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hiker woman - Karen Parrow

I'm lucky to live in the Pacific Northwest and to have a career with summers off so that I can take advantage of backpacking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail whenever the muse and weather conditions align. More recently I strayed from home and backpacked Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon with my then husband-to-be, Paul. Call it a pre-honeymoon. Had we not gotten along famously along the trail, would there have been a wedding? For the actual honeymoon, we took a more civilized route and spent a week in Italy. Where to next? Kenya? back to Belize? Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands?

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Joined on: July 23rd 2004
Last Login: November 29th 2008

Blog Entries: 7
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by hiker woman, order by Date newest first.

By hiker woman
April 7th 2005

Rome (il Papa morto) Europe » Italy » Lazio » Rome

The line
to pay respects to Giovanni Paulo (Pope John Paul II)

Roma. With millions of pilgrims flooding into the city and taking the Metro to the same stop as the one nearest our hotel, we opted for a cab. Probably not the cheapest solution by any means. Many of the roads leading to our hotel which is located one block from Vatican City were closed to motor traffic so our cabbie took us the long way around. It beat the line for the overflowing Metro and we had an above ground tour guide. We checked in, checked our tour book for places to eat dinner and then headed out to take a [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
April 4th 2005

Three Days in Florence Europe » Italy » Tuscany » Florence

Duomo - Santa Maria del Fiori
Pink, green and white Tuscan marble facade

What a difference a few (million?) cars make! Florence: a dramatic Vespa-infested change from the pedestrian city of Venice. Florence just reverberates with cars and Vespas zipping by, but the energy is invigorating even if stepping off the curb to cross the street can be a bit intimidating. After finding our hotel, the Residenze Anitca Dimora Firenze, which turned out to be a fantastic place to stay - oh so quiet and within easy walking distance of most of the sites - we headed out to find the Duomo which was easy to do as the dome is easily glimpsed from [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
April 1st 2005

Honeymooning in Italy - Venice Europe » Italy » Veneto » Venice

View from Our Hotel

Venice: a feast for our sleep-deprived senses. Pigeons, gulls, the clickity-clack of suitcase wheels on cobblestone. Brightly painted gondola poles. Salt air. Church bells ringing. Stepping out of the train station we felt, for the first time since leaving home, that we’d entered another time and place. Sunset cast a beautiful glow over the well-worn, but still elegant buildings along the Grand Canal. Even the air we breathed reeked of history. Dragging our suitcases behind us, we made our way across the Scalzi Bridge to our nearby hotel, [url=http://www.venice-hotel.carltongrandcana [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
July 9th 2004

Indian Gardens to the South Rim North America » United States » Arizona » Grand Canyon National Park

Sunrise
Illuminating the South Rim

Last day and ready to be done. We’d eaten as much as possible during our stay at Indian Gardens, yet the packs felt heavier than when we started. Being accustomed to the oxygen rich air at sea level, it was easy to feel winded on the climb out. There doesn’t seem to be enough air at 6,000 feet. To me this was more of an obstacle than the heat. I’d hate to experience Everest. Suffice it to say, we switchbacked forever on our way to the top with the view back into the canyon improving with every step. Once the red [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
July 8th 2004

Bright Angel to Indian Gardens North America » United States » Arizona » Grand Canyon National Park

Bridge over the Colorado

Up again at 4 am. Breakfast reservations for 5 am. YUMMY. Scrambled eggs, pancakes with butter and maple syrup, fresh juice, coffee, peaches, ICE water. We both ate our fill and then some. Had a very pleasant conversation with a couple from Sweden traveling with twin girls. They were maximizing their time in The Canyon by traveling back and forth between Cottonwood and Bright Angel Campgrounds. The dad kept reminding the girls (about 10 years old, I’d guess) to eat big. It’s surprising how much food and how many calories your body burns through just trying to stay cool let alone [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
July 7th 2004

Cottonwood to Bright Angel Campground North America » United States » Arizona » Grand Canyon National Park

Ribbon Falls

I was awake by 3:30 so we decided to get up and broke camp by moonlight trying not to wake others camped close by. However, by the time we were ready to head down the trail nearly everyone was up and following suit. The sky was just beginning to lighten; the temperature in the mid 70’s as we set off for Bright Angel Campground and the Colorado River. With the early start we had plenty of time for a side trip to Ribbon Falls - an amphitheater surrounded by dark red cliffs of Shinumo quartzite. After the desert environment of cacti [View Full Entry]

By hiker woman
July 6th 2004

Rim to Rim North America » United States » Arizona » Grand Canyon National Park

Into the Canyon

After a restful night's sleep in a rustic (they weren't kidding) lodge near the north rim of the Grand Canyon, the alarm on my watch woke us at 4 am. Not being an early riser, I was surprised at how awake I was; the lure of the Canyon was greater than the desire to roll over and go back to sleep. It wasn't too much later and we were standing on the rim peering into the depths. "We're going down there?!" 6,000 feet down spread out over 14 miles didn't sound nearly as far as it looked in the still gray [View Full Entry]

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hiker woman | Karen Parrow | Travel Blog

hiker woman - Karen Parrow

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