36 hours. 45 miles. 20000+ feet of elevation change (down, up, down, up). 120 degree heat. 20 liters of water consumed. Two traverses of the Grand Canyon, and two absolutely knackered legs.
On Monday, my friend Liv and I walked across the breadth of the Grand Canyon, descending from the North Rim along the North Kaibab trail, following Bright Angel Creek through its box canyon to the Colorado River, and then ascending the Bright Angel trail to the South Rim. We liked it so much, on Tuesday we did it again (actually we had to get back to our car on the other side), this time descending the South Kaibab trail to the Colorado, and returning to the North Rim via the North Kaibab trail. To put it simply, it was a grueling hike, mostly due to the heat (at times it was 108 in the shade! and at 5pm, it was still 115!), but the distance and elevation change certainly contributed to the challenge. The last mile of each day my legs felt like blocks of cement--sitting down to a meal and a beer at the top never felt so good!
The rewards however, were some stunning views of the Grand Canyon, an exceptional hike, a seemingly broken body (strangely, a good hurt), and the satisfaction of saying I crossed the Grand Canyon on foot. Twice.
Below are some of my photos (and a few of Liv's), which only begin to tell the story of two monster days... 
Thursday, August 14
Rim to Rim to Rim
Monday, August 11
Echo Canyon
Another day, another adventure. Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to try canyoneering inside Zion National Park, which is fast becoming one of my favorite places. A friend with some gear obtained a permit to explore Echo Canyon and invited myself and two other Backroads leaders to tag along. After renting a harness, a wetsuit (the pools of the canyon are quite chilly even in August), and some booties, we hiked up from Weeping Rock to our insertion point to the canyon. An extraordinary afternoon followed as we descended the slot canyon, managing some awesome short rappels, chilly swims in the recent snowmelt pools, and booming shouts into the amphitheater-like acoustics of the bigger chambers.
Near the mouth of the canyon
The ascent
Just before gearing up, all grins
Between a rock and well, another rock
Rappelling into a mysterious chamber
Different planet, #1
Different planet, #2
Different planet, #3
Holding apart the canyon walls
The team
Our leader, Dave
Myself, neck deep in the muck of the canyon mouth, which we named "Diaper Canyon"
Our photographer, Kate (all photos courtesy of her)
Liv, the stylish one of the group
Emerging from the muck, all smiles again :)
Sunday, August 10
Angel's Landing
On one of my recent trips, I had the opportunity to hike to Angel's Landing, a most impressive temple of rock in Zion National Park. Gaining some 1500 ft of elevation from the valley floor to the peak, it was truly one of the most visually stunning hikes I've ever done, most notably for the sharp, contrasting colors of the stone, sky, shadows, and flora. An added bonus, on the descent we rounded a corner and came up on a California Condor perched on a rock, not more than an arm's reach away. I will let the photos speak for themselves...
