We booked a guided backpacking tour in the Grand Canyon with REI Adventures. The trip is rated as “strenuous” and requires a training schedule and a doctor’s approval. The approval was the easy part. We are supposed to do a weekly hike, with increasing distance to 10+ miles and weight to 35 lb., in addition to cross-training 2-3 times per week. First, I hiked with our son James in the White Mountains in April. Then, Dan and I began taking short jaunts in Boxford with dumbbells or sand bags in our packs. We moved on to Mt. Wachusett after a month. Then my sister joined me in Ireland for a visit to my daughter Rachel. I dragged them up Ireland’s tallest mountain and endured their complaints of sore muscles. My muscles were fine after my training, and I tried not to sound smug. After returning home, Dan and I tackled several peaks in New Hampshire, including a couple of overnight backpacking trips. We only missed one weekend due to forecasts of thunderstorms. In addition, James joined us for a long weekend of kayak camping on the Connecticut River. It was a good test of our new equipment and my recipes for dehydrated meals.
June 22 We took a group AMC trip to Mount Washington. The guides drove us partway up the auto road, but we hiked several miles around the rocky summit.
July 14 We spent 2 nights hiking on Sandwich Dome and Mt Jennings in the White Mountains. Here I am making breakfast with our small stove (pink shirt). The weather on Sandwich Dome was very cool and misty.
Roz and Dan on the road 