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podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 3
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —and I said okay, that's fair, but you can't put "moderate" in the description and then take people up something with switchbacks.
MICHAEL: It's moderate. For the trail. It's not moderate for a person who's been sitting at a desk since 2019.
JESS: Which is most of us.
MICHAEL: Which is most of us. That's why I say what I say about the descent.
JESS: Okay, say it for the podcast, because I know you've got a whole thing about downhill.
MICHAEL: I do. Uphill builds you. Downhill breaks you. People spend all their worry on the climb, and then they get to the top, and they relax, and that's exactly the wrong time to relax. The grade doesn't care that you're tired. Loose rock on a downhill is where people actually get hurt.
JESS: You rolled your ankle once, right? Is that where this comes from?
MICHAEL: That's part of it. But the bigger one is a woman I met on the trail a few years back, seventies, been walking that same canyon route for forty years. We got to talking at a switchback and she started naming plants. Just casually. This one's serviceberry, that one's a chokecherry, that's some kind of penstemon she liked in particular. I'd walked past every one of those a hundred times and never once looked at them.
JESS: So what'd you do.
MICHAEL: Went home and looked every one of them up. Wrote them in my notebook. Now when I walk that stretch I see the plants instead of just the trail surface in front of my feet, and I don't know, it changed the whole walk for me. Forty years on one trail and she still had things to notice. That stuck with me more than any tip about downhill footing ever has, honestly, even though I still talk about the footing more.
JESS: That's a nice one. Okay, give the podcast listener a tip. Something they can use without signing up for the class.
MICHAEL: Turn around before you want to. Most people pick a landmark, get to it, and then realize the whole way back is still ahead of them and they've already spent everything they had getting there. Save half your energy and half your water for the return trip. Every time. It's not complicated, it's just easy to forget when you're feeling good.
JESS: I feel like that's a life tip too.
MICHAEL: For sure for sure. It applies to a lot of things. I just happen to apply it to hiking.
JESS: What about socks. Are we doing socks again this episode.
MICHAEL: I'll always do socks. Cotton's a mistake. Wool's worth the money. I learned that one the hard way, wet feet, cold morning, walked the last mile feeling like I had two blocks of ice attached to my legs. Bought wool that afternoon. I'm at eleven pairs now.
JESS: Maria's official position on eleven pairs of socks.
MICHAEL: Excessive. Her word, not mine. I think it's reasonable.
JESS: Okay, last thing, tell people what's coming next session so they know what to bring.
MICHAEL: Next time we're doing the loop with the creek crossing, so bring shoes you don't mind getting a little wet, and bring more water than you think you need, because that stretch has almost no shade and the elevation makes the dry air work harder on you than people expect. We'll go slow. Nobody needs their sunday best for this one. Just show up and bring the water.
JESS: And wool socks.
MICHAEL: And wool socks. Always the wool socks.
HandoutHandout 1: What You Actually Need for Canyon Trail Walking
Handout 1: What You Actually Need for Canyon Trail Walking
You don't need gear. You need consistency. That said, a few things make the difference between a good morning and a miserable one, and I'd rather tell you plainly than let you find out the hard way. Below is what I'd buy if I were starting over, split into budget and nice-to-have, with some notes on where to find it around here.
Budget tier (get this before week one)
Shoes — Whatever athletic shoes you already own are fine to start, as long as they have some tread left and don't hurt. You don't need trail runners on day one. If the soles are smooth from years of walking to the mailbox, that's a problem for the downhill, not the up.
Socks — Wool, not cotton. I will not be moved on this. Cotton holds moisture, and on a cold morning with a wet patch near the creek, cotton turns your feet into two blocks of ice about a mile before you're done. Wool costs more. Buy two pairs to start. I own eleven, which Maria considers excessive, but I've never regretted a pair.
Water — A one-liter bottle minimum, more if it's warm. This is not optional. Our air is dry and we sit at about 4,600 feet, which means you dehydrate faster than you think you do. I ran out once at the turnaround on a hot July day. Foolish. Don't repeat my mistake.
Layers — A light jacket you can tie around your waist. Canyon mornings run ten to fifteen degrees cooler than the valley floor, and that gap closes fast once the sun clears the ridge.
A small notebook — Not required, but I keep one for every walk. Distance, how I felt, what I saw. A thing not written down scatters. Five dollars at any grocery store gets you a start.
Nice-to-have tier (add later, if you stick with it)
Trekking poles — Help the knees on the descent, which is where people actually get hurt, not the climb. Not essential for our gentler trails, but worth it if you've got any knee history.
A real daypack — Something with a hip belt if you're carrying more than a liter of water and a snack. Comfort over the miles adds up.
Trail-specific shoes — Once you know you're going to keep doing this, shoes with real lugged tread help on loose rock. That's where ankles roll, mine included.
A fitness watch — I tried one for a month. Gave it up, not because it didn't work, but because I kept looking at my wrist instead of the trail. If you like data, fine. If you'd rather count your own breathing, also fine. I don't care about your heart rate zone. I care whether you can talk in short sentences while you walk.
Shopping notes
For wool socks and basic layers, check the sporting goods section at a general retailer before you drive somewhere specialty. A Costco run often turns up a decent multi-pack of wool-blend socks for less than a single pair at a specialty shop. For water bottles and small notebooks, any grocery store covers it, Macey's included.
If you want real trail shoes or poles, that's worth a trip to an actual outdoor shop where someone can look at your foot and your gait. Don't guess on that one from a rack at a big box store.
Last thing. Nobody needs their sunday best out here. Steady, well-hydrated, and wearing decent socks gets you further than any gear list will.
HandoutHandout 2: Canyon Trail Walking — Core Techniques Cheat Sheet
Handout 2: Canyon Trail Walking — Core Techniques Cheat Sheet
Print this, fold it, keep it in your pocket. It won't do the walking for you, but it'll remind you what I keep saying out there.
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The Uphill
Steady beats fast. Every time. Pick a pace where you can talk in short sentences. If you can't say a full sentence without gasping, you're going too hard. Slow down before you have to stop.
Small steps on the steep parts. Don't reach for the big stride up. Shorter steps, more of them, save your legs for the miles you haven't walked yet.
Breathe on purpose. I count mine. In for a few steps, out for a few steps. You don't need a formula, you need a rhythm you're paying attention to.
The Downhill
This is the part people get wrong, and it's the part that hurts people. Going down feels easy so folks speed up, get loose with their footing, and that's how ankles get rolled. I know because I rolled one.
- Slow the descent on purpose. Slower than feels necessary.
- Loose rock is where it happens. Test your footing on gravel and scree before you commit your weight.
- Shorten your stride going down, same as going up. Bombing downhill in long steps is a fall waiting for a place to happen.
Turnaround Rule
Turn around before you want to. Save half your energy and half your water for the way back, always. People make it to the landmark feeling strong and then have nothing left for the return trip. The trail doesn't care how good you felt at the top.
Gear, Kept Simple
You don't need much. You need:
- Wool socks. Not cotton. Cotton holds water, and wet feet in this dry air still get cold fast, especially near the creek crossings. I learned this one the hard way and I own eleven pairs of wool socks now. Maria thinks that's excessive. I don't.
- Water, more than you think you need. We're at altitude and the air here is dry. You lose water faster than you notice. The watch on your wrist is optional. The water in your pack is not.
- Shoes with real tread, broken in, not brand new the morning of.
Pacing Yourself, Plainly
I don't track heart rate zones. I tried a fitness watch for about a month and gave it up, not because it didn't work but because I kept looking at my wrist instead of the trail. Here's what I use instead:
The talk test. Can you speak in short sentences without gasping? Good pace. Can't get a word out? Slow down.
Sunday best is not required. You don't need your best effort out here. Steady, finished, and home safe beats fast and wrecked halfway up.
Before You Go, Every Time
- Tell someone your route and roughly when you'll be back.
- Check water. Then add a little more.
- Wool socks, real shoes.
- Know your turnaround point before you start walking toward it.
That's the whole cheat sheet. Nothing fancy. Consistency does more for you than gear ever will. See you on the trail.
WorksheetHandout 3: Trail Walk Log & Check-In
Handout 3: Trail Walk Log & Check-In
Print this and bring it every week. Fill it in after each walk, not before, when you actually know how it went. A thing not written down scatters. That's not a saying, that's just true for me.
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Before You Go — Quick Check
Go through this every time until it's automatic. Takes thirty seconds.
- [ ] Water: at least one liter for anything under 90 minutes, more if it's hot. This is dry air and we're at elevation. You will dehydrate faster than you think.
- [ ] Socks: wool, not cotton. I'm not moved on this one.
- [ ] Told someone where you're walking and when you expect to be back.
- [ ] Turnaround point decided before you start, not decided when you're tired.
- [ ] Shoes checked for tread. Loose rock on a downhill is where people get hurt.
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Walk Log
Fill in one row per walk. Doesn't need to be fancy.
Date Trail / Distance Time out How I felt (1–5) Turned around when Notes How I felt, 1–5: 1 is I shouldn't have come, 5 is I could've gone another mile. Most good walks land on a 3. That's steady. That's the goal, not the exception.
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Breathing Check (Do This Mid-Walk)
Somewhere around the halfway point, try to say a full sentence out loud. Not a whole speech, just a sentence.
- Can say it easy: you could probably push a little harder if you wanted.
- Can say it in short bursts: that's the zone we're after most days.
- Can't say it at all: slow down now, not at the top.
I don't wear a watch for this anymore. I tried one for a month and spent the whole walk looking at my wrist instead of the trail. Your own breathing is honest and it's free.
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Downhill Check
This is the part people skip and it's the part that matters most. Uphill builds you. Downhill breaks you. Answer honestly after each walk:
- [ ] I slowed my pace on the way down, even though it felt slower than I wanted.
- [ ] I watched my footing instead of the view on loose or wet sections.
- [ ] My legs felt shaky or unsteady at any point — if yes, note where: ___________
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Weekly Reflection
Answer after your last walk of the week. Short answers are fine.
What went well:
What I'd do differently next time:
One thing I noticed on the trail I hadn't before (a plant, a switchback, a view, anything):
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A note on that last one. A woman I met on the trail years back had walked the same stretch for forty years and could name every plant along it. I'd walked past those same plants a hundred times and never once looked. Slow walking is good for your legs. It's also good for noticing. Both count.
Bring this sheet every week. If you lose it, that's fine, just start a new one. The habit matters more than the paper.
HandoutHandout 4: Common Problems and Fixes
Handout 4: Common Problems and Fixes
Every one of these has happened to me or to somebody walking next to me. None of it means you're doing this wrong. It just means you're doing it, and doing it teaches you the fixes. Here are the ones that come up most.
1. "My legs are dead by the second hill." You probably went too fast on the first one. Uphill builds you, but only if you pace it. Slow down before your body makes you slow down. If you can't say a short sentence out loud, you're going too hard.
2. "My feet are freezing / blistered / soaked." Cotton socks. I know, I know, you have a drawer full of them. Cotton holds water and holds cold, and this canyon has both, especially near the creek in the morning. Wool socks. I own eleven pairs. Maria thinks that's excessive. I think it's exactly the right number.
3. "I rolled my ankle coming down." This is the injury I hear about most, and it happens on the descent, not the climb. People relax going down because it feels easier, and that's exactly when the loose rock gets you. Slow the descent. Plant your foot deliberately. Going down hurts people more than going up. I say that to everybody because I learned it the hard way, sitting on the ground for ten minutes with a sore ankle wondering if I'd broken it.
4. "I ran out of water before I got back." Turn around with more water in your bottle than you think you need, not less. This is dry air and we're sitting at about 4,600 feet, which means you dehydrate faster than you'd guess even on a mild day. I ran dry once at the turnaround on a hot July walk and the trip back taught me something I'd read a hundred times and never believed until then.
5. "I pushed to the landmark and had nothing left for the way back." Save half your effort for the return trip. Always. The walk back is not shorter just because you're excited to be done.
6. "I keep staring at my heart rate watch instead of the trail." I tried one for a month and gave it up, not because it was wrong, just because I kept looking at my wrist instead of where I was stepping. If you want a number, use your breathing. Short sentences, not full paragraphs. That's your number.
7. "The group left me behind and I felt bad about it." Say something. I am not always fast to notice when somebody's struggling near the back, and I've been told that about myself, so I'm telling you now. If you need to slow down or turn around early, tell me or tell whoever's walking with you. Nobody's grading your pace. Steady and finished beats fast and quit.
8. "I'm sore everywhere the next day." Some soreness the first few weeks is normal, your body's adjusting to a grade it hasn't seen. If it's joint pain, sharp pain, or pain that doesn't ease up after a couple of days, that's worth a call to your doctor, not just toughing out.
9. "I don't know what to eat or drink before or after." Honest answer: I don't know either. I'm not a nutrition person and I won't pretend to be one in front of you. Water, for sure for sure. Beyond that, ask someone who actually knows, and I mean that.
10. "I feel like I should be going faster, like everyone else." You don't need your sunday best out here. Nobody's watching your split times. I'd rather you finish the whole trail slow than gas out trying to keep somebody else's pace. That's not me being nice. That's just what actually works.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 1
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —okay so that's technically true, but you can't just tell people "wear good socks" and walk away, you have to tell them why.
MICHAEL: I can tell them why. Cotton holds water. Wool doesn't. That's why.
JESS: See, that's the whole reason right there, and you almost didn't say it.
MICHAEL: I said it eventually.
JESS: You did. Okay. Welcome, everybody, this is the first episode of the podcast for Canyon Trail Walking for Fitness, part of Utah Community Learning. I'm Jess, I run the program and I make Michael talk into a microphone once a session whether he wants to or not.
MICHAEL: I don't mind it. I just don't have much to say most days.
JESS: You have plenty to say, you just say it in twelve words instead of forty.
MICHAEL: That's usually enough.
JESS: For the people who don't know you yet, tell them how you ended up leading a walking class. Because you didn't start as a fitness guy.
MICHAEL: No. I sat at a desk for over twenty years designing systems. Somewhere around fifty-eight my back started telling me about it. Doctor said walk more. So I did. Flat ground first, near the house. Got bored of flat pretty quick. Flat felt like waiting.
JESS: And then the canyon.
MICHAEL: Wandered up there one Saturday because it was close and it was free. Something about the grade suited me. You've got effort you can measure against the mountain instead of against a clock. That quiets a person down without emptying them out.
JESS: I love that. Okay, tell the sock story. People need the sock story in episode one.
MICHAEL: I wore cotton socks on a cold morning once. Hit a wet patch near the creek. Walked the last mile with feet like two blocks of ice.
JESS: How cold are we talking.
MICHAEL: Cold enough that I bought wool socks that same afternoon. I own eleven pairs now.
JESS: Eleven.
MICHAEL: Eleven. Maria considers that excessive.
JESS: Is she wrong.
MICHAEL: She's not wrong. I still bought a twelfth pair last month.
JESS: Okay, that's a good place to land the practical tip, because somebody listening to this isn't signed up for the class and never will be, and I want them to get one real thing out of ten minutes with you. What do you tell people who aren't even in the room.
MICHAEL: Buy wool socks before you buy anything else. Not shoes, not a watch. Socks. Cotton holds water against your skin, and up here the mornings run cold even when the day warms up fast. Wet, cold feet will end a walk faster than tired legs will.
JESS: That's it. That's the whole tip. Cheap, too.
MICHAEL: Fifteen dollars a pair. Cheaper than a bad morning.
JESS: What about the watch people, the heart rate people. Do you get asked about that a lot.
MICHAEL: I do. I tried one myself for a month, tracking heart rate the whole way. Gave it up. Not because it didn't work. Because I kept looking at my wrist instead of the trail. I went back to just counting my own breathing. If I can talk in short sentences, I'm working hard enough. If I can't talk at all, I've gone too far.
JESS: See, I think that's the thing people don't expect from you. They think a walking class instructor is going to be real rah-rah, and you're the opposite of that.
MICHAEL: I don't have a rah-rah in me. Steady is enough. You don't need your sunday best out here, you just need to keep coming back.
JESS: Okay, last thing before we wrap. What's session two.
MICHAEL: Session two we go up the actual grade for the first time. Not far. About a mile and a half in, mile and a half back. I'll show everybody how I plant a foot on the downhill, because that's where people get hurt, not the climb up.
JESS: Wait, really? Most people would think the climb is the dangerous part.
MICHAEL: Most people think that. Uphill builds you. Downhill breaks you. I'll say that again probably every session for the next ten weeks and I'll mean it every time.
JESS: I believe you. Bring water, bring the socks.
MICHAEL: Bring more water than you think. It's dry up there and we're at some elevation. People forget that.
JESS: Alright, that's episode one. Next time we're on the actual trail with actual microphones that are going to pick up actual wind, so bear with us.
MICHAEL: For sure for sure.
podcast_scriptClass podcast — episode 2
Audio coming soon — show notes below.
JESS: —and you're telling me you've never once turned it around early. Not once.
MICHAEL: I've had to be told to. That's different than doing it myself.
JESS: That's not really an answer, Michael.
MICHAEL: No. It's not.
JESS: Okay, for people just joining us, this is episode two of the Canyon Trail Walking podcast, I'm Jess, I run the podcasts for all the community-ed classes, and this is Michael, who apparently has a blind spot the size of the canyon itself.
MICHAEL: Fair.
JESS: Last episode you talked about getting started. Today I want to talk about water, because you told me before we started recording something that I did not expect.
MICHAEL: The July thing.
JESS: The July thing.
MICHAEL: I ran out of water at the turnaround point on a hot day. Ran clean out. And that's foolish for a man my age at this elevation, I knew better going in, I just didn't respect it.
JESS: How hot are we talking?
MICHAEL: Mid-90s down at the trailhead, and it's dry heat, so you don't feel yourself sweating the way you would somewhere humid. You think you're fine. I felt fine right up until I wasn't.
JESS: What happened.
MICHAEL: I got to the turnaround, drank the last of what I had, figured I'd be back at the car in forty minutes and it wouldn't matter. Forty minutes uphill in the sun with nothing left is a long time. I got lightheaded about two-thirds of the way back. Had to sit down in what shade there was, which wasn't much, and wait for my head to clear.
JESS: That sounds scary.
MICHAEL: It was more embarrassing than scary, at the time. I'd read about heat and elevation a hundred times before that. I finally believed it walking that last mile back.
JESS: So the tip for today.
MICHAEL: Turn around before you want to, and bring more water than you think you need. Not the watch. The watch is optional. The water is not. For sure for sure.
JESS: How much is enough, if somebody's listening and thinking about heading up the canyon this weekend.
MICHAEL: More than a bottle. I'd say a liter minimum for anything over an hour, and up here that dry air pulls moisture out of you faster than it feels like it does. You won't notice you're thirsty until you're already behind on it. Drink before you're thirsty.
JESS: That's the practical tip, everybody. Bring more water than feels necessary.
MICHAEL: And save half your effort for the way back. People spend everything getting to the pretty view and then the return trip is the part where trouble finds them.
JESS: That's basically opinion number five in your head, isn't it. Turn around before you want to.
MICHAEL: It's the one I break the most and believe the most. Both true.
JESS: I like that you own that. Okay, so, class-wise. Next session, what are we doing.
MICHAEL: We're doing the ridge loop. It's a little steeper than what we've done, nothing extreme, but there's a stretch near the top that'll get your attention. I want to talk about downhill footing while we're up there, because that's where I see people get hurt, not on the climb.
JESS: Uphill builds you.
MICHAEL: Downhill breaks you. I'll say it again next time too.
JESS: You will. Alright, before we wrap, is there a Maria story today or are we saving those.
MICHAEL: There's always a Maria story. But I've told you plenty of those already this month.
JESS: Fine, fine. Anything else people should know before next week.
MICHAEL: Wool socks. Bring wool socks. I don't care what the weather report says.
JESS: You own eleven pairs.
MICHAEL: I own eleven pairs, and Maria thinks that's excessive, and she's not wrong, but I'm also not changing.
JESS: That's the class for you. See everybody on the trail.
Videos worth your time
Hand-picked by your instructor, with notes on what to watch for.
- Watch this when you're ready to get into hiking (a beginner's guide)Fareweld
Watch for the simple no-fluff starting points before you head to any canyon trail.
- 30 Minute Walking Workout for Beginners & Seniors // Have Fun & Get Your Steps In!SeniorShape Fitness
Notice how the pace stays low impact and knee friendly which works well as a warm up before a canyon walk.
- Top 6 Exercises For Hiking | Hiking Training TipsAlecia at WILDR Online Fitness Training
Pay attention to the six exercises since they build the leg strength you need for uneven canyon terrain.
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