Looking into the depths of the Grand Canyon. Courtesy photo

BY WILLIAM PRIEDHORSKY
Los Alamos Mountaineers

The Tuesday, Nov. 28 Mountaineers meeting will be in-person, with a hybrid adjunct. Mike Fugate will speak about exploring the Grand Canyon by leaving the trails behind.

The trails in the Grand Canyon are busy, often reserved to capacity months beforehand. Fugate does it differently. He writes: “My first backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon was in 1985.  Before the trip ended, I was hooked on Grand Canyon hiking.  After a few short backpacking trips on established trails, my interests turned to longer loop hikes in the remote backcountry, especially trips starting on the north rim.”  

“In October of 2023, 6 of us set out on a 10-day loop hike that began on the north rim near Tiyo Point.  Our route did not follow any established trails.  We bushwhacked through thorn bushes and cacti gardens, rock-hopped along creek beds, and scrambled through cliffs to circumambulate 6 massive geological features, such as Shiva Temple and Tower of Ra.”

Mike has lived in Los Alamos for 27 years.  He worked at LANL for 25 years as a statistician until he retired in 2021.  He now spends his time playing tennis, rafting, hiking, backpacking, climbing 13ers and 14ers, mountain biking, skiing, and volunteering for the Park Service and the USDA. 

We welcome all to the Mountaineers’ meeting, on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – the Mountaineers would love to see you and meet you. Registration is at https://peecnature.org/events/details/?id=50153.