Grand Canyon Death March

Tomorrow morning I fly to Arizona with Jay and Andy McKown for our Grand Canyon trip! We will hook up with a larger group (16 people! We're like our own mule train.) to do "The Big Hike" on Saturday into the canyon. It is about 17 miles on what Backpacker Magazine recently named the second most dangerous hike in America. Hmm. It is 5,000 vertical feet down--that shouldn't be too hard--but then you have to come up those 5,000 vertical feet! We will start hiking around 6 AM and hope to be done around 7 PM. It will be strenuous to say the least. I just came down with a head cold on Monday and am feeling pretty crappy so I'm really hoping for quick healing so I can breathe well as we hike!

I've done a GC hike one other time. It was very hard and I lost 4 toenails. I think that was mainly because we were carrying 40 pound packs with us. Since this hike is a dayhike, all we really need to take is water and food so the load should be much lighter. I know it is going to be very hard but I also know that the feeling you get when you finally reach the top is beyond compare. You feel invincible, like you can do anything. That is why people do crazy stuff like this--the high you get is totally worth it. And then you pass out. :)

I'm mostly looking forward to the fun and fellowship. And In N' Out Burger. I can't lie. Onward!

P.S. Many many thanks to Doug and Debbie (The Double D's) for watching my babies while we go galivanting through the wilderness!