Verbal reports like those presented in our Personal Notes sections, where the high or low points of a hike are presented and explained, often gloss over the fact that there are hours and hours of tedious walking between stops and camps. Sure, there is always incredible scenery at every angle, but at the relative slow pace of a backpacking hike, even the most amazing scenery becomes just part of the backdrop after a time. The mind starts to wander and personal thoughts drift through consciousness.

I often think of books that I’ve read or movies that I’ve seen, or I begin to hear melodies from some of my favorite songs, or, less fortunately, sometimes a line or a few bars of some odd little number will drift in and start to repeat itself over and over throughout a day. That can become annoying. The point is, the mind keeps itself active. After the scenery becomes less prominent within one’s consciousness, other mental chores and enjoyments fill the void.

Anne sometimes counts her steps, especially when we're climbing. She says it takes her mind off of the pain. Sometimes she will count the number of switchbacks, or actual steps in those situations where Man has made an attempt to improve on Nature.

While on our 2000 rim-to-rim-to-rim hike, to keep themselves entertained, Janine and Cathy, our hiking companions, produced a list of words and phrases that they heard along the way, things that became important to them along the hike over and back. For entertainment purposes, here is their list: