By Annette Cinelli

There are lots of options for vacations, but this year, why not consider something truly different? Visit and hike the Grand Canyon, one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the country. Brian Lane, an avid hiker who grew up in North Brookfield and currently resides in a small ranch near Sedona, Arizona, describes himself as “called to the canyon” and has hiked it numerous times. He even self-published a book, Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion: A Guide to Hiking and Backpacking the Most Popular Trails Into the Canyon, which you can pick up at Amazon.com or ask for at your local bookstore.

Growing up in North Brookfield, Brian loved being out in nature and taking walks in the woods. Some of his favorite New England hikes are “The White Mountains, NH, Green Mountains, VT, and Acadia National Park.” He studied at several local universities including Clark University, where he studied fine arts. A former member of the Marine Corps, he also studied photography, computers, media, and horticulture.

Brian became interested in hiking when he moved to Arizona in 1992. On his first hike in the Grand Canyon, he went with his then-girlfriend, her 50-something year old mother, her mother’s friend, and a couple of younger kids. Since then, he has traveled the inner canyon trails as part of nearly 30 overnight trips.

Hiking the Grand Canyon is not a vacation for everyone. Some people hate the “harsh desert environment;” but others, like Brian, revel in “the beauty of the colors…and the harshness that makes completing the hike a challenge.” When asked about the best part of hiking the Grand Canyon, Brian compares it to banging your head against a wall ~ it feels so good when you stop. He says that one of the best parts is the sense of accomplishment you feel once you complete the challenge of the hike.

Brian has seen a lot of amazing things while hiking the canyon. One in particular that stands out for him is a waterfall that comes directly out of the canyon wall from an underground water source. He also enjoys taking photos of some of the “most visually stunning geological features you can find.”

A Grand Canyon hike is not like others you may have been on. It is one of the most challenging hikes and each year 250 people must be rescued from the Grand Canyon. If you give up or do something stupid, it will cost you upwards of $10,000.00 to be airlifted out! Don’t be put off by that statistic, though: you don’t have to worry about that happening as long as you prepare yourself physically and mentally.

Brian’s book offers lots of advice for novice hikers looking to experience the Grand Canyon. He offers information on permits, lodging, trails, and potential mishaps along with gorgeous photographs he took himself. The most important piece of advice he stresses is to be prepared. He strongly suggests training for your Grand Canyon trip by hiking at a steady incline for about 3 miles. He notes that to train for a canyon, you don’t need to hike a canyon, just as runners don’t train for marathons by running 26 miles.

His mishap section offers advice on everything from floods to rock slides to getting lost. The best parts of these sections focus on how to avoid these disasters in the first place. To not get lost he recommends always sticking to the trail and keeping your eyes glued on it and where you are going. He also urges hikers to tell someone not on the hike the route you are taking and when you expect to be back. An experienced hiker, he is still always sure to tell his wife when he expects to be home and when he will be out of the canyon and able to call her.

Brian urges novice hikers to never hike the Grand Canyon alone. He feels it is a trip best enjoyed by a small group of friends or family. He says four is a good number of people for having a lot of fun and developing a good group dynamic. If you go as a pair, make sure you are compatible hiking partners! If one of you wants to get up early and hit the trail but another wants to sleep in, you aren’t going to have a very good trip.

According to Brian, one of the best times of year to hike the Grand Canyon is winter. It may be snowy and icy at the top, but as you descend, the temperature can change as drastically as 20 degrees warmer. It is a very peaceful time to visit the canyon. He has never been hiking in the summer ~ as a former New Englander, he just “…can’t stand that kind of heat!” The most popular months to hike the Grand Canyon are October and November; the canyon is very crowded during this time so if you are going then, be sure to make reservations for your permit and lodging.

If you are looking for a vacation where you can really get away from it all ~ cell phones, computers, Blackberries ~ and interact with the people in your life, a hiking trip to the Grand Canyon may be the way to go. Brian describes it as “…interacting with each other on a much more intimate basis” and says that “…The camaraderie I’ve developed with people I’ve hiked with is so much stronger than other types of friendships. You’ve shared an experience that not many people share in life, without all the extraneous media and noise getting in the way.” You also learn more about not just your friends, but yourself, when you take on a challenge like hiking the Grand Canyon.

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Hikernut’s Grand Canyon Companion: A Guide to Hiking and Backpacking the Most Popular Trails Into the Canyon

National Best Books 2007 Award in the Travel: Guides Category!

2008 Benjamin Franklin Book Award in the Recreation/Sports Category!

Best First Book by New Publisher in the Arizona Book Publishing Association’s 2008 Book Awards!

2008 Next Generation Indie Book Award in the Travel/Travel Guides Category