BackpackGearTest.org

I'm on my way to being a "gear tester" for BackpackGearTest.org. I discovered this site by accident while cruising the web and looking for gear reviews. Click on the link at the bottom of my blog page to see their site. It's a place for folks like us...outdoorspeople...to get honest reviews of all kinds of gear. I've posted one "owners review" on Cabela's 7 pocket hiker shorts. Click here to read my review. Anyone can join, although they have lots of rules. But I'm hoping to get my 2nd review posted soon, and then I'm eligible to get free gear to test! (I sure could use a good pair of hiking poles - hint, hint)

This is a sketch I did of O'Neill Butte from Cedar Ridge on South Kaibab Trail at the canyon.

My next hiking adventure is planned for New Years Day. I'll be hiking down to the bottom of the canyon. Got a 4 day hike planned, so I'm hoping to get lots of sketching done down there. I'll post them when I get back 'up top'. We've had lots of snow here lately, so I'll let you know how my "YakTrax" work on a snowy trail, and hopefully how the champagne tastes after a great day hiking in Grand Canyon.

Itinerary is as follows:
Jan 1 - South Kaibab trail to Bright Angel Campground
Dinner at Phantom Ranch
Jan 2 - Bright Angel Campground
Jan 3 - Breakfast at Phantom, then hike out Bright Angel Trail to Indian Garden
Camp at Indian Garden Campground
Jan 4 - Hike out Bright Angel Trail to the rim

This will be my first time all the way down to the bottom, so wish me luck! I'm not too worried as we're spreading it out pretty good, and I did the Indian Garden to the rim in a little over 4 hours last time.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year. See you on the trail!