hiker woman
Karen Parrow Joined: July 23rd 2004
Logged in: February 21st 2011
Logged in: February 21st 2011
Travel Blog Posts
The line
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 peek at the line of pilgrims, get a glimpse of St. Peter’s Square, and have a nice, relaxing meal. Instead, when we saw how quickly the line of people who were paying their respects to ... read more
Duomo - Santa Maria del Fiori
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 most of the streets in the downtown area. The Duomo, a Gothic cathedral covered in pink, green and white Tuscan marble looks much like an over-the-top wedding cake. My eyes couldn’t get enough. The Santa ... read more
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, Hotel Carlton, checked in and learned that Pope John Paul II was near death. We planned to be in Rome on the 6th and 7th so we were quite curious. After watching the news for a bit we set off to explore the quiet streets around our hotel ... read more
Sunrise
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 of the Redwall Limestone and Supai Group gave way to the buff colored Coconino Sandstone, I knew we were almost done. It was at about this time that we started meeting hordes of perfumed, freshly ... read more
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 trying to stay cool while carrying a pack. On the trail again we soon came to the Silver Bridge which spans the Colorado and started the uphill segment of our journey. Standing on the bridge ... read more
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 and shrubs the vibrant green hanging gardens and cool spray of Ribbon Falls provided a visual feast. Excepting the color of the surrounding rock, we could have been back in the pacific northwest - moss, ... read more
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 and chilly dawn. (Never mind that we'd have to climb back up.) After a few moments spent contemplating what I'd gotten us into, we set off down the North Kaibab Trail. Our destination for the ... read more
