Prologue: Geesh. . .talk about a busy email bout after the Grand Canyon virtual tour series was posted last week! Well, that's what I get for opening a hiking Pandora's box for our illustrious community. That being said, I decided not to respond individually to all those many requests (i.e., "I'm planning on visiting your 'other office' and I want to do what you suggested by getting my head below the rim. . .can you suggest a trail or two that I might enjoy?") Seriously, the requests have more or less all gone like this, and of course I can't really say what a person may or may not enjoy given a Grand Canyon hiking experience. However, since everything comes down to one's stamina, as well as how much time s/he has to hike, I composed a more or less generic profile of a few hiking trails, a rather detailed description, that may be helpful in a generic sense.
Medical Advice...Just In Case: Although this salient information was previously mentioned in the Grand Canyon series posted last weekend, I think it's worthy mentioning the second time: When hiking in the canyon you really want and need to be aware of common ailments that could turn serious, and in some cases, lethal. For example, a medical condition known as hyponatremia. It’s a long word for hikers who experience an electrolyte imbalance. In short, sodium concentration in the serum (blood plasma) is lower than normal. Another way to think about it is how an excess body water entails diluting the serum sodium. Simply not good! A sure sign something’s awry with your body, and caused by dehydration, is an old fashioned cephalalgia. That’s a fancy word for headache. I mention this because those who do understand the benefit of drinking water when a headache comes on, especially at higher elevation levels, tend to drink and not eat.
By the way, do not confuse any of the above with hypoxia, which denotes a pathological condition that deprives an adequate oxygen supply. Sure, hypoxia, in its most general sense, is a threat to people who ascend to high altitude, thus causing altitude sickness. Even if some of you are flat-landers coming from much lower elevations, being on either rim is not a threat to one’s health. I mean, there’s really no need to worry about the danger of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE, as it’s commonly called), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Consider this little additional talk on health sound medical advice and nothing more. I also think it’s better to be forewarned than not informed about such stuff, don’t you agree?
And that, folks, is what this special supplement is all about, including why I wrote this diary that hopefully will appease most readers. There will also be more matter and less art in this diary (i.e., more chit-chat and fewer photos). Besides, it's better to focus on the trail description and less the spectacular scenery, otherwise you might lose your way!