New Year's Hike

After total exhaustion via spending Christmas with my niece and nephew, I decided to hike in the new year with an impromptu trip to (1) someplace warm, (2) someplace with a relatively clear night sky, and (3) someplace relatively uncrowded. I had a great time with The Kids, as I refer to my brother and his family, even though he is only 2 years younger than I am. The weather in Houston was perfect for lots of playing outdoors - and Casey and Kyle ran me ragged! We played catch and soccer and trains and bratz dolls (in which I think Kyle more than Casey liked my valley girl lexicon - because he started mimicking some of the phrases). That was a great trip, and I was back in Ohio with time on my hands. The last thing I could ever imagine doing with extra time is staying home, even if I still have some unpacking and organizing to do in the new place.

I was aiming to do a quick trip to Caracas but that would have wasted 4 days of travel time with connections. Now that I live in the North, my choices of desinations with direct flights has changed. So I opted for Phoenix, and went to hike in the Grand Canyon. At first I planned on doing just some day hikes because of my limited time there. But the canyon wasn't super busy, and on the night I arrived - clear skies and all - there actually was availability at Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the canyon. I had approximately 2.25 days to get some hiking in.

Initially I was worried that this would not be enough time to hike approximately 17 miles total, half downcanyon and the other half back up. But then I boosted my morale�.Just 2 months ago I was hiking in the Himalayas, for cryin� out loud. In one day I hiked approximately 7 miles downhill, which almost killed my left knee, but that was all stairs carved into stone. This was some steps created by logs to retain eroding trails, but not actual stairs like in Nepal. And I could always turn back. This time it would be different because what is normally the harder part for me is hiking uphill, and if I delayed too long doing this, I could jeopardize getting back to Phoenix in time for my return flight. But I had a cushion built into my schedule - the return flight was on Sunday the 1st, but I didn�t have to be back at work until the 2nd. Contingency plans in place, I decided to go for it. I chose the South Kaibab trail and am glad I did - because of its relatively central canyon views and fantastically switchbacked trails. I don�t mind a trail being twice as long mileage wise if it is switchbacked, even steep gradients, as opposed to stairs, as in Nepal. Got to build back up to doing those again.

So, the photos I have are mostly my descent. I had not made it to the river yet when my battery died - which I was hoping against. I bought my camera in Singapore and the recharger, while dual voltage and usable in the US, requires a plug adapter, which I have not yet found in my unpacking at home. I hoped that my battery was charged enough for the whole trip but it didn�t last until the river. I finally bought one late in the afternoon after I hiked back up, and had to buy a whole mini conversion kit - at Grand Canyon Gift Store prices - just for the plug to charge up my battery. Then wouldn�t you know, it was night and my return flight to Phoenix was the next morning - so this exercise was of no use to me, because this time, I didn�t shoot photos while driving.

I did stop for the night in Sedona after getting out twice on the drive there to stretch my legs on short hikes in the Red Rock State Park in the area. Sedona�s nice - it has everything I love about SE Utah with the bonus of friendly people who are actually glad you came to visit their burgh and full strength beer. Though there is some weird stuff going on there - I consider myself pretty open-minded and in some cases out there, but the collective psyche of this town with all of the magick and crystal and tarot and vortex and channeling shops was a bit odd. Interestingly odd, not offputting odd. Just to see what the fuss was about, I got a map of the vortex spots, supposedly areas scientifically proven (!) to have high electromagnetic or some such frequencies. I went to a vortex spot on my way to Phoenix and sat for a bit, thinking, warming up in the morning sun, and I really felt something. I have some metal in my dental work, a navel piercing, lots of silver bracelets, etc, so maybe I was a good conductor - but I swear, my teeth tingled.

One of the best things about these impromptu trips, especially the new year�s ones, is that I like to take what I call a strolling meditation. Even if I am hiking at high speed to reach a destination or beat a timeline, the tread of boot on gravel (or sand or sandstone) acts almost like a metronome to my thoughts. I thought about 2005 and all that I was able to see, do, and experience in the year - it has been a banner year for new experiences. Then I thought a little about 2006. But not too much after I realized that I have become my worst fear. I have somehow become the lady who lives alone in the historic looking neat little cottage house with the neat little yard and plants who has all the neat little trinkets and things from all over the world. That is an actuality. My fear carries it a little further - the yard the neighborhood kids are afraid to retrieve Frisbees from thinking that, because I am different, I must be a witch. The only thing missing is the cat(s). And honestly, I have been thinking about adopting a cat. I suppose if I do it will be more to rush headlong into combating that dreadful image I have of being the weirdo in a small conservative town. Better to fly that world traveled hippie girl freak flag high and early and eliminate any suspicions.

Another neat thing about these strolling meditations is that I leave my music in the car. I did this once by mistake and dreaded not having tunes for my hiking, but a neat thing happened - songs popped into my head anyway. I began hiking without music ever since. I consider it my subconscious soundtrack - the songs that pop into my head, if I think about them afterward with an attempt at objectivity (layered over subjectivity, of course!), have a direct correlation with where I am mentally during that time. So, this time my subconscious soundtrack was especially interesting. On much of the hike, I was almost continuously lost in the moment - actually having to think about stopping to take a photo or have a drink - there were songs by Dylan, Sigor Ross, the Januaries, most of Beck�s Sea Change, Don�t Fence Me In and Tumbling Tumbleweeds, CSN&Y, Rufus Wainright, and lots of John Denver - all freedom / escape / wandering songs. Songs with wide open arrangements and big spaces in them. Just like where I was. On the hike back up, the songs were much more upbeat, which I think was instrumental - no pun intended - in helping me pick up my lagging step. The Ramones, the Hives, the Who, the Stones, Jet, the Strokes, etc. It was all in all a very rewarding and interesting way to ring in the new year.

I have tried to list the photos below in something resembling chronological order, but it is not perfect, so you will see some images at varying elevations. I hope you enjoy the images and don�t let my failure to chronologically number and save my photos distract you!