OF GRAND PROPORTIONS
The
Grand Canyon encompasses 1.2 million acres, yet visitors tread
on less than 5 percent of it, which suits Walters just fine.
"For the first mile, we'll see lots of people, but then they'll
disappear," says Walters, beaming, on our first day. "By the second
day, we won't see anybody."
With education in mind, we spend our first day on the rim in a GCFI
classroom. Five of us have signed on for a three-day backpacking
trip to Horseshoe Mesa, a remote promontory in the heart of the
canyon, accessed via the Grandview Trail, which begins finely at
the rim with a well-maintained series of switchbacks, then
deteriorates from there.
Janet, Ed, Chuck, Sean, and I range in
experience (little to plenty) and age (33 to 67), but we share some
common interests.
"I'm here for the adventure of backpacking the Grand Canyon," says
Janet. "Ummm, people hardly ever fall, right?"
In the classroom, we review the importance of leave-no-trace
backpacking. We discuss proper footwear and pass around one of
Walters' socks, each student examining it as if it were a rune. We
review compass and map-reading skills, as well as the contents of
Walters' backpack. The man travels lighter than Peter Pan.
"Most people pack out of fear, not need," he says. "Ounces turn
into pounds and pounds turn into pain."