Can you feel the burn? The ripe itching? Yeah, it's totally awesome
The life of an outdoor adventurer is all about those small things that leave a lasting impression: finding a creek side rope swing, that cold beer after a solo afternoon ride, hiking in a summer sprinkle, campfire time after the kids are asleep, morning songbirds, hot coffee, and . . . DRUMROLL . . . the fantastically orgasmic relief of a humongous morning camp pee.

Then there are the small inevitable bummers that we find funny.  Like slipping on your convertible pants and seeing that what was once a nice looking, water-shedding pair of Columbias that can be zipped off as shorts are now disappointingly expensive two-tone snazzy pants because you've failed to wash the legs. Then there's always the obstinate, indomitable example of Chaos Theory known as campfire smoke. And chiggers in your ears.

Last week, an 18-year-old man fell into the world's most stunning hole in the ground and lived to tell about it.

So far, his name hasn't been released. On August 5th, he was taking pictures at Mather Point, slipped, and fell 75 feet.  The fall rendered him unconscious, so the fall is no laughing matter.  Paramedics rappelled down to him and he was extracted by helicopter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20100806/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_grand_canyon_fall

Others before him haven't been so lucky, although it doesn't happen very often. In the past 125 years, 53 people have died in Grand Canyon from falling. Another 48 committed suicide at The Canyon.

Some years ago, an intriguing book emerged: Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon: Gripping Accounts of All Known Fatal Mishaps in the Most Famous of the World's Seven Natural Wonders

In it, you get some interesting stories including the one of a 1950s mid-air head-on collision of two passenger aircraft.

Anyway, rule of thumb when taking pictures at Grand Canyon: don't walk with your camera held up to your face.

You should hear my dad and his brothers - who went to college in the late 1960s - laugh on and on about bottled water.

"Who the hell would have thought we'd be paying good money to drink water?"

It seems they have a good point. In more than one way.

Arianna is an absolute rock star.

Check out her climbing technique, it's impeccable.  Not even potty trained, she has the concepts of foot placement, three points of contact at all times, shifting her weight on her feet for reach, and toward the end of the video you might think she's about to launch a dyno.

Her parents must be incredibly proud.