As told to Mary L. Peachin, photos courtesy of Janice Hanson and the Arizona Office of Tourism
Vol. 11 No. 1
“It was a walk in humility and pride, pain and strength, fear and love. I will forever treasure every step. But, holy cow! It was HARD!-Janice Hanson
Just the anticipation of hiking the Grand Canyon non-stop from Rim to Rim to Rim, a distance of 48 miles and twenty thousand feet of elevation change and a time challenge of less than 24 hours, made my stomach flip. My husband Joe and I had arrived at the South Rim early in the afternoon, plenty of time for a look-see at a ledge overlooking the incredibly beautiful chasm. My heart was pounding with excitement and anxiety. Hazy afternoon shadows made the North Rim appear so very far away. As we walked along the paved footpath, we tried to rationalize the distance, any inspiration that would make the span between rims appear closer. No way, this was going to be a very long hike.