Family Trips

Before our teens go off to college we decided to plan one more family vacation. We have visited many locations in the United States always tying in some kind of 'active' activity. Hiking the Adirondack trails, walking the Freedom Trail in Boston, climbing sand dunes in Northern Michigan, body surfing in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia, exploring Savannah Georgia on foot, biking around Jekyll and St. Simons Island Georgia, and touring our Nations Capitol (on foot...in one day).

We wanted to experience something memorable and different, but keeping with our 'active' vacation style. We chose to visit Arizona and the Grand Canyon would be a perfect 'active' activity during our travels of the state.

After researching the subject by reading books (I highly recommend the Frommer's guide) and surfing the internet (www.grand.canyon.national-park.com), there was more to hiking the Grand Canyon than we thought. Being physically fit, properly dressed, eating right, and mapping the hike was most important. I realized we were in for quite an experience.

With only 2 days to visit the area we decided to do a few hikes along the South Rim and one long day hike into the canyon. Believe me when I tell you - take everything that is written about safely hiking into the Grand Canyon as truth. The hikes can be tough depending on the distance you travel into the canyon, extreme weather conditions, and the trail conditions dangerous. There is no such thing as an 'easy' trail other than the rim trails. (The National Park Service rescues over 400 people out of the canyon each year - and I don't want you to be one of them).

Physical? It can be if you're not in shape. To prepare for our hike, we climbed stairs, ran, and worked on core strength for 2 months prior. Once there, we spoke with Park Rangers to make sure the hike we chose was reasonable. They did not hesitate in finding out our physical abilities, reviewing our clothing choices including foot wear, specify the quantity of water to carry, and the type and amount of food to take on the hike.

What do I wear? Layering worked perfectly with a base layer of thin wool, zip-off hiking cargo pants, thick wool socks and hiking sandals. Invest in the right clothing and you won't be sorry. We worked with the staff of Playmaker's in Okemos who were knowledgeable and genuinely very excited about our trip - helping us with the right outfitting and worked within our budget.

What to eat and drink? Of course I would think of this. For our 14 mile hike which included a 3,500 foot drop into the canyon and back out the same day we each carried 1 gallon of water with fill-ups on the trail + Gatorade powder mix for rehydration. For food we nibbled on a high energy snack mix all day that provided energy, protein, potassium, salt, and carbohydrates.

As the sun set beyond the Canyon's edge we reached the top of the South Rim; standing together and smiling knowing this was a trip of a life-time for our family. The beauty, solitude, and enormity of what we just experience was extremely powerful. Once in your lifetime - you need to feel the power of this beautiful place - Enjoy your hike and take along this great snack mix for nutrition and energy and be sure to make a reservation for a steak dinner to celebrate the experience.

1. Combine equal measured amounts of above ingredients; store in zip-lock baggies for up to 1 week.