Where to next? Luckily for me, I work two buildings down from the public library. During lunch, I walk over to check out the hiking section. Spotting a book titled 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Birmingham, I take it off the shelf. Perfect. I consider doing all 60 hikes as I slowly turn the pages. That would […]
Grand Canyon
Five Life Lessons Learned Hiking the Grand Canyon
The benefits of hiking are many. Physically, it’s excellent exercise, offering both cardiovascular benefits and muscle strengthening. Mentally, venturing outside and immersing oneself in nature is a proven stress buster. And no one can take in a panoramic view, listen to churning water as it tumbles over rocks, or gaze upon a field full of […]
Havasupai: Hiking to Paradise
You’ve probably seen photographs floating around the internet of incredible blue-green waterfalls crashing over high cliffs against the colorful backdrop of the Grand Canyon. You might assume the pictures are enhanced. Nothing could be that color. But it can, and it is at Havasupai. On an earlier trip to trek to Phantom Ranch in the […]
52 Weeks 52 Hikes
Road-trippin’ from Alabama to California, we detour off I-40 to take in the Grand Canyon. On our way out of the park, we met some folks who had done an R2R (rim to rim) hike. I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of a hike into that canyon. Out with friends, one evening and two […]
Hike Nine – Oak Mountain State Park
It’s the day I’ve been waiting for; Carver will be hiking this week. After being sidelined by a rather unfortunate box jumping incident at CrossFit, Carver has received medical clearance to join me on a hike. Good news since we’re doing the Grand Canyon together and she hasn’t been able to do any training since the decision […]
Hike Number Six – Cloudland Canyon State Park
It’s Thursday, and I’m headed to Cloudland Canyon State Park in North Georgia. Solo again, but this time totally by choice. I didn’t tell anyone I was going. I also didn’t tell anyone that I quit my job on Monday. No one. Except for my husband. Tomorrow some of my best friends will know when I […]
Hike Three – Sweetwater Creek State Park, Georgia
But first, a little R & D is in order. For several reasons. One being my complete ignorance of hiking, coupled with the dilemma of where to go next. Two, my birthday is coming up over the weekend. Can someone say weekend road trip? Time to get with the google gods and make some magic. […]
A Tale of Two Trails – Here’s What Happened Next
Opening the confirmation email, I read it and hit forward to send to Carver. We’re hiking the Grand Canyon! It’s time to research those trails. Much like googling symptoms when you’re not feeling well, it’s best to proceed with caution. I search “hiking Grand Canyon” and scroll through the results. The titles are disturbing. Top […]
A Tale of Two Trails – And So It Begins
I don’t know when the seed was planted. My family went to the Grand Canyon when I was a kid. Maybe it was then. It was a road-trip; California to Michigan. We didn’t stay there, only passed through. I remember my dad yelling at me to stay away from the edge; he was deathly afraid […]
