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Area residents plan Grand Canyon trip
 | | Local and area residents preparing for their hike in the Grand Canyon are, from left: Joy Cooper, Heather Newmarker, Pam Pace, Debbie Ratliff, Terry Byer, and Doug Cooper. (Photo courtesy Pam Pace) |
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MILLBORO - "Live your life for the stories you can tell later" is perhaps the motto of two longtime friends, Pam Hepler Pace and Joy Cooper. In their earlier life, they were big fans of white-water canoeing and this was their adventure of choice when they first became good friends.
Now they are involved in preparation for the hike of a lifetime É going down into the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Pam had wanted to make this trip for several years but somehow couldn't get a group interested. Whether it was planetary alignment, or the time was just right, 2007 gave her an opportunity to find people who wanted to go. The interest to hike was so great that it became necessary for two scheduled groups to make reservations the same month in the year of 2006. In early November, two groups will hike into the Canyon, spend two nights at Phantom Ranch, and hike out on the third day.
Leading the first group will be Heather Newmarker, a Bath County resident, and Debbie Ratliff of Goshen. These two women were able to get a group of seven people to agree to go with them. Pam's group also has seven people.(Getting reservations requires one to phone 13 months in advance and the competition is fierce. The two groups tried unsuccessfully to get reservations for the month of October. Their determination would not stop until they were successful. (The Grand Canyon hike is a difficult feat due to the extreme elevation descent and ascent. Hikers will drop into the Canyon on trails that are 7.5 miles and consists of an elevation change of 7,000 feet. This hike is done in a desert climate, which requires hikers to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
All participants have been meeting regularly to hike different terrains. Armed with good maps and suggestions of the community, they have practiced hiking on several trails in Douthat State Park. Beard's Mountain proved to be an excellent choice with plenty of ups and downs. Heather wishes to give her appreciation to the Bath County Wellness Center for giving her a training regimen to help her make the trip enjoyable. The group has shared books and e-mails to further encourage the participants.
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