Planning this trip has taken more effort than any trip I ever took.  Getting a permit to hike into the canyon was the trickiest.  It seems the time of year I am going and the trails I have planned are the most popular. Since there is apparently only room enough in the Grand Canyon for a few people at a time (grin), I had to be creative to get the Park Rangers to approve my permit.  I wish I were joking!

This is the first time I have ever camped and hiked depending on a backpack.  Likewise, I have never needed to plan on water consumption for survival.  The warnings by the Rangers and all the internet posts and videos were quite clear and even foreboding about carefully planning water intake and refills.  I am a little worried about getting decent sleep since I will need to depend on a sleeping bag with no room in my backpack for rolls of foam or an air mattress to pad my aging shoulders and hips.  Guess I will depend on old-fashioned exhaustion to put me to sleep.

So the schedule is...
Week prior:  Facilitate, moderate and present a 4-day series of training and educational session to the GS1 Community.  Clock-watch for the conference to end in the middle of the afternoon of Day One of my trip.
Day One: rent the Harley and ride all afternoon and evening to get to the rim of the Canyon.  Stopping to take pics often.  Should be 6-8 hour trip starting at about 4 PM.  Find a cozy patch of state lands to sleep.
Day Two: Rise at 4 AM and ride to head of trail where I will emerge on Day 3.  Park bike and take shuttle to head of trail where I will go down.  Start the hike immediately as the temperatures (110s) prevent hiking from 10 am to 4 pm.  I should make it to the bottom by 10 am.  Then short day hikes in the bottom and nap in the shade. Sleep in designated sleeping area that night.
Day Three:  rise at 4 am and start hike out of canyon.  Should finish by 10 am.  Site see that day around rim.  Maybe sleep in state lands on rim, or, maybe ride part of way back to Vegas and sleep anywhere I can find.
Day Four:  finish ride and drop bike off in Vegas.  Head to airport and fly home.
Day Five:  Sleep in and wake excited to go to Mike's graduation ceremony!!

Here is one of the trails I will be on:

I will post my entire trail route in the future so you will know where to send the Medivac if I fail to blog!  I am told cell signals are strong in most of the canyon.  Too bad remote Yardley PA can't figure out how to offer strong signals.

Later y'all, must get back to work...