Since the first time the Rev. Greg Plata saw the Grand Canyon five years ago, he knew that one day he wanted to get a closer look at the natural marvel.
“I thought it was one the most incredible places I’d ever seen, and I thought it would be neat to go into the canyon,” Plata said. “It was on my bucket list.”
Last summer, Plata, pastor of St. Francis and Immaculate Heart of Mary churches in Greenwood, asked some of his friends from his hometown of Philadelphia, Pa., if they would be interested in hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim with him.
“They said ‘Yeah, we’re in,’” Plata said.
This summer Plata, two of his friends from high school, their wives and two of their sons traveled to the Grand Canyon and made an 8,000-foot descension into the canyon.
Before going, Plata had to get in shape for the hike.
“I was up on the levees several times a week with a backpack going up and down to get my cardiovascular system in shape,” Plata said.
The group of hikers started their journey from the north side of the canyon and ended at the south rim of the canyon, which was a 7,000-foot accension.
Plata traveled a total of 63 miles on foot in five days.
The group would begin hiking at 4:30 a.m. and try to make it to their next campsite by 10 a.m., hiking about 12 to 15 miles a day.
“It is brutally hot down there in the canyon and dusty,” Plata said. “One day it got up to 120 degrees.”
When the group reached their campsite, they would rest or find a stream or creek to sit in to keep cool from the scorching heat during the day.
At night, Plata said it was common to hear people squirming in their sleeping bags because of the heat.
But even in the heat the group managed to start their mornings with a cup of coffee.
“Someone brought a pack of Starbucks,” Plata said. “Even in the 120-degree heat we were having our coffee.”
While in the canyon, Plata noticed that it had its own vegetation and indigenous animals.
“When you go down there, it is a whole different world,” Plata said.
The group had a guide who was a local science teacher who pointed out the different types of geological formations and Native American ruins, which lead to several hiking excursions.
“We got to see a lot of things that people don’t often get to see in the canyon,” Plata said.
Plata said accending 7,000 feet on the switchbacks was physically the toughest part of the journey.
“It seemed like another layer was being added to the canyon as we hiked,” he said.
During the journey, three air rescues, outside of Plata’s group of hikers, occurred.
A woman from Australia making the trek broke her leg. Plata and his friends assisted in the rescue.
Also, two travelers from Scotland became dehydrated during the journey and had to be rescued by helicopter.
Plata said that the experience was a great one.
“The Grand Canyon is just an awe-inspiring spectacle,” Plata said. “It’s nature at its best, and if you go in it, you have to be prepared.”
“We were told that out of the 100,000s of people that visited the Grand Canyon every year, only one percent of them hike it from rim to rim,” Plata said.
