Hey all! Coming to you today from Phoenix, AZ, land of cacti, taupe stucco and suburban sprawl! It’s actually a rather pleasant 90 degrees right now (1% humidity), at 6 pm. It really is a dry heat.

Tomorrow begins the culmination of what I’ve been training for since February, with only a slight alteration due to a trail closure, which is a one-day rim-to-river-to-rim hike in the Grand Canyon. Our initial plan had been to start at the South Rim of the canyon, hike down to the river, then cross and hike to the North Rim, a total distance of around 21 miles. Due to some rockslides over the winter, however, the top section of the trail to the north side is closed, so we are instead going to be hiking down from the south side via the South Kaibab trail, down to the river, then back up to the same south side via the Bright Angel trail, for a total distance of around 19 miles (and ~3500 feet of elevation gain). Wish me luck!

There will be lots more to come, as the summer adventures won’t end there, so stay tuned!