Effective Communication Skills

Few things create the level of bonding and healing for a family as a Grand Canyon hike down to the Colorado River and back out. There are three reasons why it is so effective, and it’s OK if you don’t have the physical fitness to do it, or if you have small kids – I have some solutions for you!

Grand canyon hiking tours

First, the reasons why a hiking trip into the Grand Canyon is so beneficial for families. The primary reason is that the Grand Canyon is an incredibly special place: a canyon eroded by hundreds of millions of years of running water and blowing wind. It’s literally a 4000 foot deep chasm sliced down the middle of a huge plateau with a wild and incredibly scenic river thundering through the bottom of it. Desert flowers, wildlife, waterfalls, springs, rapids, and views that astound even the most cynical of people define a Canyon experience completely. It’s very difficult to not look out at the Canyon from the rim after spending 3 or 4 days in the bottom and not feel total gratitude for being alive in that moment. And that gratitude is the life blood of family relationships.

Grand canyon hikes

Second, small groups of people living in the wilderness is the basic environment that human beings evolved for the vast majority of the past 70,000 years. It feels correct, and it creates the space for emotions and more difficult feelings to be worked with openly. In other words, it opens up communication channels.

Third, hiking the Canyon is an achievement. Families, like any other teams, are happier when they are winning and are less happy when they are not winning. A hike into the Canyon is an achievement for the family. It isn’t easy, it is challenging, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so effective.

Grand canyon hiking vacations

If you aren’t physically fit enough to do a Grand Canyon hike, then I’ve got some solutions. First, you may be in shape enough to hike without a pack, and if you are, then there are mule services to carry your gear down and back up, so you don’t have to do it. The mules are also a great solution for families with young children. Another solution is to book the trip several months out and start training – if you aren’t in shape for it, then get into shape and make it a mechanism for being healthier. If neither of those solutions will work, then another option is to do a Grand Canyon rafting trip with day hikes from the bottom.