CANYON SNOW; HIKE PLANS

We couldn't believe it, but last night by the time we went to bed, our picnic table sported 6" of snow, accumulated in only about 3 hours. It was slowing down by then; today it was 40*F and sunny, and it's just about gone.

Another pretty Canyon-side run, scheduled for 10 miles but ran extra to make sure I got in 10 and ended up with 11.4. I'm still going pretty slowly in the altitude but my pace felt right and it was a good run, I hardly got tired.

Journey loved the snow. I kept stopping for a few seconds to let her roll in it, make tunnels, and eat it. She found elk tracks and followed them. I stopped her after about 15 feet... I didn't want to follow elk tracks 10 miles into the woods. She was disappointed and looked hopefully into the trees to see if they had gone up there. You dumb dog, those are elk tracks, not squirrel prints. Well... if you're a dog and know that squirrels hide out in trees... why not elk?

Tomorrow we're hiking down into the Canyon a ways... not all the way down, but down in. Kaibab Trail, for you folks who know the Canyon. No real distance planned.... just however far we get before we decide that's about as far back up as we want to tackle. They say allow one-third of your time to go down to wherever you're going; two-thirds to hike back up.

Weather is supposed to be nice, mostly sunny, reaching 62*F at the rim (it gets warmer as you go down.) Yesterday I spent a couple hours revising my backpack, not just for this hike, but to have it ready to go anywhere anytime. Doing that seemed to lift my mood... the depression of the last couple days is gone.

Backpack supplies:
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Antiseptic cleansing wipes
Antibiotic ointment
Band-aids
A & D ointment (for chafing and blisters)
Little Kleenex packs
Comb (pulls out cactus as well as tangles) and brush
Nail clippers
Tweezers
Flashlight
Batteries
Pocket mirror (good for signaling)
One-piece contraption that's a whistle, compass, air-temp thermometer, and magnifying glass
Extra contacts, case, all-purpose contact solution
Reading glasses (to see splinters etc. up close)
Foil blanket from RNR Arizona
Plastic bags from small trash size to large garbage bags
Rain poncho
Food (trail mix, PayDay bars, beef jerkey, Power Gel)
Electrolyte capsules
Duct tape
Extra socks
Long-sleeved shirt
Gloves
Tylenol, Pepto-Bismol, Imodium, Benadryl, Epi-Pen (bees)
CPR mask, rubber gloves (oh, I should put aspirin in my pill stash -- for heart attack)
Various feminine supplies (pads are very good trauma dressings)
Cigarette lighter
Small binoculars
All kinds of carabiner hooks, clips, ties, etc. to jury-rig new inventions

Big deal for a probable 5-6 hour hike, eh? My backpack has a compartment to hold a Camelback bladder, and a hole in the top for the tube. And of course I'll take a camera. Can't decide whether to take my little one that fits in a pocket, or my major Canon 300D, weighing a couple of pounds with a 28-300 lens on it. But if we see distant big-horn sheep, or a California Condor.... my little one won't do it.