Grand Canyon roadtrip mini - Liam rebounds

When I planned our desert South West summer vacation, I knew it would be hot. But June's desert heat was something I was familiar with. June has low humidity, the dry heat. And outside of asphalt and dark rock, it will cool down at night to let one get some sleep. What I had not planned on was the high pressure system stuck over the area bringing temperatures 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal.

We coped, we adapted. We wore hats, wet bandannas around our necks or head, drank lots of water, and had salty snacks. We rested in shade and didn't push ourselves much in the heat of the day. Still, it was hot.

I have already written of the impact that altitude and heat had on Liam. After a night's sleep at Great Sand Dunes, he woke up feeling much better - yet still low energy. We were careful for the next week, not pushing him too hard. That was easy, it was hot. Many of the days we were subjected to heat above 105, but most nights it eventual dropped down to about 65.

Liam wasn't much of a hiker at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. At Zion, he had to be coaxed up the mile long asphalt trail to the Virgin River Narrows hike. But once we could walk in the water, he was zoom-boy all over again. The cool refreshing water and shade from the canyon walls made for a wonderful hike on a hot summer day.

And then we got to Bryce Canyon National Park. Our Grand Canyon visit was a top of canyon experience, we didn't hike down much, staying mostly along the rim. Zion was a bottom of canyon place, wandering around and looking up. With the Bryce Canyon rim being over 8,000 feet above sea level, Bryce is another top of canyon viewpoint. Liam still wasn't the gangbusters of a little man that I knew, but he was getting to where we needed him to be. Sometimes a bit slow, but he made it.

Galen and I wanted to walk the Bryce Canyon Rim Trail from Sunset, to Sunrise Point. It was supposed to be about a mile with little elevation change. That Liam resisted was expected, but then he surprised me by declaring he wanted to hike the Navajo Trail loop. This baffled me, the rim was to be easy, but he chose the hard. The park lists the trail as a moderate 1.3 miles, but it was 550 feet down, and of course, 550 back up. The elevation changes occur quickly, the trail has step sections with multiple switchbacks. Looking down, we could not see the bottom, just a dirt path into the maze of hoodoos. Maybe it was seeing hoodoos with Douglass Fir's peeking up. No matter, it was his idea, one that Galen and I were eager to experience.

It was hot. It was dusty. And it was beautiful. It was a bit strenuous for a couple of guys from the Minnesota flatlands. Yet here was the dude, walking through the canyon, slowly, but not complaining. He had the energy to terrify me at steep, slippy edges, teased about throwing items into the abyss, and finding ways to irritate his brother. And once again I had felt proud about one of my young'ens. Liam had a rough few days coping with heat and elevation. Yet here he was, seeing an awesome trail and challenging himself, and us, to hike it. He was better, he was back.