The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show

A dream Grand Canyon hike. One bad step. One unforgettable outcome. When Gary Teal suffered a serious ankle injury deep below the rim, he and his wife Amy faced the kind of decisions every hiker hopes they'll never have to make. Their story is packed with lessons every Grand Canyon hiker can learn from. ***** The best way to support the show is by considering our top-of-the-line hiking packs for y...

After breaking her kneecap at 77, Brian's mom, Sharon Speciale, wasn't sure she'd ever hike below the rim again. But at 78, she returned to the Grand Canyon with a message every hiker needs to hear: you're not too old—or too anything—to do hard things. You just have to start. ***** Our new hiking packs are here! Our signature Rim2Rim Pack is back, along with the new Canyon Elite 25, which takes th...

A winter rim-to-river on New Hance — steep, snow-covered, lightly cairned, and widely considered one of the South Rim’s toughest trails. What starts as a 13-mile descent through Red Canyon and boulder fields turns into something unexpected at Hance Rapid, where a real-time river rescue unfolds in front of us. This is a full day on one of the canyon’s most unforgiving routes — route-finding decisio...

When Shannon Stirling from Sydney, Australia got a last-minute invitation to join friends in Las Vegas, he started asking a different question: how far is the Grand Canyon? Just weeks later, inspired by The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show and advice from Coach Arnie, Shannon set out on a rim-to-river adventure down South Kaibab to the Colorado River and back out of the canyon. Along the way he battle...

One week after the National Park Service announced a May 15 reopening for the North Kaibab Trail, hikers are scrambling to rethink plans once thought impossible this year. But beneath the excitement lies a different reality — burned terrain, debris flow damage, ongoing reconstruction, and a trail environment that may take years to stabilize. In this episode, Brian walks through the full timeline o...

In Part 2 of our Rim-to-River Breakdown, we turn to the Grand Canyon’s corridor trails and the classic rim-to-river routes most hikers take. Brian and Eric Nelson break down the Tanner Trail as well as the traditional South Kaibab to Bright Angel route, discussing distance, elevation, strategy, and what makes each experience unique. If you’re planning your first rim-to-river hike, this episode wil...

Most Grand Canyon hikers stick to the corridor trails—but there’s an entire world of rim-to-river routes beyond Bright Angel and South Kaibab. In Part 1 of our Rim-to-River Breakdown, Brian and Eric Nelson explore the off-corridor routes from the South Rim, including Hermit and New Hance. From trailfinding challenges to the isolation of seeing no one all day, this episode dives into what makes the...

What’s it really like to work on a Grand Canyon trail crew? In Part 2 of our conversation with Grand Canyon Trails Supervisor Adam Gibson, we go inside the day-to-day life of the crews who build and maintain the canyon’s trails. From moving 400-pound stones by hand to living weeks at a time deep in the canyon, Adam explains why trail work is both a craft and a lifestyle—and why you truly have to “...

For the first time since last summer’s Dragon Bravo Fire, the National Park Service has spoken in depth about the true condition of the North Kaibab Trail. In this exclusive interview, Grand Canyon Trail Supervisor Adam Gibson shares what he saw firsthand on Upper North Kaibab — debris flows powerful enough to erase stone structures, hydrophobic soils accelerating runoff, and elevated risk that co...

Come along as Brian attempts the South Rim Six Pack Challenge — hiking the first mile down and back up six different Grand Canyon trails in one day. From Tanner and New Hance to the corridor trails, the episode covers route finding, winter conditions, logistics, and what it really takes to make this kind of challenge work. ***** Our new hiking packs are here! Our signature Rim2Rim Pack is back, al...

This episode is a role reversal. After a Grand Canyon hike, on the drive back to Flagstaff, Dr. Tom Myers ( Mr. Grand Canyon ) takes over the mic and interviews Brian. There is no trail breakdown, no route discussion, and no gear talk. Instead, Tom asks Brian direct questions and lets the conversation unfold naturally. Topics covered include: How the Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show started Brian’s ba...

Be ready to be inspired. Recorded on a South Kaibab Rim-to-River hike, this episode follows Jerry Crank as he completes his first big Grand Canyon hike at 77 years old, alongside his son Jeff. Jerry talks about training, pacing, heart-rate management, weight loss, and what it took to climb back out the same day. ***** Our new hiking packs are here! Our signature Rim2Rim Pack is back, along with th...

With rim-to-rim still off the table, Brian heads off the corridor once again—this time down the historic Grandview Trail to Horseshoe Mesa , joined by lifelong canyon hiker Joe Adlhoch, better known in the community as Facebook Joe . What starts as a “simple” day hike quickly proves otherwise. Grandview wastes no time, dropping more than 1,000 vertical feet in the first mile and never really letti...

Recorded at the North Rim's Grand Canyon Lodge on opening day 2025, this conversation follows a South Kaibab to North Kaibab Rim-to-Rim with Jackie Kunkel and her group, “the Crazies.” The discussion covers preparation, pacing, group decision-making, and the impact of witnessing a serious medical emergency on the trail. The lodge burned down less than two months later, and Brian also speaks to the...

What happens when two experienced Grand Canyon hikers—including Dr. Tom Myers , aka Mr. Grand Canyon —leave their headlamps behind on a January rim-to-river hike? Episode 97 opens Year Three of The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show with a powerful reminder: experience doesn’t make you immune to mistakes. Brian and Dr. Tom recount a full sunrise-to-sunset Tanner Trail rim-to-river —16.5 miles, over 5,80...

When the Canyon’s main arteries close, adventure doesn’t stop — it just shifts. In this episode, Brian teams up with Canyon veteran James Tenelshof for a day on the rugged Tanner Trail , one of the most rewarding and least-traveled routes on the South Rim. Together, they chase Escalante Peak, get cliffed out, dodge rain, and learn firsthand why off-corridor hiking demands equal parts respect, pati...

In this special Thanksgiving episode, Brian and Zeena celebrate the long-awaited arrival of the Rim2Rim Pack and the brand-new Canyon Elite — and share the heart behind why hiKin exists. Then Brian sits down with Weston Myers, who takes us inside the moment a calm morning turned into a violent, soul-shaking flash flood in a remote part of Grand Canyon. Alone, soaked, and pinned in place for 16+ ho...

When Tiffany Yager walked into the hospital during the pandemic, she thought she had COVID. Instead, doctors told her she had acute myeloid leukemia—and perhaps just 24 hours to live if she didn't go into intensive care immediately. Three and a half years later, this Michigan mother of three hiked more than 20 miles through the Grand Canyon, from South Kaibab to Tonto, then down to the Colorado Ri...

In this episode, Brian sits down with Joe Adlhoch—known in our community as “Facebook Joe”—to talk about a lifetime of Grand Canyon adventures. From his first trip as a 10-year-old with his dad, to a recent multi-day rim-to-rim-to-rim backpacking trip Joe shares how the Canyon has shaped his life and his passion for exploring both corridor and off-corridor trails. They also dig into the aftermath...

For 33 years, Bruce Aiken and his family called Roaring Springs home—5 miles and 3,500 feet below the North Rim. From maintaining the park’s lifeline water system to creating world-renowned paintings of the Canyon, Bruce’s story is as legendary as the place itself. In this conversation, he reflects on life at the bottom, the devastating Dragon Bravo Fire, and what the future may hold for the North...

It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime: a 10-year-old boy’s first airplane ride, first Canyon hike, and a grandmother’s dream of sharing her love for the Grand Canyon with her family. But on a scorching July day, that dream became a tragedy. In this sobering episode, Dr. Tom Myers returns to share the heartbreaking story of Philip Grimm, the mistakes that led to his death, and how his s...

Cris Hazzard—better known as Hiking Guy —has built one of the most trusted platforms in the outdoor world, helping millions of hikers with his honest trail guides and practical wisdom. In this conversation, Cris sits down with Brian to talk about the North Rim Fire and what it might mean for the future of Rim-to-Rim hiking, and what other hikes you might consider pivoting to both in the Canyon and...

What do you get when you combine flip-flops, a Harley, and a heart for helping others cross the Canyon? You get Julian Coiner, one of the Grand Canyon’s most joyful characters. In this episode, Julian shares how guiding others rim-to-rim became his calling, the lessons learned while helping 92-year-old Alfredo Aliaga set a Guinness World Record, and why he sometimes fakes an injury to slow hikers...

As the North Rim continues to burn and Rim-to-Rim becomes impossible for the foreseeable future, Brian returns to the trail to share what is still possible. This episode documents a full Rim-to-River hike from South Kaibab to the Colorado River and back up Bright Angel—complete with trail tips, logistics, elevation insights, and hard-earned wisdom. Whether you’re pivoting plans or finding your way...

What if your greatest heartbreak was not your end—but your beginning? In this powerful walking meditation, Zeena guides you through a journey of release, remembrance, and rebirth. Inspired by the myth of the phoenix and made even more poignant in the wake of the North Rim fires at Grand Canyon, this episode invites you to walk with intention, honor what you've survived, and let your inner fire ris...