Arizona Trail: The Grand Canyon

Blissful has one of the most extraordinary experiences of her hiking life – walking into and out of the Grand Canyon.In this episode:With a snowstorm coming and temperatures dropping into the teens, Blissful decides to catch a ride and skip ahead.It's just more ponderosa pine forest and straight to the national park permit office.It's down hill, but steep and hard walking all in direct sun through layer-upon-layer of bright reds and oranges through tourists and rim-to-rim runners. Her itinerary on the Kaibab Trail to Cottonwoods Campground is considered "aggressive" because she's all alone.The path appears to hang in midair as it finally meets the Colorado River, then up to a site she shares with lovely AZT hikers. The next morning is the opposite – finally alone entirely up to the cold and snowy North Rim, through a tight opening with only the song of a canyon wren. After such beauty, the road is a let down and she accepts a hitch back to trail and a night in a muddy meadow. MUSIC: Poema del Pastor Coya by Angel Lasala as played by Alison Young, flute and Vicki Seldon, pianoSupport the Show.