The Aftermath of a Canyon Hike (Captain's Log, Supplemental)

The blister on the middle toe of my right foot is stinging.

Like this was sticking out of it.

Poor tootsie.

My external quads are tight, my lower back is minorly peeved and my shoulders aren't speaking to me.

Might have something to do with the weight of eight water bottles I carried yesterday.

My hair...well, I went to bed with wet hair.

That's a rat's nest right there.

I weighed myself, hoping I'd lost about five pounds.

Dang if this thing ain't stuck RIGHT there. 

It's probably because I ate this:

Actually, I ate 1/4 of the steak, all three shrimp and 1/3rd of the mashed potatoes.

Plus two rolls....and two beers.

Anyhow, the King would tell me it was the carbs.

So, no carbs today.

Which means life will certainly be less fun this week, but if I can break under 150 lb for the first time in nine years (knowing I have muscle, too) I would be over the moon.

I could soooo write a story about this moon.

Every step I take today will remind me of what I did yesterday.

It was terribly awesome.

I'll be sore, but I'll love it.  I'll want to brag about it (so unfair that's not socially acceptable), I'll want to rehash it, I'll want to plan another trip there this month.

Because this is not exercise.

It wasn't a workout.

It was a pilgrimage.

"Leave it at the altar," I've heard said many a church service.

I left it in the Canyon.  Among the buttes, the mesas and plateaus.  Down a steep and rocky trail few will ever traverse.  Uncontent to sit and watch the beauty from the rim, I've taken it deeper.  

Inspired by Dotty.

I will always stop for purple flowers.

Yesterday, for the second time, my excitement grew as I neared the Canyon rim at the end of the hike.  There was no desire for the hike to be over; no worry that I'd never get there.  The weariness of the hike mattered little as I finished the task.  

Nothing else on earth compares to this; it is addicting, this soul-drenching excursion to a land that calls me, soothes me and embraces me.

I hate exercise.  I assure you, this is not exercise.  It's exploration.

I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up (although I did plot out some business plans while skimming along a butte.). I do know, however, I must include the Canyon in them.  I'd head back today if I could.

Grandview Trail, Grand Canyon #49

Seven weeks ago I couldn't climb the stairs without becoming winded.

These stairs were not a problem.

Dotty and I planned to leave at 7am, but she forgot she was working until midnight last night.  So her husband Darrin & I agreed she should sleep, and we ended up leaving at 8am.  On a whim, Darrin decided to join us.

I actually met and became friends with Darrin first, back in September 2013.  I met Dotty this past Christmas; we love telling people we met because I was friends with her husband.  

Aren't they cute?

We hit the Grandview trailhead at 10:30am, a little late for a start but HEY, it was only three miles there and back, right??! 

Except the trail looked like this...

Or this (yes, this is the freakin' TRAIL.)

So instead of a quick hike down, we had a very arduous three mile hike.  To a freakin' half a house.

We just did what for this?

As we ate lunch, a few hikers coming back up the trail let us know the view was another 30 minutes up the trail.  Upon hearing that, I threw my boots back on, and dashed off as quickly as I could.  My phone said it was three, add an hour on for this plus the hike?  We'd be done at 7pm and dark!!!  We had to hammer this out quick!

The view

Darrin photo bombing me.

One cannot, in pictures or words, adequate convey the beauty of the inner canyon.  Cliffs and buttes of spring green; a quiet unlike any other on earth.  Addicting like a drug; I need to be there.  There is a peace that blankets the heart and soul; truly the canyon is like no other.

The hike up would be tough-you saw the trail-but I had a sneaky suspicion we might make better time in the trip up. We went very slow, trying to secure footing on the way down.  On the way up, the 1000ft drop off wasn't as big of a deal, and it was a matter of putting on foot in front of the other.

No air monster.

No Maverick.

No Mephistopheles.

Just joy.

Physically, the hike out is hard.  Psychologically, it was exhilarating.

After seven hours of hard hiking, I'm still smiling!

I leave stuff in the canyon.  I carry in my baggage, and leave it behind.  God and I still had some good one to one time, but in general my thoughts replay the past few weeks and plans for the coming months.

There were several, "Oh, S***" moments with the drop offs. The mesa trail was scary!!

We finished up 7 1/2 hrs after we started, emerging on the rim at 6pm.

The Three Muskateers.

We headed over to the Bright Angel Lodge for dinner, and left the canyon at 8pm.

A better day I cannot imagine.

Eight and a half weeks ago, I could not hike Thumb Butte without stopping, and gasping for air.  Six weeks ago I couldn't do it.

I just did my second Grand Canyon hike, with no issues, in the past two weeks,

Maybe there's something to being fit after all?

Ready, Set.... #48

Two whole days.

I've been healthy, and I haven't done any exercise in two whole days.

Except squats.  I kinda sorta like those.  Therefore, they can't be exercise.

They are ice cream instead.

Squats come in many different forms (stance), you can add all kinds of different toppings (weights)...yep, from now on I'm calling them Ice Cream Movements, aka ICM's.

ICM's keep the lower back from hurting, and even my smallest jeans are getting baggy in strategic places due to them.

I may just love ICM's.

I know I love hot fudge banana pecan royals, too.

Today is Parry's 13th birthday, and we had brunch with my parents downtown off the square.

I love where I live.

The rest of the day was spent shopping, where I picked up important items.

Items for the 2016 presidential race.

Given that I'm still on antibiotics from last weeks horrid ear infection, I suppose it's ok to have two days of rest.  Before I head here:

Which is three miles down here:

Yep, tomorrow is an inner canyon hike.  I've got new trekking poles for the adventure (I loved Dotty's, so I sold some boots I'd never worn and bought poles with the proceeds) and hope they'll serve me well.  Next week is Pilates...so it's best I do the hike now before my core hates me.

But maybe I'll be able to do a push up?