| by Jason | 6 Comments » | Adventures, North America, United States
Backpacking Classmates
We were looking for a challenging outdoor adventure, but we knew we didn’t exactly have the experience to do it safely on our own. Once we decided on our destination, the Grand Canyon, we began researching guided hikes and camping. The Grand Canyon is a World Heritage Site which encompasses 1,218,375 acres and lies on the Colorado Plateau in northwestern Arizona. Our goal was to experience the Canyon to the fullest; that can only be done by hiking to the very bottom.
The park offers a variety of choices to experience the inside of the Canyon; guided tours, mule trips, river trips, hiking and camping. If you are interested in backpacking and camping on your own you must acquire a backcountry permit. The permits are very challenging to obtain due to the volume of requests, but the organizations conducting the guided hikes all have access to those permits. Our research led us to the Grand Canyon Field Institute, a program of the Grand Canyon Association (GCA), which focuses on educating park visitors about the cultural and natural history of the Grand Canyon. The classes specialize in various topics such as cultural education, photography, wilderness, women, family classes and much more. The term class is used to emphasize education, but this is unlike any class you have taken before. There is a class for everyone; from beginner backpackers to experienced outdoor enthusiasts. The institute was easily accessible via phone and email, and was very courteous while assisting us to choose the class that was best suited for us. We decided on Introductory Backpacking: Colorado River. It was exactly what we were looking for; adventurous, educational, and challenging. (more…)
