A Hankering to Hike

The photo accompanying this blog - taken atop Mt Jumbo on Douglas Island in Southeast Alaska - is proof that I have occasionally taken a hike - even when not having been told to do so.  But I'd characterize myself as a casual, fair weather hiker.  I've done a little backpacking and camping, but never been avid about it.

Not too long ago, I sat down at the computer one evening and thought - "what adventurous thing would I like to do?"  The first thought that popped into my mind was "Grand Canyon."  I was there once, as a little kid, on a family vacation, but that was a long time ago.

So, I googled "Grand Canyon hiking" and up popped some pages.  Almost immediately my attention was caught by mention of the hike from one rim to the other.  One of the few things I remember about the childhood trip was hearing about the trail that went all the way to the bottom, and that you could ride mules down.

I looked into some descriptions of the rim to rim hike and continued to be drawn to it as something I'd like to do.  I found descriptions from people who did the whole trek in a day (mostly uber fit folks), and others who took a day to go down (almost a mile of elevation), and a day to climb out.  But the most attractive idea for me was to take 4 days, and camp at two other spots besides the canyon bottom - one about halfway down, and the other about halfway up.   I like the idea of taking more time and having some hours to just be in the place, instead of hurrying through it.

I've already mentioned the idea to Pam, and have tentative plans to try for next fall - perhaps around my birthday in October.  I've learned that fall is a popular time to hike in the canyon, permits are limited, and you have to apply 4 months in advance.  This will give us some time to train - and a side benefit is that it will be motivation to get out and hike in some of the great places around here - such as Shenandoah National Park, and other segments of the Appalachian trail - that just hadn't yet risen to the "I need to do that" level.

I see this as an example of the liberating effects of yoga practice that I've described in previous posts - being able to seize on some spontaneity and go with it.