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Welcome to the home of Grand Canyon hiking. The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show helps hikers plan, train for, and better understand hikes below the rim, from short day hikes to Rim-to-Rim, Rim-to-River, Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Trail, South Kaibab Trail, North Kaibab Trail, backpacking trips, heat safety, water planning, shuttle logistics, and more.
Host Brian Speciale shares Grand Canyon stories, trail-tested advice, safety lessons, interviews, and community wisdom from first-timers, seasoned hikers, rangers, Canyon insiders, and everyday people who have learned powerful lessons below the rim.
Whether you are planning Rim-to-Rim, dreaming of Phantom Ranch, preparing for your first Grand Canyon hike, or looking for honest stories of triumph, tragedy, mistakes, and trail-won wisdom, this podcast will help you hike your best hike.
Listeners call the show “an invaluable resource,” “the perfect mix of inspiration, realistic caution, and tips for success,” and “a welcoming place and wealth of information.”
New episodes weekly. Join the conversation in the Hike Club Grand Canyon private Facebook group.
Hey. It's Brian here. Before today's episode begins, I wanna thank everyone who supports this show by supporting Hiken, the brand my wife and I founded to help you hike your best hike. A big part of that mission is our day packs, the rim to rim pack and the Canyon Elite. I designed them myself through hundreds of miles below the rim for serious hikers who wanna move smarter, stay organized, and keep the essentials within reach.
Brian:The front access pockets and the insulated hydration system are the features that hikers tell us stand out the most. Every pack purchase helps fund the Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show, the Grand Canyon Shade Tracker, and the broader work we do to help the Grand Canyon hiking community prepare well, hike safely, and make better decisions before they ever step onto the trail. You can learn more at hikin.club. That's hikin.club. Now onto the show.
Sharon:I think I've done the work, and I think I'm gonna be okay. Yeah.
Brian:Getting the payoff.
Sharon:Getting the payoff, and it is it is gorgeous.
Zeena:You're listening to the Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show, the voice of Grand Canyon Hiking. Presented by Hiken. Hiking packs and gear built to help you hike your best hike. Here's your guide, Brian Special.
Brian:It just doesn't matter how old you are. The Grand Canyon can show you that you can still do incredible things. There are more and more examples of it. A few years ago, it was 92 year old Alfredo Aliyaga becoming the oldest to do rim to rim in a day at 92. Then a 76 year old Karen Dorzov became the oldest known female to do a double crossing.
Brian:I personally was there when Jerry Crank went to Phantom and Back via South Kaibab at 77. Then you got our guy, coach Arnie, doing quadruple crossings into his late sixties now. And there are countless more stories of triumph happening below the rim almost every day that that we just never hear about. Well, this past spring, I got to watch my mother, Sharon Special, knock off a hike that she didn't think she'd be able to do again. She'd heard me yap about the views below Uau Point on South Kaibab so much over the years that she just had to see them once again for herself.
Brian:Unfortunately, a fall a year ago damaged her knee, and subsequently introduced her to a new world, not just rehab and therapy, but joyfully building foundational strength alongside other seniors at her local YMCA. Well eventually she felt strong enough to head for the Canyon alongside my dad John, with me tagging along for moral support. With the mantra ringing in her head that she spent motherhood repeating to my brother and me, why not you? This is the Grand Canyon Hiker Dude show powered by Hiken.
Sharon:Every time I approach it and look at it, it just kind of, I can feel it in my chest. I can feel it in my heart. It's just awesome. Awesome. It's just something that I've always connected with, and that's why I keep coming back and often have a lot of our milestone events here, you know, everything from our fiftieth anniversary to a lot of birthdays and just many memories.
Brian:What do you think it is about it more than than anything else? What is it that keeps you what is it that keeps you coming back? Because this this place obviously touches some place deep in deep inside you.
Sharon:I think as much as anything, it's a timelessness of it. It's so old. And even when we walk the Rim Trail and I touch all those rocks on the the you know, that tell the history of the Grand Canyon. I don't know. I just kind of feel a connection with something that's been here forever.
Brian:You almost look at it like a like a a character, like a, you know, a living entity when you say, like, she and and her. Yeah. And I'm always like, mom, I mean, come on. I don't really look at it that way. Why do you see it that way?
Sharon:I don't know. It's she's definitely a she to me. I think she is mother earth, a spirit. I I you know, I feel comfort with her. I feel like she'll really try to take care of you and just always watching over.
Sharon:I don't know. It's just yeah. She's a she.
Brian:And dad, you're just along for the ride.
John:Well, yeah. I mean, it's a spiritual spiritual thing thing for for her. Her. I just absolutely love coming here, We you moved here from Illinois in '78, and we've been coming up ever since. It's just a place we can't miss.
John:We've gotta come here all the time to see this thing. Mhmm. And she absolutely loves coming. So we've been here, like she said, for many of the big events including Y two k. We came here for that.
Sharon:That's right.
John:This is this is the place we wanna be.
Sharon:Yeah. We brought your grandmother with us for Yeah. That's right. Yeah. That's a funny story too.
Sharon:When we we were going to go out right at midnight and go up the towards Hermit's Rest and stop at one of the rest areas or one of the viewing areas and look at the canyon at night. And we had this picture in our mind that we'd see stars and everything. And instead, when we turned in, our lights flashed across two young people who were totally naked in the titanic pose.
John:Yeah, standing on the wall.
Sharon:Standing on the wall ready to enjoy Y two k. And of course, they saw us and they ran back to their car and
John:they Never took anybody move so quickly.
Sharon:Never have. And and we laughed and that we once we looked into the canyon, of course, it was just a black hole. We couldn't see anything but that was kind of a a memory.
John:We had our y two k moment right there that we'll never forget.
Sharon:Yeah. Yeah.
Brian:Of all viewpoints, you had to choose that one.
John:Yeah. Right. Right. The moons were out.
Sharon:Let's just say that. Yeah.
Brian:Oh, my goodness. And it was it was important for you guys when Michael and I, my younger brother of two years younger, it was important to you guys to, you know, expose us to the canyon when we were kids. What do you remember about those days?
Sharon:Well, you know, expose we tried to expose you to a lot of things in Arizona. But we brought a lot of relatives from Illinois up here to the canyon. And then finally, it just came together that we would do rim to rim.
Brian:Yeah.
Sharon:And we were so ignorant about what rim to rim was. Yeah. I mean, if you can remember one of the people that was with us actually carried bottles of Perrier down to the bottom.
Brian:Glass bottles. Glass bottles.
Sharon:Glass bottles. That's right. Right.
John:And and textbooks.
Sharon:And textbooks because she was going to read by
Brian:the by
Sharon:the river. Anyway anyway, I don't remember a whole lot about the whole journey. I do remember that it's probably one of the worst parenting moments Why? Our entire life. Well, we you know, it was a trail.
Sharon:So there were like, four or five of you boys, all about the same age between, like, nine and 12. And we let you just run ahead. And now what I know was the eye of the needle.
Sharon:Yes.
Sharon:We were on one side and looked across. I remember looking across, and you boys were running down the trail. And it was this sheer drop off, and my heart just stopped. Of course, all ended up well, but I thought I couldn't believe that we didn't respect the canyon a little more or have more knowledge.
John:And unfortunately, that was not our only bad parenting moment.
Sharon:In the canyon.
John:Right? In the canyon. Yes. In the canyon. Yes.
John:When we got to Phantom Ranch, we were gonna stay a couple nights and you kids all wanted to go down to the river. And we thought, sure. Why not? You know, it's gotta be safe. There's a beach down there.
John:So we let you go down the Colorado River
Sharon:Mhmm.
John:At nine two. I think you were 13 at
Brian:the time. And
John:that was crazy. That was that was so dangerous.
Sharon:Yeah. We didn't have no
John:idea. Uh-huh. Because at that point, we hadn't even been to the river
Sharon:Yeah.
John:Because we had come from the North Rim.
Sharon:And see, that's what I mean about the canyon. You know, I think she saw our stupidity and she took care of you guys. So
Brian:I I remember that being with Michael and a couple of friends down there, and we were not at Boat Beach because we didn't know that Boat Beach existed. Instead of going left at the delta there, we went to the right and kinda just worked our way down to the river. And I remember looking at it right in front of us, and it was just this brown chocolate, just matte just pumping, just moving so fast that water. And I remember thinking, wow. You don't wanna you don't wanna fall in here or anything like that.
Brian:So
Sharon:You thought that.
Brian:I do remember that. But, I mean, we weren't completely stupid. I mean, we were No. We were that age, but I could see as parents that that would be a little, yeah, unnerving.
John:Then do you remember what happened when when you were ready to leave and come back to Phantom Ranch? You you went to gather up your shoes because you had taken your shoes off. And Brandon, I'm blaming was it Brandon Snuffer? He couldn't find his shoes because some boaters had come in and they had done the same thing you did. And then when they were ready to leave, they gathered up their shoes, threw them in the boat.
Sharon:Oh, man.
Brian:Threw them in
John:the boat took and off.
Brian:That's when we did make our way down to Boat Beach. Yes. And that happened. He lost his shoe. Or shoes.
John:Yeah. They had taken his shoes. He had no Oh
Sharon:my god.
John:So what happened was they had a a stash of shoes that people had left. So they tried to
Brian:find At Phantom Ranch?
John:It's Right. No. I I thought it was down there. Was it No. It was Phantom
Brian:Ranch? Ranger Station.
John:Ranger Station.
Sharon:Ranger Station. Okay.
Brian:That's where
John:it was. So they the best they could do was some adult shoes for him.
Brian:Oh my god.
John:And he had to hike out to the South Rim with those shoes that were several sizes too big for him.
Sharon:I don't know how the kid
Brian:made it. Oh my god.
John:Yeah. That was
Sharon:He made it.
John:Again, really good parenting.
Sharon:Yeah. Right? You guys Well,
Brian:that really that really wasn't your fault.
John:No. But you shouldn't have been down there by yourselves, and that wouldn't have happened because Yeah. The parents would have taken care of the shoes.
Sharon:Yeah. So Oh, man.
Brian:Imagine that.
Sharon:Yeah. What do you remember about it? I mean, it was I remember the box being so long Yeah. That every time you turned a corner, you still weren't there.
Brian:That's that's one of the lasting memories. The the biggest memory is those are the days when you could fly from the North Rim or from the South Rim to the North Rim rather than take a shuttle around like we have to do today. So we did that. So I remember coming up here, and I remember taking the plane and landing on the dirt runway on the North Rim. I think 1986 when we did it, forty years ago, we were just saying.
Brian:I'm pretty sure that that was the last year that that was
Sharon:could have been.
Brian:Available. Oh. You talk you ask people about it now. People don't even know that that was even an option back then. So forty years ago, we took a plane.
Brian:So it was a twelve minute commute versus a four and a half hour commute to the other side, and then they shuttled us to the North Kaibab Trailhead, and we started down and made it to to Phantom Ranch Ranch that night. But the other memory that I definitely have is that box because as a 13 year old kid, not used to being on a essentially a 14 mile hike from the North Rim to Phantom Ranch, you know, are we there yet? Right? That's what we're gonna be saying over and over again. And I remember being in that box, and it does feel like it's around the next corner, they're on the next bend and then you come around the next bend and this is this other like long stretch that And you that just repeats itself over and over again.
Brian:And as an adult, that has not changed. No. The box the box still feels completely endless to me even though it's a very cool section of the of the trail. So today, you know, mom, it's been a long time since since you've done any, like, serious kinda hiking in the Grand Canyon. Here you are having just turned 78 Mhmm.
Brian:And we're standing here at the South Kaibab Trailhead
Sharon:Mhmm.
Brian:My favorite trail on the face of the earth. And I think that you know that I always talk about what the views are like at Uwa Point and just just a little bit beyond. Right. And so here we are today, and you're actually gonna do this. I didn't expect you to to do something like this.
Brian:What is it that's inspired you to to do this today?
Sharon:Well, actually, probably you. You so badly want us to see that again and I feel like I'm ready, I hope. A year ago, well about thirteen months ago, I fell and broke my kneecap. So I had rehab and then after that I started going to the YMCA. And it was just the right time for me to really say, okay, I need to work on my balance, I need to work on my strength.
Sharon:And so this is going to kind of test how I'm going to do with that balance and strength now that I've put a year in. And who else inspired me with coach Arnie? I mean, listening to your podcast and then what he says at the end. I mean, I practice walking backwards. I know about my big toe.
Sharon:I love it. So it was it was just a lot of things coming together. A little nervous, you know, that I'll stay upright, but I'm ready to do this. So let's get going.
Brian:Let's do it. Dad, you were up here with me going down to Cedar Ridge. You've done it a couple of times in the last couple of years. Every single time that you do this, you tell me that this is the last time, and here you are again.
John:That is very true. Of course, I said the same thing about Black Mountain. I said I'll never do that again. What was the other one? Pinnacle Peak, I said the same thing there, this place is a little bit different.
John:I wanna experience this with your mother. Yeah. That's that's the reason I'm doing this. Yeah. It's hard for somebody that's our age.
John:It's and not in that great a shape. So it's it's gonna be hard, but I wanna experience it with her.
Brian:Yeah. That's what I thought too when I decided that I was gonna come up here and meet you guys this morning and drive up from Phoenix. It's worth it. This is this is just one of those life experience things that I wanted to experience with you guys as well. So I'm excited to do it.
Brian:I know you're a little bit nervous, mom.
Sharon:Yeah. Now the pressure's on.
Brian:No. You're gonna be fine. We're gonna we're gonna get you down. We're gonna get you out, and we're gonna give you something that that you'll never forget. And you're probably just gonna absolutely she's probably just gonna crush because she always Yeah.
John:She's was gonna say, I'm more worried about, me than I am her.
Brian:Yeah. Yeah. I've seen you on the trail. I'm more worried about you too.
John:Exactly. Exactly right. Fall backwards again. You know? But I've got good shoes this time.
Sharon:I think
Brian:Yes. You've actually got trail runners. You accidentally listen to us, and you actually have trail runners. You didn't realize it.
John:Just like the way they look.
Brian:Yeah. And I looked at that tread, and I go, wait a second. Those those are trail runners, dad. Look at you. And you've got your rim to rim hat.
Brian:And mom's got her pinnacle baseball hat for my son, Saxon, their grandson.
Sharon:Yeah.
Brian:So let's get after it. Let's get too hot today because this is gonna be a hot day. Let's let's get down this chimney and take on the the first part of this hike. We're going down just past Oahu because as everyone who listens to this podcast and follows our Facebook group knows, I talk endlessly about the views just past Oahu Point, about one point, 1.12 to one and a quarter miles down the trail. So just barely past Oahu a quarter mile.
Brian:The best views in my opinion that I have seen anywhere in the Grand Canyon. So looking forward to doing this. Let's get after it.
Sharon:Let's get after it.
John:Let's do it.
Zeena:The show never ends in our Facebook group, and you're invited. Hike Club Grand Canyon is our private hiking community where you'll find Brian, coach Arnie, and a legion of passionate Grand Canyon hikers of all experience levels there to help each other have their best possible Grand Canyon experience. So if you're serious about hiking the canyon the right way, this is where it starts. Search for Hike Club Grand Canyon on Facebook and join our conversation today.
Brian:The top of South Kaibab is an immediate plunge down a steep set of switchbacks carved directly into the Kaibab limestone cliff called the Chimney. Drops you about 230 feet in just about three tenths of a mile. The trail itself is well worn and mostly smooth here, but loose rock can make it slick. So you do have to pay attention to what you're doing. A few years back when I was doing a solo rim to river, I badly twisted my ankle on the second switchback, which ultimately made for a long day.
Brian:Alright. We've made it to the base of the chimney. Mom, good job. You're looking back up.
Sharon:That's Yeah.
Brian:That's pretty wild, isn't it?
Sharon:I keep thinking I've gotta go back up.
Brian:That's always a thing. Down is optional. Up is mandatory. But that is I mean, looking back up at that Yeah. That's pretty steep, isn't it?
Sharon:And seeing the people coming down, I didn't realize how many turns we made. Wow. Yes. But thank you, coach Arnie and Brian, for suggesting polls. They make a difference.
Brian:This is your first time using them. What have you thought so far?
Sharon:Time using them. I feel steadier.
Brian:Yeah.
Sharon:Yeah. So it's it's really a good feeling.
Brian:There's a lesson there because I'm telling you, I did the first time I did the Canyon, well, not the first time because that was way back forty years ago. But in recent times, when I came back and got back into it and I did Rim Forever for the first time several years ago, I did it without poles, and I have never ever ever been without poles since and never will be again because they make that much of a difference. Dad, have you noticed at all?
John:Well, I haven't fallen yet. That's a big accomplishment for me because the last two times I came down here with you going to Cedar Ridge, I slipped and fell. So I'm hoping since I've got tread on my shoes, which is an accomplishment, and having poles, I hope I can stay upright. That's my main goal.
Brian:Poles make a difference. They're not just this there's this misconception that that it's for old people. Right? For older people. But it's not true.
Brian:I mean, that may that it may be necessary, more necessary for older people, but I'm telling you, even you youngsters out there, Poles make a huge difference, and they will improve your performance if you're into that kind of thing. So Okay.
Sharon:So
Brian:we double reason that ultramarathoners and the great trail runners of the world use poles in their races. So Yeah. Use poles. They make a difference.
John:So we double qualify since we're old.
Sharon:Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yes. Wouldn't have done it when we were younger because it would have Yeah.
Sharon:Not looked cool.
Brian:Yeah. Don't you don't worry about how you look in the canyon. You worry about performing and staying upright. Alright. That's the hardest part of the hike right there is the is the chimney of the hike we're doing today, the steepest part.
Brian:So you survived the steepest part of the hike. And, yes, you have to go back up it, but let's enjoy ourselves for now.
Sharon:I'll I'll hike my own hike.
Brian:Yes. Thank you. And don't be a vic. We're the Victor Vomit sign. Don't be a vic.
Sharon:Don't bother to do that.
Brian:Yeah. You're unfamiliar with Victor Vomit, he is a legend in the Grand Canyon Hiking Community. It's a sign posted by the park in some places below the rim that's meant to discourage day hikes to the river. On it, an illustration of a man on all fours, overcome by heat and exertion and vomiting profusely. There is little doubt that Vic has saved lives.
Brian:After the chimney, the seven tenths of a mile the famed Oo'a Point is a gradual descent, nothing steep until the riprap and steps directly above Oo'a. And Oo'a is where the canyon opens up around you for the very first time. Alright, Ma. You made it to Oo'a Point, about nine tenths of a mile down South Kaibab. You've done great.
Sharon:Thank
Brian:you. You look great. You look like you're balanced. You look like you're strong. You look like you're meeting your goals.
Brian:How are you feeling?
Sharon:I'm feeling really pretty good. I really think that, as coach Arnie says, do the work. I think I've done the work, and I think I'm gonna be okay. Yeah.
Brian:Getting the payoff.
Sharon:Getting the payoff, and it is it is gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.
Brian:Well, we're we're nine tenths of a mile. So that means in about a quarter mile, maybe a little less, you're gonna come around a corner here, and you're gonna see views that are, in my opinion, unrivaled. So I hope that you agree with that.
Sharon:Okay.
Brian:I'll lose a lot of credibility if I'm with my parents, and they say, this is just okay. So I hope that, that you guys agree with, what your eyes are seeing here pretty soon. Okay. Let's keep at it. You're looking strong, Ma.
Brian:Maybe maybe go all the way to the river today or not? What do you think?
Sharon:I I could make it to the river, but I couldn't make it back out.
Brian:Heard that more than one time. Okay. I don't wanna pick up my mom here, but hey, she was a teacher, so she'll get it. I'll frame this as a lesson even. What she said right there about thinking she could make it to the river is classic grand deception territory.
Brian:Maybe she could make it there, but maybe not. The deception in Grand Canyon hiking comes from the downhill coming before the uphill. It can feel easy going down before you really have to put in the work, and that can lead to hikers becoming overconfident and ending up much farther down the trail than they'd planned. And when they turn around and look up to where they now have to return to, the reaction can be, uh-oh. Yeah.
Brian:So don't fall for the deception, which you're especially susceptible to if it's your first time in the canyon. You're gonna be hopped up on adrenaline and awe, so don't let that lead to an unintentional bad decision. But we're only going a couple of switchbacks below Ooah today to barely a mile below the trailhead, and to what still I see as the best views below the rim on any South Rim trail.
John:What a view. Wow.
Sharon:This this people should not miss this. This is better than
Brian:Wow. Comparison.
Sharon:O'Haw. Oh my god.
John:O'Haw has the big boulders that kinda block your view. Here, there's nothing to block your view. 180 degrees. And a clear day. Look how clear it is.
Sharon:And you know what it is? You feel like you're in the canyon. I mean, you feel like you're in the canyon and you're still seeing all this.
Brian:Yeah.
Sharon:Okay, Brian. You were right. Your spot is beyond belief. It's, like I said, I'm I've got that feeling on my heart and my chest right now. It's just wonderful being here.
Sharon:So, glad we had
Sharon:the
Sharon:shade tracker hiking in the shade really made it very pleasant. We'll see how it is going back up.
Brian:Yeah. It might not be quite as pleasant on the way back out. What how have you felt physically? Because it looks like you've done pretty darn well, but now now is when the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
Sharon:Physically I mean, physically, I feel good. My knee that I that I broke bothers me a little bit, but nothing that would stop me from maybe even going a little farther if I wanted to. Now I feel good.
Brian:I'm glad that you're feeling good and and decided still that this is the time to turn around because Yeah. Most people make that mistake in the canyon where it's like, I feel good. I'm going downhill. And next thing you know, you turn around, you realize you have go back up. Dad, what do think?
John:Well, this is the third time I've come down here with you, and it's just as spectacular as the other two times. It's just fantastic. The good thing is I haven't fallen. So Oh. Don't know to to what I attribute that to, the poles and the actual hiking shoes.
John:I don't I don't know which it is, but it worked.
Brian:The experience, the chops. That helps. Yeah. It does. And and you're wearing I can't help but notice you're wearing your r to r hat, your rim to rim hat.
Brian:You did it forty years ago. Talk about something that you can never have taken away from me. Right?
John:Yeah. It's once you've earned it, you've earned it. So I bought this hat from from your website. I'm very happy to have it. I don't think they even had things like this back then.
John:I don't think they even called it rim to rim. At least we never heard the term. So glad to have it.
Brian:How do think mom's done so far?
John:She's a she's a trooper. That's all there is to it. I I knew she wouldn't have any trouble as long as her lower extremities didn't give out on her. I I she doesn't stop doing anything, so no surprise there.
Sharon:Tough. But we're only halfway. So Yeah.
John:There is that.
Sharon:Let's get at
John:it. There is that.
Brian:Now the tough part. Just over a mile and about 900 vertical feet back to the rim. This is where my mom's physical condition will really be tested. Alright. You made it past Ooah.
Brian:How are you feeling, ma?
Sharon:Well, the legs feel good, but it's different going uphill for sure. Yeah. I'm glad we stopped when we did. But, yeah, I'm I'm doing okay.
Brian:How are poles? It's good.
Sharon:I the poles make a big difference. You know? Having something to kinda use your arms as well as your legs makes a big difference.
Brian:Yeah. But overall, can you feel all the work you've done? Can you feel it?
Sharon:Yes. I can. Yes. I can. In fact, I can feel that my quads have gotten stronger.
Sharon:So yep. I like me using those terms, quads.
Brian:Coach would like it. Right?
Sharon:Yeah. Well, a year ago, I didn't know what they were probably.
Brian:So You got less less than a mile to go. That's that's doable.
Sharon:Right? Absolutely. I'll get there.
Brian:Yes. She will. And, she did. Yes, sir. That's correct.
John:I saw you tell Jerry to do that.
Brian:That's a sign. It's official.
John:If Jerry had to do it, I had to
Sharon:do Good job.
Brian:Wow. Heck, yeah.
Sharon:Yeah. That was great. Yeah. That
John:felt good, but this feels better.
Sharon:I'm glad it's over, but I am surprised at how how good I feel and how well it went.
John:Yeah. I feel good too. Yeah.
Brian:Yeah. This is awesome because this is the same place that I sat a year about a year ago now with Jerry Crank
John:Yeah.
Brian:Who we did a podcast with, and he was finishing a a rim to river at 77. And here you guys are at 78, 79. You went down past past Uwa Point I'm gonna take and slayed it. Yes. You guys crushed it.
Sharon:I know. Thank you.
Brian:How's it feel?
John:I don't think we're quite in the same shape as Jerry, but we made it. No.
Sharon:Well, Well, yeah.
Brian:Think You might be surprised if you actually put your mind into it and Yeah.
Sharon:That's right.
Brian:Put the work in. You might be doing the same thing as Jerry.
John:That's that's a lot of work. I don't think I'm up to
Sharon:that. Yeah.
Sharon:Yeah. Everything Jerry said was true, you know, about just get over the fear and and do the work. You know, it's it's whatever inspired him, good for him. And thank you, Brian. This will be one of my favorite Grand Canyon memories.
Sharon:Maybe we'll do it again when we're 80.
Brian:I think you'll have to.
Sharon:Okay.
John:Speak for yourself. Yeah.
Brian:There he goes again, talking about how he's never doing it again.
John:Yeah. Yeah. I will say this about the poles. I was a definitely was a skeptic. I'd never used poles, but, I'm a believer now, especially
Brian:practice the
John:day. On the way up. That made a huge difference. I can feel it in my arms. So that meant I was transferring it from my legs to my arms.
Sharon:Yes.
John:So that worked. It worked. Going down, I felt it was funny. I felt I was more cautious going because I had to place the poles, more cautious than without the without the poles. But coming up, I I would never do it again without well, I'll never do it again, period.
Brian:But if I did, it
John:would be it would be with poles.
Brian:I don't know. I feel like there's a lot of there's a lot of practice when it comes to using poles.
John:Oh, I believe that.
Brian:And you get better with with experience. And so you mentioning I could tell you guys both when you were going down with the poles. I was like, don't be shy. Force those things into the ground. Use them.
Sharon:Yes.
Brian:You guys are being a little, you know, gentle with them, I feel like that's that's where more maybe more coordination and just experience helps with the with the poles. But going up, I'm glad that they helped you so much. Oh.
Sharon:Well, going down, they help with balance. Yeah. You know, and if you started if there was a slippery spot, it gave you confidence. You know, like, I know I can put my foot there because I'm like a tripod. So it was they that's a great invention.
John:Yeah. I never I never got the rhythm going down, but coming up, you definitely get a rhythm with pulling yourself up pulling yourself up all those steps. It made a huge difference.
Brian:Yeah. Yeah. You guys are still looking fresh?
Sharon:I feel good. I feel good. Fine. Yeah. Yeah.
Brian:So what would your message be? And this is more for mom because I think she'll be more philosophical than you will, dad. Sorry. Just what would your what would your, I don't know, advice be for someone your age, late seventies, into their eighties? You know, you just did something big and something I think you're you're gonna be proud of and you're always gonna remember and always gonna look back on.
Brian:So is it a matter of not making excuses? Is it a matter of getting yourself as strong as you can be and and get that real functional strength that you guys have built by going to the to the YMCA, like you said? What is it, and what would you say to someone who thinks, oh, I can't do this anymore. I'm too old.
Sharon:Well, I'd first say go back and listen to what Jerry said in his podcast about the inspiration and things like that. I think it's just getting started. Like, I was always active, but I had never done workout routines in my entire life.
Brian:And
Sharon:after I hurt my knee, a friend suggested, let's go to the Y. And I started. And at that age, you know, you don't worry about what anybody's thinking of you. You just go do what you can do, and you very quickly see improvement or at least I did. And then it's just a matter of staying with it.
Sharon:And I gotta tell you, coming up those steps, I kind of enjoyed that because one of the things we work on with balance is high stepping. And I I kinda thought, oh, I can do this and put my foot right up there. So I think it's just getting started and finding a community, which most communities are very welcoming and just encouraging you. So go for it.
John:Yeah. I I would say somebody my age, I would not advise them to do this if they've never done any exercise. I I don't do a lot of exercising, but I do walk three miles every morning. And so I'm used to walking, I think that makes a difference. So if somebody's gonna do it my age, I hope they at least do a little preparation and not just start because it I think it it would be really tough for somebody like somebody that's my age.
Brian:Man, don't know. You say that you walk three miles a day and you don't do much exercise. That's a that's a lot of exercise and you do it consistently too. It's part of your routine.
John:I do it every single day.
Sharon:And you do your own yard work. You do a lot of Yeah. Work exercise.
Brian:Up on the roof of your RV for crying out loud. Washing in Right.
John:Right. Much to my wife's dismay. Yes. Right. Right.
John:Yeah. No. I do that. But
Sharon:Yeah.
John:I don't I'm you just starting to go to the y like she's been going for a year and I'm just starting. And so I think that's gonna be helpful for balance and for strength because I don't get a lot of upper body workout. So I think that's gonna help a lot.
Brian:And at this point, it becomes at your age, it becomes that foundational strength, you know, the the the strength that's gonna help you live longer and live better and not be worried about maybe falls as much as you would be if you weren't if you didn't have that strength. Is that is that am I right there?
John:Yeah. I've read that over and over again. That's that's what people say. It's the foundation to build that strength, especially for your balance so you don't fall. I mean, people at our age fall, and that can be it for them.
John:You know? That's the end of their active life. So I don't want that to happen to me. I'm not that active, but I wanna keep keep walking anyway.
Brian:Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we joke about it, but it's at some point, it becomes staying on the right side of the ground as long as possible. Right?
Sharon:Staying upright as I always say.
Brian:Yeah.
Sharon:Try to stay upright.
John:That seems to be my goal. Yeah. Stay on the up upside. Yeah. Yeah.
Brian:Mom, would you have thought have thought it that all these years later, you know, it's been forty years, we just said, forty years since we hiked Rim to Rim, since you brought Michael and I. And we hiked rim to rim as a family with a big group and, you know, a core lifetime memory. Mhmm. I'm sure you probably never thought about it, but could you mean, forty years later
Sharon:Mhmm.
Brian:Here you are at 78 years old. Mhmm. And you just, you know, just accomplished a a big hike in the in the Grand Canyon. So isn't it amazing how this place you love so much Mhmm. Tests you, inspires you Mhmm.
Brian:And keeps and keeps giving to you?
Sharon:Mhmm. Yeah. It's I turned to your dad when we were down at Olaf Point, and I said, fifty eight years. That's how long we're soon going to be married. And I couldn't have imagined that we would be hiking the Grand Canyon.
Sharon:Maybe not the whole thing, but we already have earned that. I just yeah. I I think it's enjoying life as long as you can. Whatever brought us here to the Grand Canyon State, I feel blessed. Yes.
Sharon:And, again, thank you, Brian. I never thought we would be hiking the Grand Canyon with you after all of these years. It's nice to see that you share that love, you know, especially with your mother.
John:Yes. Well,
Brian:thank you for giving me life. I appreciate it. Mhmm. And thank you for inspiring me to love this place as as you do. And, you know, I like I always say, we're just getting started.
Brian:You know? This this love of the Grand Canyon that you've put off on me is manifested itself in a lot of ways with the podcast and our Facebook group and just helping everyone hike their best hike, which is just the Yeah. I agree. The it it's it's what gets me up in the morning. It's what keeps me doing this stuff.
Brian:It's not about selling backpacks and selling shirts and things like that. That's what helps keep it possible, but it's about helping people have the best possible Grand Canyon experience.
Sharon:You did today,
Brian:And Thank
John:you, guys.
Sharon:Say. Hike your best hike. Hike your
Brian:best hike. That's right. Oh, yeah. Well, thank you guys for doing this Thank today. Thank you for inviting me up.
Brian:It was a joy, and this will become another of my core Grand Canyon memories that I will never forget. So thank you. Love you guys.
Sharon:Love you too.
John:Yeah. Thanks thanks for taking us. It was awesome. Oh, we
Sharon:love you guys.
Brian:Yeah. Awesome it was. My parents on a quick adventure the three of us will never forget. The only thing the only thing would have made it better is if my brother Michael could have been there as well, but hey, maybe there's a special family reunion at The Canyon coming sometime soon. It is a place that we all love and none of us can wait to return to.
Brian:Well, I was surprised to hear my mom talk about Coach Arnie so much. But you know what? I hear that all the time. What Coach teaches obviously resonates, especially with older hikers who might think they're too old or not able to get themselves into shape again to do something as audacious as hiking the Grand Canyon. But over and over, we learn the opposite is true.
Brian:My folks are just the latest example of those making the decision to get active again and make no excuses. Well, kinda wild that my parents took my brother and I on our first rim to rim in 1986, and we wouldn't know it at the time of course, but that was the same year that coach Arne was igniting his passion for helping older athletes.
Arnie:I started my aging research in 1986 at Arizona State University, and back then, which is forty years ago, old was considered 55. Ain't that crazy? 55. And now at almost 67, almost seems kinda crazy, but so here we go. Now it's accepted that anyone at any age can get better if they train correctly.
Arnie:So knowing that, what do we older athletes or hikers need to be aware of? Let's let's go over a couple things. First of all, we must be healthy, and that's something that I talk about all the time. We must be healthy, and then we must learn how to properly train. And that's a big one, because a lot of people will be moving or training, but are they doing the right things?
Arnie:Because as we get older, overtraining is easier. It becomes easier to overtrain, which causes lots of problems, and it also forces a lot of people to stop doing what they love to do, like hiking. Okay? So what's next here? We must learn good recovery strategies, meaning, you know, active rest not total rest, because sometimes you may go to the doctor and they'll say, doing something, but that's not always the best thing.
Arnie:We must learn how to do active rest as we're healing. We also need to learn how to eat better, we need to learn how to sleep better, all these good things that are becoming available. We need to learn how to do these things as we get older if we wanna keep doing the things we want to do, like hiking. And if that's what you wanna do, then you will do those things. That's why I call it earning.
Arnie:If you earn the right to hike a big hike, a big mountain, then it feels so much better because you're doing the things that most people our age don't wanna do. Look around. You know, people in their sixties and seventies aren't as plentiful as the younger folks because they stop doing the things necessary to do the big adventures. It doesn't mean they can't do them, it means they don't want to do them because they're not willing to do what's necessary. The next point here, proper strength training is a must.
Arnie:This was a gold standard back forty years ago. We were just learning the importance of strength training because when I first started my research, people didn't think that people older could get stronger. Now that's that's way back in history. Everybody knows that older folks, I'm talking about 90 and a 100 even, can get stronger if they train properly. So what's your excuse?
Arnie:There is none, except are you willing to do the necessary things to get stronger? And that's super important. Okay? Because it leads to our last point, which is the positive mindset. To me, this is probably the most important thing.
Arnie:You know, one of my coaches, and probably the main coach, his mindset is unbelievable. He believes he can do anything even at 85. He doesn't he doesn't even think about it. He just does it. That mindset like that is so important, and it's so hard to develop too, especially if you haven't had it.
Arnie:But it doesn't mean it's impossible. It means you still can do it. So let's finish up here. Listen. All these points are possible for you as an older hiker.
Arnie:So if you still wanna do big things, I don't care how old you are, if you earn it, you can do it. There's nothing you can't do. I've had some really neat ladies and men that I've trained here recently, and they are doing things in progression. They are going my sister started off by just walking up a a small hill. You've also seen, you know, Mihaela going up the mountain to the top.
Arnie:All these all these individuals started off very small, and they kept building and building and building. And guess what? Before you know it, they're on top of the mountain, and any of us can do that. You just start where you're at, and you keep moving, and you keep showing small progress. You don't take everything in one big gulp, you take everything in little pieces.
Arnie:I promise you it works. It's always work, and it will continue to work. Okay? So if you have any questions, you can always reach out to me. I'd love to hear from you and give you some tips and strategies on what to do next.
Arnie:But right now, coach Arnie's advice is you start. Okay? And get healthy and then get moving. Love you guys.
Brian:The ageless, coach Arnie and his timeless advice. You can also reach out to him if you'd like to discuss your own health or getting yourself healthy and in shape for whatever your dream adventure might be. If it's the canyon, great. If it's something else, great. Coach just wants you to be healthy.
Brian:Coach Arnie is an exercise physiologist by trade, and his contact information is in the show notes. He is famous for picking up the phone when he can, and he will always get back to you. That is his dedication to everyone here on the podcast and in our hike club Grand Canyon Facebook group as well. You can find Coach in there along with me, and everybody else who's just about every everybody everybody who's ever been on the show is in the hike club Grand Canyon Facebook group as well, so a wealth of information there. It is summer, everybody.
Brian:Be safe out there. Look toward fall or winter or early spring if you can for the best Grand Canyon hiking conditions. It does make a difference. And please again check out our hiking day packs. They were born below the rim and with their front pockets and insulated hydration compartment made to help you hike your best hike and have your best possible Grand Canyon experience.
Brian:Grab one for yourself at hiking.club. That's hikin.club. If you wanna support the show and all the free resources we offer, our Facebook group, YouTube channel, the Grand Canyon Shade Tracker, and so much more, this is the way to do it. We are a tiny family business trying to compete with the big boys. It is tough out there, believe me, but we do it with heart and because we want everyone to make amazing memories in the place that we love so much.
Brian:Alright. That is it for now. My name is Brian Special, encouraging you as always. No matter how old you are, go hike the canyon. Take that first step.
Brian:Embrace the journey. And when you get there, whether it's for time goals or taking your time, just hike your own hike and savor every step in the magnificent Grand Canyon. We'll see you next time on the Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show powered by Hiken. Find out more at hiken.club. That's hikin.club.