4 day hike through the Canyon, so the excursion involves navigating uneven terrain in hot weather with backpack loads of 14 – 22 kilograms. The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and the difference of elevation from the North Rim to the bottom is more than one mile.

Eden Health Care Services is a faith-based organization rooted in the Anabaptist Mennonite heritage. The mission of Eden is to respond to the community by providing a range of services that will empower persons with mental health needs.  Funds raised will be receipted by Eden Foundation and designated for the new Winnipeg Housing Initiative that is scheduled for construction beginning this September.  Funds in excess of the requirements for the Winnipeg Housing Initiative will continue to be used in other Eden Housing projects.

The Eden Winnipeg Housing Initiative is a joint venture for a new 45 unit apartment building in Winnipeg that will provide safe affordable homes for families and adults having difficulty finding housing, including those with mental health issues. The building will be located on the existing Concordia Housing campus on Molson Street. Eden Health Care Services will operate the facility and funding of $11,102,588 has been secured from the Governments of Manitoba and Canada. Crossing the Canyon for Mental Health will seek to make a significant contribution toward Eden’s project fund commitment of $40,000.

Eden Health Care Services is soliciting donations for this quality and affordable housing project. Providing a safe home is essential to good mental health. For a charitable receipt, donations should be made out to Eden Foundation – Winnipeg Housing Initiative.

For more information, contact the participants or the Eden offices. Further information is also available at Eden’s website.

Eden Health Care Services, 309 Main Street, Winkler, Manitoba  R6W 4A4                       www.edenhealthcare.ca           Ph. 204 -325-5355                 

                

Preparing.....

Practicing on the floodway with our group

Practicing on the Bishop Grandin dike

We have been waiting, practicing and preparing for months now, and tomorrow we pack our bags, as we leave REALLY  early Tuesday morning for the Grand Canyon!!!  Can we do it???  Will we make it down, through and back up the other side???? All the while carrying 25 - 30 pounds.