December in 4 Parts

Part I
Jingle Bell 5K 2007
22:48 (7:22 pace)
(probably) 2nd in AG

I ran the Jingle Bell 5K on 12/9 with a time just 1 second faster than last year’s time (I’m pleased enough with that since I’ve been running less in the past month). My heart rate was near maxed at around 180-184 for the last 2 miles, which tells me I was working hard!

Despite the official results shown on the “On the Run” website, I believe the top 4 in my age group are as follows: 1st: Barb Blumenthal (22:45), 2nd: Yours truly (22:48); 3rd: probably Susan Weisser (23:48); 4th: Wendy Jones (24:28).

There are other women named in the top 4 spots that I don’t think really ran the times that are recorded. Why do I say that? After running these races for a few years, you get to recognize the names of those who are tops in your age group. While a newcomer or out-of-towner occasionally drops in to place well in a race, or a previously non-competitive racer may make huge improvements from one season to the next, it doesn’t happen much.

By entering a racer's name at the Athlinks website (http://athlinks.com/ ) or by Googling them, one can check their racing history. Have they any prior race results that lends credibility to a current great race result? I checked that for the top 4 in my age group (whose mile paces were 6:29 to 7:05). There are women in my AG who run that and much faster paces too, but their names are usually recognizable and they have race resume’ easy to check on-line. The top 4 women have raced before, but usually with paces closer to a 10 minute pace. The women who are the actual top 4 (in my humble opinion) have race histories with consistent times and placing.

The Jingle Bell 5K is not a chip-timed race and 2 waves of runners go out. The less competitive group starts some minutes behind the faster group, but it is common in a recreational fun run like this for people to move up and start with the first wave. Their start time is based on what wave they signed up for, not which one they actually started with. None of it is a big deal in a race like this, but it satisfies me to 1) get a decent time in comparison to MYSELF in previous year’s races, and 2) solve the mystery of WHO ARE these several fast women and realize it’s almost certainly a race wave start timing glitch. If I am wrong about that, then my apologies and kudos to Cheri, Ann, Susan and Jill.

Part II
Holiday Survival

Whew! “The Holidays” aren’t officially over yet but I think I will make it! There were some social festivities, skipped workouts and definitely too much nibbling on goodies. Fudge, See’s candy, eggnog, holiday breads and even gingerbread cookie dough eaten by the spoonful (and lots of those) found their way past my lips and straight to my thighs . There were the post-Christmas dark and dreary days of too many cups of coffee accompanied by more tasty morsels (leading to afternoon jitters and remorse). Combine that with my kid out of school with a friend over experimenting with eruptions involving vinegar, baking soda & food coloring all contributing to lots of messes around the house (bless their curious little hearts) and at the end of a solid week of no exercise, I was feeling a little toxic.

Part III
Slacking Off

My week off of exercise wasn’t just laziness or the distraction of the holidays. A medical procedure here, a biopsy there and I appreciated the advice I was given for avoiding “strenuous workouts”, lifting weights or being in the pool. I’m not sure that shopping and hauling grocery bags, baking, cooking, vacuuming before the guests, cleaning after the guests, stripping and re-making the beds, continuing a couple days per week of my paid work (doing my RN home infusion visits) and dealing with the bored kid at home can be considered non-strenuous though.

Without delving into TMI (too-much-information), part of my medical situation involved taking some valium pre-procedure. Feeling fine and relaxed afterwards, and having taken the bus to my appointment (not knowing what valium would feel like since I had never taken it before, I opted not to drive), I sashayed the several blocks down hill to downtown Seattle’s commercial core and plunged into some holiday shopping. While I am not promoting the misuse of drugs, prescription or otherwise, I appreciated the glazed, floaty, “whatever”, la-la-land frame of mind the valium gave me to actually shop downtown, listen to lots of piped-in Christmas music, and endure (and maybe even enjoy) the commercialized version of “holiday cheer”. If shopping, crowds and too much of the holiday run-around also makes you a little stressed and jaded (despite attempts at simplicity), then perhaps a little pharmacology might help you too. : )

Part IV
Back in the Saddle Again

On the bright side, workout-wise, in early December, I got some good swim workouts done, some running time on the treadmill, got into a semi-regular routine lifting at the gym and tried a bit of new recreation involving lakes, self-propelled watercraft, paddles and other people falling in cold water at night.

Most notably, unlike any previous years, I’ve been out biking 7 times this month (well, 2 were indoor spins). Typically November through January, my butt never touches the saddle. This month, I’ve ridden in 30-something degree rain, which was a difficult ride because of getting very wet and cold (mental note to self: check out winter riding gear). There was a wild and windy day in the 40’s where I stayed dry enough to be comfortable for an enjoyable ride, though the wind made the beach at Discovery Park look like oceanfront with all the white caps and waves crashing onto the beach (and pushed me off-trail a couple times).

Sunday was a 3 hour hell ride, I mean HILL ride on a mountain bike (I was about dead by the end but am happy to have done it). After a couple hard hills in Discovery Park and noticing how they felt harder than usual, I commented about that to my riding companion, who we'll just refer to as SDK (that's Slave Driving Kayaker). So next thing I know, we've circled around and we're repeating a hard one AGAIN. Alright then. On to some up/downs around Magnolia (down to waterfront, up to bluff, down to waterfront up to bluff, lather, rinse,repeat.). Then a reprieve along flat Myrtle Edwards, next, UP bumpy/bricky Post Alley, through downtown traffic for a few blocks, then an interesting tour of Seattle's alleys (interesting in a weird, smelly, spotted under-belly kind of way).

Now around 2 hours into the ride, fatigue is getting to me and I realize I haven't eaten or drunk (mental note to self: must eat and take in some quick carbs on workouts over an hour). But hot chocolate sounded good, though it is not an ideal mid-workout quick carbs boost. The protein and fat in the milk and whipped cream just slows down absorption of the otherwise sugary boost. Juice or a sport drink would have been a better idea - quicker fuel to my tired muscles. But I was close to home with only one gradual hill left to ride (or so I thought), so hot choclolate it was.

So a ride up Queen Anne hill was needed to get to the hot chocolate joint of choice. But with SDK in the lead (did I mention that stands for Sa-Dis-tiK), it was not via the sensible, gradual climb up Taylor Ave., but a series of short, steep streets on the south side that parallel Queen Anne Ave (aka the Counter Balance from the old trolley car days). Very hard!


After the hot chocolate break my only concern might be getting chilled on the coasting downhills most of the way home. But no! SDK found a couple steep down/ups on the shoulder of the hill before finally getting off of QA. Over to the Magnolia side now, I was led on a series of steep uphills paralleling Dravus St. For an added bonus and variety, there was the block too steep for an actual road to exist, so the bike got carried up a steep double flight of stairs (so much for the avoiding strenuous activity for several weeks).

If I survive a few more rides like this, or even rides half this length and difficulty….hell, if I even keep my butt in the saddle twice a month for the rest of the winter, regardless of the difficulty, I should expect to see some faster bike times next season, don’t you think? It was a great day for a ride and a good adjustment after some holdiay excess and inactivity!

Camping with Camille

From Backpacker to Car Camper

The wilderness backpacking was put on hold when Camille came into my life, so I shifted to car camping for several years. In 1997 when she was 1, her dad and I went for an over-nighter out by the Teanaway River. Having a toddler underfoot while camping was easier than I thought it would be, so later that summer I took her by myself to Ebey State Park. Until my triathlon thing took hold of me in ’04, I took her on at least twice-a-summer car camping trips, usually just the two of us, sometimes with her dad or friends. One of our favorite places is Fort Flagler (on Marrowstone Island, across the bay from Port Townsend). We've made several visits to Whidby Island and also went near Mt. St. Helens, Scenic Beach at Hood Canal, San Juan Island, Sonoran desert in Arizona and went “boat camping” once to Blake Island.


Kids revert to a feral state when outside for a few days. Here Camille and Emma are in a primal antler fight of some sort.


Don't feed the animals.

There is Uncle Chris and cousin Corinne joining us at Fort Flagler and Camille has got her marshmellow on a stick ready to roast. Marshmellows and a bike are part of the Ten Essentials of car camping(Camille's Ten Essentials, that is).

Camille took a walk around the neighborhood wearing her new boots and backpack to get ready for the hike. There's her whistle too!

Now, here she is on the actual hike, about 1/2 mile up the trail's gentle grade, ditching the backpack and starting to complain. About a 1/2 mile later, after slow progress and many stops, I stuffed her load into my pack and ditched her pack in the woods (to be picked up on the hike back out). Now, with her carrying nothing and me with an additional 10 lbs. or so on my back, we were more evenly matched for hiking.

The next day, she was reluctant to do some side hikes (what? more walking uphill?) but I know my kid likes to negotiate... Soon we were having a fine, several mile hike up and over a ridge and down into Mt. Rainier Natl. Park, with her in sole possession of the big M & M's bag. I have a picture somewhere of her taunting me by holding up M & M's.

Yeah, I saw some sort of big cat prints (as in cougar or bobcat) in the soft mud around the lake, so I sent my little cougar bait out to collect water at dusk.

The trip to Arizona's Aravaipa Canyon has been the only other backpack trip I've taken her on. I must do more of that soon!

Deserts & Canyons

After the Southwest Trip in '91 that I recently wrote about, I went back at least yearly for some backpacking until Camille was born in '96.

This is the start to the Hermit Trail in the Grand Canyon.

"Before Camille" and "After Camille" Trips

Camille and I were pretty tightly bonded when she was little and I had never spent a night away from her until something really important came up when she was 6: the opportunity to hike in the Grand Canyon again. I left her with her dad at the resort in Phoenix for 3 days/2 nights while I escaped to the canyon again. After that first venture away from her, I took a few more trips in later years to revisit the desert on my own.

See? I'm not all for roughing it. I like p.j.'s, scuffy slippers, a comfortable spot and cuddling up as much as the next person. There we are, me being Camille's piece of human furniture:

Before Camille (pre-'96):

September '92: Return to Arches Natl. Park and Canyonlands for backcountry hiking/camping. Much like my '91 visit, only in nice warm weather this time.

April '93: It wasn't hiking, but we went sort of backcountry by pickup truck to Baja California and slept in the open back of it in some lonely desert spots in the central part of Baja and along the Sea of Cortez. The Catavina Boulder fields and the Cirios, or "boojum trees" are oddities of central Baja that I enjoyed. Here are some photos of each:









April '94: Spring Sonoran desert trip and wildflower bloom. Solo backpacking to Organ Pipe Cactus Natl. Monument, AZ for 3 days/2 nights. Then up to the Superstitions east of Phoenix for more backpacking.

Interesting critters I've seen: Rattlesnakes and tarantulas (I've only seen a few), coatimundis, javelina (only from the car), gila monsters, coyote, numerous desert birds including roadrunner and I think one called a Mexican black hawk (though I could just be making that up).

October '94: Solo trip to Northeast AZ and Southeast UT. Backpacked Grand Gulch 3 days/2

So, is this cool or what? My own private place for a day and night, Garden of the Gods, north of the better-known Monument Valley:

"Recall red rock beneath soaring sky
Dream of sun and storm music
Sit and watch, sleep in moon shadow
Life and death whisper together like wind
Time is gone
An essential void stares
The true road lies bare
Stillness."

- The best I could do with some refrigerator poetry magnets

This Canyon de Chelley:

Heading into Grand Gulch for a 21 mile backpack. Lots of cliff dwellings and artifacts to be seen in that area:

September '95: I was close to 6 months pregnant and thought I better get one more trip in before I kiss goodbye my freedom for many years. We flew into Las Vegas, got a convertible and drove north to Utah. Backpacked in Zion Natl. Park a few nights, then day-hiked up to Angel's Landing, the Virgin Narrows, Cedar Breaks Natl. Monument....

"After Camille Trips"

November 2001: Grand Canyon solo hike, 3 days/2 nights. Down the South Kaibab Trail, camped at Phantom Ranch, hiked 1/2 way out up the Bright Angel and camped at Indian Gardens, then out the following day. My first big outing away from my kid.

March '02: It was Spring Break and Camille went to Kansas City with her dad so I took a solo trip to AZ. I backpacked in Aravaipa Canyon (an hour or two north of Tucson). There is a year-round running stream and you have to hike in about calf-deep water for much of the trip whenever the canyons narrow to "slots" leaving no room for the usual dirt hiking paths. The day before starting the hike, I camped at the trail-head and suffered through a 12 hour encounter with either food poisoning or an intestinal bug and only the shade of a lone saguaro to lie in (fortunately it was merely a warm day, not hot). I felt like one of those cartoon characters that crawls under the desert sun while a vulture perches nearby waiting for the person to perish. But I was back on my feet by evening and hiking the next day.

November '03: Mike & Camille stayed in a cabin on the rim while I hiked 3 days in the Grand Canyon. Down the Hermit Trail (7 miles of potential knee-crushing, ankle-twisting descent if not for the trekking poles) and camped at Monument Creek on night 1. Across the mostly flat or rolling Tonto Trail for 10 miles on day 2 with a camp at Horn Creek. Then more Tonto Trail and up the Bright Angel for another 8 miles.

Here I am met by Camille at the end of that 25-miler at the top of the Bright Angel Trail:

April '05: Another trip to Aravaipa Canyon, this time with Mike & Camille. I realized that just because this hike was pretty flat, it wasn't necessarily easy. The feedback I received included the phrases "death march" and "mom got us lost" (I knew exactly where I was, but was the trail leading out of the stream just a little ways upstream or downstream anyway?) : )

When I'm not in a tent or under the stars, I've often stayed at youth hostels (though "youth" doesn't exactly apply in my case anymore). Tucson has the historic "Congress Hotel" (also a hostel) and is an interesting spot:

In Phoenix, I've stayed at this hostel, not so interesting, but cheap and more interesting than some chain motel:

I've also stayed at the old Weatherford Hotel (a hostel) in Flagstaff.

More Deep Lake

Thanks to Beth H., a fellow Deep Lake swimmer last July, I now have a few photos from the swim! (And thanks to Michael L. for reminding me that she had swum with a camera).

There is Jim J., a lane-mate from my masters swimming group and fellow camper on this trip:

As we were preparing for the swim, we heard a loud crack and crash. Just a few feet behind us, this large tree decided it was time to bite the dust and fortunately fell away from us. There I am standing on the fallen thing with....um, Beth's friend....Uh, nice guy....sorry, forgot his name. Nice guy though (jeff? bill? gary? mike? greg? george?....no, I think that is George standing in the water...ach, nothing rings a bell. Nice guy. Saw him at the Fat Salmon swim a couple weeks later).

Here's the big event of the day! Swimming! These would be the action shots, the thrill of the swim. See the water? See the little white splashes of arms entering and exiting, maybe a little kicking?

Now, a bit of rest at the other end of the lake:

Skipped the Half

I like this picture of my girl (when she was 9), though it has nothing whatsoever to do with today's blog topic:

"Did you run this morning?"
That's what about half a dozen people asked me when I showed up at the end of the Sunday morning masters swim workout (I showed up late planning to jump into the shorter non-masters workout at 11:00). They meant the Seattle Half Marathon.

I had been kind of fatigued a few weeks back and more recently had been getting some tachycardia in the middle of moderate effort runs (my heart rate would shoot up from low-160's to mid-170's or 180's without any increase in pace or incline; it's something I feel immediately and my HR monitor confirms it). I'm not sure what's going on with that and probably should see a doctor about it, but for now, decided that training for and running the Half wasn't a good idea.

Once I decided not to do the race, I enjoyed my unstructured, less frequent and less intense workouts. Swimming felt great, I did some running and I even opted for some long, fast-paced walks & talks with neighborhood friends in lieu of running. Sleeping in with my two cats tucked around me this cold morning, instead of being out the door in the dark and facing the mid-30's chill was appreciated too. It wasn't until the questions from swimmers that I felt a twinge of regret, but it was quickly replaced by the enjoyment of a good swim and awaiting checking results to see how friends did. Tick Tock... those results aren't quite up yet despite the teaser on the web page. Well, Ann & Gina ran today and probably don't really care how they did since they followed their yearly tradition of getting on a plane headed for Maui a few hours after the race. I hope to follow their sensible example one of these days...

Southwest Road Trip 1991

So there I was, about 33 years old, unattached and with a profession where I could find work just about anywhere. So why stay in cold, rainy Seattle yet another winter? I can't remember what exactly sparked the idea, but I think I was chatting with a pal at the then "Seattle Club" (now the Seattle Athletic Club) when it began. How about heading for the desert southwest for a few months, even the whole winter? At the time I did "agency" work as an RN, picking up a variety of shifts in most of the big Seattle hospitals as kind of an independent contractor. My agency had branches other places, so there was the possibility of picking up work in Phoenix, Tucson, San Diego...

So I obtained a nursing license for Arizona and California and had my records faxed to a few branches. I was set to earn money while in search of warmer climes.

Next, I started looking over maps and guidebooks and talking to friends who had been to the Southwest. I knew Moab, Utah and a visit to the Canyonlands would be on my itinerary, perhaps also the Grand Canyon and the Sonoran Desert. A friend mentioned pulling off the road somewhere along a river, just over a bridge outside of Moab as a good place to camp. Well, OK, I'd look for that then, also.

One night when I was out for a beer at the Trolleyman Pub (at the old Redhook Brewery when it was still in Fremont), I started chatting with a guy about my trip. He told me about the author Edward Abbey and his book "Desert Solitaire", a must read, he insisted. I can't remember if I read it before or during the early parts of my trip, but it really set the tone for falling in love with the desert and canyon country. I went on to read all of Abbey's stuff over the next couple years and loved it. Abbey is credited with being sort of a godfather to the EarthFirst! movement, had a hand in many real-life "Monkey Wrench Gang" eco-defense adventures and writes lovingly about the wild places in the Southwest. One of his one-liners that I have adopted as a favorite is "Piss on the developers' graves".


My kitty Caliope was tucked away at my parent's home, the condo I rented was sublet, I had my youth hostel card, nursing licenses, maps, books, journals, backpacking gear, bike on the bike rack, car tuned and new tires, warm weather and cold weather clothes as well as outdoors stuff, city stuff and nurse outfits. Ready for everything and anything, I hoped. This was well before I owned a cell phone, so I got a CB radio, figuring it might be a good back up if I got stuck somewhere in the mountains or something. Oh, plenty of taped music for the trip too. A friend recorded a collection of great road songs that kept me company.

And so the trip unfolded kind of like this (with excerpts from my travel journal in blue):

I left Seattle on November 17 and drove 720 miles to Gooding, ID and spent the night at a youth hostel. "The drive along the Columbia River and through the Willowa and Blue Mts. was great...the wide open relatively barren landscape suited me. I pretty much enjoyed the whole 14 hours of driving today, I even felt exhilarated - good music, good scenery, a sense of freedom and adventure."

Nov. 18: Drove 616 miles, through Salt Lake City & Provo, UT, arrived Dead Horse Point in the Island in the Sky district of the Canyonlands National Park after dark. Camped under the stars in 20 degree weather. "...after Provo, the road/scenery was pretty fun and I was feeling downright euphoric. Hard to explain now - just driving and feeling happy and free and adventurous. All this unexplored territory and just playing it by ear where I go - I like that. As I neared the Moab area after dark, the land was looking fine from what I could see on a nearly-full moon night. I ended up at Dead Horse Point. It was very cold...I found a spot to put out my sleeping bag on a little plateau by the cliff's edge. I could see the canyons and river (Colorado) down below by the moonlight. Keeping warm was a little tough... I saw the sun rise..." What I did not include in my journal for some reason, but what stands out now as a huge first impression, was my first glimpse of the Canyonlands by daylight. The sun illuminated a flaming bright, gorgeous landscape with sheer cliffs plunging down to the confluence of two rivers. I was stunned at my luck to wake up in such a spot!

Nov. 20: Explored many viewpoints around the Island in the Sky area and went to nearby Arches National Park and day-hiked around there all day. After 2 days and 1300 miles driving, my butt was tired so I tried jogging a trail in Arches. I quickly realized that I was indeed at 5000 ft. above sea level and gave up on the running. Stayed in a youth hostel in Moab for the night ($6.00/night!).

Nov.21: Drove down to the Needles District of the Canyonlands, a little south of Moab and backpacked into Chesler Park for the night. My gear at that time was not very good. I had an old, ill-fitting external frame pack and some cheap K-Mart pup tent that rippled and fluttered in the breeze all night and actually blew over a couple times. "This is too weird. I hiked to Chesler Park in the Needles District today. I am now camped out and am writing by the light of the full moon - it just rose over the rocks behind me. It is so eerie and beautiful. Every corner I turned today had some new, odd sight - weird rocks, cliffs, arches or narrow passages between rock walls, or smooth, spiral, gnarled tree trunks, soft red sand. And Silence. Hardly any noises besides my own breathing, footfalls or now, the annoying rustle of sleeping bag or tent (I do need a decent pack and tent).It is cold (20's) but I am warm enough with extra wool on tonight and the tent up. This land is so strange but literally breathtaking. So many times today I had to murmur to myself something like "wow", "I don't believe this" or "I LIKE it". I'm sort of mesmerized by it all....I have to admit to feeling a little spooked and on guard being here by myself. If I hear noises other than the tent rattling in the breeze, the most likely thing would be deer - I saw enough of their tracks."

Nov. 22: Hiked out of Chesler and road-tripped along a "Scenic By-way" through part of southern Utah to spend a cold night in my car at Capitol Reef. By this point in the trip, I was definitely wanting to re-visit these places, but in warmer weather. The cold limited the ability to linger outdoors and the early darkness made for long, cold nights when away from indoor living.

Nov. 23: Up early and drove to Bryce Canyon which was glowing like some jewel in the morning sun and with snow to contrast the hot red colors of the spires. I would have hiked, but the trails were too icy. The nighttime temps had been below zero (and it felt close to that sleeping in my car). I got my first speeding ticket ever outside of Page, AZ ("Shithead capitol of the world", says Edward Abbey, but that has a lot to do with nearby Glen Canyon Dam and his desire to see it blown to bits and see the Colorado returned to a wild river; ). 73 in a 55 (like, totally in the middle of NOWHERE! But the cop must have liked me or maybe cuz it was my first offense, but he wrote me up for 65).

Made it to Flagstaff, AZ by evening and settled into a youth hostel. It might as well have been a 5 star Marriott Resort & Spa. Real shelter, a real bed, a hot shower and a hot meal at a great vegetarian-friendly restaurant nearby and I felt like a Queen! I spent a day exploring Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon which was not so spectacular as where I had visited days before. A second night in Flagstaff then I was ready to drop into lower elevation and seek some warmth! "Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona..." I just like saying that whenever I'm in Flagstaff. ("Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino...").

Nov 25: Side trip to Jerome, AZ then on to Phoenix which was a possible place to land work for a few days, weeks, months. Remember, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here. But I take one look at the huge, HIDEOUS, sprawling, monstrosity of that city and I don't even stop. Tucson has got to be nicer that this! I am becoming Edward Abbeyfied and a snob about the beauty of the wilds and the contrasting ugliness of places like Phoenix. But wait! Surely there must be a Starbucks at the next intersection!? No? What kind of town is this anyway?!?

Nov. 25 - Dec. 8: Tuscon was to be home for only about 2 weeks. The nursing supervisor at the agency where I made my first stop upon arriving that afternoon asked where I was staying and ended up offering me room and board at her nice house. I think I paid something like $9.00/night for a bedroom and full use of her nice suburban house with jacuzzi on the edge of town. She was rarely home. Sweet deal! I did work a few shifts around town and earned a bit of money, but work wasn't as available as I had hoped. The weather was mostly nice, in the low 70's for awhile and I spent most of my days doing lots of day hiking in the various desert areas on the edges of town including Saguaro National Monument and Sabino Canyon, took a couple long bike rides, found some public pools to do some lap swimming (outdoor pools in December!), visited, Bisbee, the Sonoran Desert Museum, drove down to Nogales and crossed into Mexico on Thanksgiving Day, which was kind of creepy, dreary and depressing. I felt uneasy so I got the hell out of there. Bought some cheap Kahlua first though. And shopping. Sure I was a sucker for buying southwest trinkets and mementos.Towards the end of my stay in Tucson, the weather had turned to grey, rainy and windy. I was getting irritable and cranky. If I couldn't have the euphoria of being outdoors in weird, beautiful places or enjoying the adventure of the open road like I had early in the trip, then I needed warm weather and the chance to earn money. And I was getting lonesome. "I think I can cope better being on my own when I'm in the middle of nowhere, or on the move. But I've come to a temporary halt here in Tucson... I am restless and something in me wants to pack the car and GO. So, I went.

Dec. 9: Packed up and went north to Prescott for one night. Had some beers and shared some travel stories and camaraderie with a fellow road warrior Nan at an old historic saloon. Next early a.m., I am headed for the Grand Canyon.

Dec 10-11: " Despite the warning I got from the ranger to not try and hike all the way down the South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch (6.4 miles and 4800 feet down) and then return in the same day up the Bright Angel (9.8 miles and 4460 feet up), there was no turning back once I started the hike. I got down in 2 hours by jogging part of the way. My reaction to the Canyon was such a feeling of joy and delight. I felt happy and content. The scenery was great but I was also loved the hiking. The physical work, feeling alive and healthy and strong and feeling like everything was coming together perfectly. As I continued my descent, I felt confident about managing the longer return back up. I was a little nervous at first, but I ran into other hikers who planned also to do the round trip as a day hike. Besides, once into the Canyon, there was no choice but to continue to the bottom. It was too great; how could you not feel it was worth the risk and the work? I had read about needing advance reservations for a room at Phantom Ranch, but this turned out to not be the case. I got a bunk in a dorm, a hot shower and meals in the mess hall. What good fortune! I would spend the night deep in the canyon and not risk exhaustion by hiking out the same day. I went on a side hike up the Crystal Creek Trail on the north side of the Colorado River, climbing about 1200 feet in the wind and rain...Next morning: the hike out. It took 2 hours to get to Indian Gardens, 4.8 miles. Another 4.6 miles up to the rim and I was out in 3 hours and 45 minutes."

(I don't know why I wanted to rush leaving such an awesome place, but hiking fast is what I used to do. I remember being pleased with covering those miles and that elevation gain in the time I did. The sign at the top of the trail suggested allowing 4 to 5 hours to go down and double that coming up).

Dec. 12 - 17: Southwest to Yuma, then west the San Diego and north through California to visit multiple relatives along the way. I was back home with plenty of time to put up a Christmas tree and hang all my new Southwest ornaments. Every year that I decorate a tree, my favorite ornaments are things from or reminiscent of my Southwest trip: chili peppers, saguaro cacti, howling coyotes, javalinas, rattlesnakes, and various hiking or SW Native American baubles.