It's a family tradition. Once a year for the past 12 years, five brothers and their father gather from their homes around the country to hike deep into the vibrant landscape of the Grand Canyon.

For the Heywood family, good memories and poignant stories have emerged from the shadows of this 277-mile long gorge.

The men's first few hikes into the Grand Canyon were made more than a decade ago, and were always in the summer. They have since found that spring and fall are ideal times to hike the canyon.

"One summer we hiked to the bottom of the canyon, and when we got to Indian Gardens where the Kiabab and Bright Angel Trails meet it was 125 scorching degrees," Joe Heywood said. "You have to be in excellent physical condition to hike in that kind of heat. It takes a lot of stamina. That's why we now hike in the spring or fall."

This year, the brothers (Joe, Dave, Bryan, Brett and Eric) met in mid-March at the Grand Canyon backcountry office near Tusayan along the South Rim. Their father, Jim, could not make this year's adventure, but the tradition continued without him.

After traveling for hours through heavy snow and rain from a late winter storm, they briefly questioned their decision to hike in March. But only briefly. They were sure this was the right time.

On the first day, they met a Grand Canyon ranger at the backcountry office to apply for permits and select a trail. Permits are not needed for day hikes, but are required for any overnight stays in the Grand Canyon backcountry.

This year they selected the South Bass Trail. Last year it was the Royal Arch Trail, and they are already planning for the Little Colorado Gorge Trail next year. The South Bass Trail gets its name from William Wallace Bass, a copper miner who lived in this remote wilderness for 30 years with his family at the turn of the century.

They set up camp after an hour and a half drive down a muddy, slick, four-wheel-drive road. The brothers talked about old times over a dinner of hot chili, macaroni and cheese and hot chocolate.

A light snowfall greeted the brothers in the morning. Beginning their hike at an elevation of 6,646 feet, they would drop to 2,200 feet by the time they reached the river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Most trails into the Grand Canyon are strenuous and require hikers to be in good physical condition and to carry plenty of water. It is possible to follow trails that go up and down 3,000 feet in as little as three miles.

By mid-day, they had descended several thousand feet into the spectacular beauty of the canyon and had reached one of William Bass' mining camps. They met one rattlesnake and a few blue grouse along the trail.

"By late afternoon, we had hiked nine miles when we finally reached Bass Creek on the Colorado River," Joe wrote in his trip report. "We found a wonderful flat area for a camp and had the beach to ourselves. The quiet of the inner canyon solitude was refreshing. We had hiked nine miles today from rim to river and we were tired. Hiking downhill is more strenuous than hiking up the canyon."

The brothers found that it can snow on the rim of the canyon and be 80 degrees on the bottom.

"We watched in awe as the sun changed the colors of the canyon as it rose into the sky," Joe wrote.

The Heywoods relied heavily on maps and hiking guides. Joe, who does most of the planning, says his favorite map is "The Grand Canyon Trails Illustrated." For guidebooks, he prefers "The Official Guide to Hiking the Grand Canyon" by Scott Thybony, "Hiking Grand Canyon National Park" by Ron Adkison and "Hiking the Grand Canyon" by John Annerino. Joe also used trip reports filed by 400 members of a Grand Canyon hiking group. Their reports are filed at groups.yahoo.com/group/grandcanyon.

On Day 3, the hikers headed for Copper Canyon.

"On this hike we see the beautiful north rim of the canyon with deep red cliffs topped with snow below a deep blue sky," Joe wrote. "Along the trail today we saw bighorn sheep. It was a great hike. It required some scrambling over ledges and lowering our packs down separately. About noon we spotted rafters far below us on the Colorado River. We shared waves of our hats."

Just after noon, the Heywood Brothers arrived at Copper Canyon, where they found an old mining camp with scattered mining tools, bottles, broken dishes and even a page from the Los Angeles Daily Press dated 1906.

"We found many discoveries in this mining camp, and we left everything as we found it," Joe wrote.

The Heywoods prepare for their annual trek with a rigorous exercise routine several months before the hike begins. It consists of stair-steppers, jogging and lots of sit-ups.

On Day 4, the hike up the canyon was a hot one. By mid-afternoon, a welcome storm blocked the sun.

"As we neared the top of the canyon, a beautiful rainbow formed over the Colorado River to the right of Bass Canyon," Joe wrote. "It was a wonderful way to end this trip in this remarkable canyon."

At the top of the rim, the brothers recounted their stories and promised they would be back. There was still a lot more to see.

Info

Permits can be obtained by writing the Backcountry Office at PO Box 129 Grand Canyon AZ 86023, or faxing a request to 928-638-2125, or down loading a permit request on line at www.grandcanyonhiker.com