Don't we look "hikerly"??
Thank you fair readers for your patience! Although our Grand Canyon hike was almost a month ago, the memories are still fresh! Lori and I took tons of photos, but could not upload them all, so if you want to view them, drop me a line and I will give you the Kodak link.
After almost 12 weeks of training, on May 13, 2006, Lori and I hiked the Rim Trail. We flew into Phoenix on the 12th and it was already 95+ degrees at midday. We took the team bus to Sedona for lunch. Sedona itself is very beautiful and I can see why many city folk hide out there. After spending about 2 hours in Sedona, the bus packed us off to the Canyon. I was awestruck when I saw the Canyon again after a 20 year absence. Its very different returning as an adult who plans to hike it, rather than as some insufferable teenager with Mom & Dad and the sibs in the station wagon---horrors.
On Saturday morning---at 5:45 a.m, the shuttle bus schlepped us to the trailhead and after the usual potty stop, photo ops, and Alex, our fabulous guide, giving us an into, we finally started hiking at 7:45 a.m. Since the elevation is about 6,600 feet above sea level, it was a bit chilly in the morning (about 38 degrees), but it quickly warmed up by late morning. Words cannot describe the raw beauty of the Canyon. Although our hike did not have drastic elevation changes, however if one was afraid of heights, some parts could be a bit dicey. For example, one part was called the "Abyss"--with good reason too---the trail was about 3 feet wide and the drop was about 4000 feet--no railing either! Wheee! The trail was not paved and at times can be a bit rough. I have to say that as a sea level dweller, the elevation got to me around noon, as well as the heat. I was really hoping a burro would swing by and pick me up....but no such luck!
After the hike, we rested our poor aching feets and got ready to eat and party! The Hike for Discovery gang are not slackers when it came to partying. Lori and I rallied and danced our butts off for several hours. I don't know if I sweated more on the hike or dancing??
Just found out this morning that Brenda's (in the middle) biopsy came back with cancer. Brenda is a team honoree and teammate. Last year she was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)and went through chemo and a stem cell transplant. Starting Monday, Brenda is back at UCSF for another chemo infusion, but what she really needs is a bone marrow transplant. At this point, no match has been found....so if you haven't registered with the national bone marrow registry, please do so!!!
