Читать книгу One Best Hike: Grand Canyon. Everything You Need to Know to Successfully Hike from the Rim to the River—and Back онлайн

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A Location Hike

Hiking is more than exercise—it is a time to be outdoors and therefore to absorb your surroundings. I am always a little disappointed to pass people so intent on reaching a destination or staring so closely at the bottoms of their hiking poles that they don’t notice the flowers, the rocks, the birds, or the general landscape.

Hikes can be thought of as somewhere on a continuum from “destination hikes” to “location hikes.” On a destination hike the sights along the way are overshadowed by those at the end point—many a summit hike or walk through forest to a spectacular lake fits into this category—and hikers are mostly forgiven for just trekking to the end. On a location hike, there is something new and spectacular to see every few steps down the trail, yet no single location that is universally judged “most beautiful.” Hikes in the Grand Canyon are the ultimate location hikes, so plan an itinerary that gives you down time—be that many extra five-minute breaks to see what you pass or an extra day to give you more time to wander around.