Health & Fitness

Canyon Trail Walking for Fitness

Meets Saturdays · 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM · on location Fall 2026 · registration open Free to audit

This class runs in the Fall 2026 session. Registration is open now; lessons, materials, and the class discussion board are posted before it begins.

This is for people who already walk an hour on the flat and want more out of it. We meet Saturdays at 9:00 AM and walk moderately hilly canyon trails at a brisker pace than a stroll, gaining some elevation as we go. You'll learn how to pace a climb so you finish it, how to come down without hurting yourself, and how to read your own breathing instead of your wrist. We'll cover water for this dry air, socks that don't wreck your feet, and how to turn around before you want to. You don't need fancy gear. You need to show up. By the end you'll have trails you can walk on your own, steady and finished.

What you'll learn

Set a sustainable pace you can hold for miles
Choose socks, shoes, and gear that prevent blisters
Read trail grades and adjust your foot placement
Descend safely by braking with your legs, not knees
Recognize heat, dehydration, and turnaround warning signs

Lessons

Before You Take a Step
What this class asks of you, what to bring, and why steady is the whole plan.
- Who this is for and who it isn't15 min
- Steady beats fast, and why I mean it18 min
- Water is not optional in this dry air20 min
- Cotton is a mistake: socks and shoes15 min
- The little you actually need to bring12 min
Walking the Flat Approach
Warming up on the easy stretch before the grade starts, and how to read your own breathing.
- A real warm-up, done slow15 min
- Breathing you can talk through18 min
- Why I put the watch away14 min
- Setting a pace you can hold for ninety minutes20 min
Uphill: The Part That Builds You
How to climb a grade without stopping three times, and how to keep something in the tank.
- Reading the grade before you fight it16 min
- Foot placement and short steps on the climb18 min
- When to slow down and when to rest15 min
- Turn around before you want to20 min
- Elevation at 4,600 feet and what it costs you15 min
Downhill: The Part That Breaks You
The descent is where people get hurt, so we slow it down and do it on purpose.
- Why going down is harder on the body16 min
- Loose rock and where ankles go wrong20 min
- Braking with your legs, not your knees18 min
- Coming down slow when you're tired15 min
Weather, Water, and Trouble
Hot mornings, cold mornings, and the honest cautions about walking in the canyon.
- The July walk that taught me about water18 min
- Cold-morning walking and why I prefer it15 min
- Heat, shade, and turning back early18 min
- When something goes wrong out there20 min
Making It a Habit
Turning six Saturdays into a thing you keep doing on your own.

Class discussion

The class discussion board opens when the class begins this fall. Auditors and enrolled students ask questions and share work here once the session starts.