In
July, I had the unique opportunity to spend 9 days in Arizona, 7 of which were
floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I’m in the
middle of blogging through the amazing week from my hand-written personal journal. Bite-sized chunks ... I hope you enjoy
them.
Saturday, July 14, 8:00 P.M. - camp @ Football Field, mile 137.5
I felt today that I was
running out of adjectives to describe what we are seeing and experiencing! Around every bend of the river is another
beautiful vista. Up every side Canyon is
another mind-blowing sculpture. Words (or
pictures) really don’t do it justice. 
As the rain stopped, we
pulled in at Deer Creek (mile 136.5), one of the favorite hiking points in the
Grand Canyon. It was a bit difficult
getting from the boat to the trailhead, where I changed into my running
shoes. Deer Creek runs from about 1500
ft up the Canyon, beginning as a freshwater spring that flows out of the layer
of limestone. We hiked all the way
up! It was a bit dicey, with lots of (to
me) difficult climbing sections and narrow ledges to traverse. Apparently, this was the first time that all
24 members (and 4 leaders) on a Christian Leaders’ Trip have gone on the Deer
Creek hike! 
