#often involve walking through above ankle deep snow

[norsesuggestions]

Googling online to find my one true pair of new winter shoes

I found alot of stockholmers claiming that wearing "just sneakers during stockholm winters works great"

Fellow stockholmers, you are lying to yourselves. So very much

Yes, it is ofcourse possible to walk around with wet cold feet for about hmmm. 4 months?

But on porpuse?? As a fashion statement? Please, WHY

[t0wnspersonb]

Don’t Hold Back (Iwaizumi Hajime x Reader)

Anonymous said:

Hi there 🦋anon here! Would It be posible to request a scenario in which iwizumi s/o is an ice skater and she has a pretty bad fall during a competition resulting in her getting her ankle pretty bad injured and has a result is not allowed to skate for months. As a consequence she starts doubting her abilities for sports, she is scared of junping and making figures and tries to hide it from him until one day she collapses unable to hold it back anymore but iwa is still there for her? Please!

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Word Count: 2,171

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I apologize if this is absolute shit anon and that it took so long for me to write it😭😭😭 I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new so I apologize for that too! I’ll hopefully be updating more, I’m finally looking through my inbox and seeing what I want to write. I’ll be doing two more requests before I close it. I have a couple more stories I want to get out. I will let you guys know when I’ll be taking more requests! I hope you guys like this one and please give me some feedback:)

~~~

“Does that hurt?” the doctor looked at you expectantly, carefully rotating your ankle.

 You shook your head.

 “Good. It looks like the physical therapy has paid off. I was worried that the surgeries weren’t -”

 You had stopped listening at that point, your eyes trained on the window behind the doctor. A brightly colored butterfly floated effortlessly in the wind, its wings beating softly as it fluttered about.

 That was how you were on the ice; it was effortless, elegant, beautiful, it was everything that butterfly was… until you ruined it all.

 Six months.

 You haven't skated in six months.

 All because of your ruined ankle.

 After three surgeries, countless hours of physical therapy, heartache, and far too many tears, you were finally at this moment.

 So then why did you feel so incredibly empty?

 Why weren’t you excited?

 “- with the right precautions and easing your way back in, I don’t see why you can’t begin skating.” the doctor finished, giving you an encouraging smile. 

 “O-Oh. Really?” you stuttered out nervously.

 “Of course. But like I said, you need to ease your way in, I don’t recommend doing any competitions just yet. But an hour or two on the ice won’t hurt.” He said thoughtfully.

 You simply nodded.

 The rest of the checkup finished in a blur and you found yourself walking on the sidewalk, deep in thought.

 It was wintertime, your hands were stuffed deep into your coat pockets as you trudged through the snow.

 Normally you loved this kind of weather, but recently… recently the gloomy weather seemed to seep into your very being, leaving you exhausted and cold.

 “Hey.” a familiar voice called out, you looked up to see Iwaizumi leaning against the entrance to the park you were planning to go to. A place you often frequented when you wanted to be alone, when you wanted to think.

 “Hi.” you said quietly, walking towards the tall ace. Iwaizumi didn’t say anything as you pressed your head into his chest, nor did he make any movement to pull you closer.

 You guys just stood there.

 “Why didn’t you text me back? I was going to pick you up from the hospital.” he finally said once you pulled away.

 You guys began making your way into the park, sitting down on the swings.

 “I’m sorry.” You said softly, eyes casting up to the dark sky. It was snowing again, meaning that you should head home soon. “I didn’t even bother looking at my phone. Too much on my mind.”

 “Well what did the doctor say?” he asked, his gloved hands holding onto the chains linked to the seat.

 “Said I could start skating again. Slowly. No competitions for a while.” You said, frowning slightly.

 “That’s good though. You haven’t been on the ice in months.” Iwaizumi said pointedly.

 “Yeah. It just seems weird… like it’s been years rather than months.” You sighed.

 You felt a gloved hand gently pull a strand of hair away from your face. Iwaizumi gazed at you with a soft expression.

 “Well don’t push yourself. We don’t need you falling again and breaking your ass or something.” he said, smirking as you laughed at his statement.

 “Or something.” You repeated, eyes glancing down at your snow-covered shoes now. 

 “Shut up.” he rolled his eyes, tousling your hair, causing you to pout and push at him. “It’s going to be fine. You need to calm down. I better get going, Crappykawa wants everyone to meet up for practice early today.” 

 He stood up, dusting the snow off his pants before he grabbed the chains right above your hands, he leaned down closer to your face.

 “Kiss me.” he demanded, staring into your blushing face, while you wanted to blame it on the freezing weather, both of you knew exactly why you were blushing.

 “This is a public place.” you countered back, your heart racing in your chest at his demand, and how close he was to you.

 All thoughts of skating and your injury went out of your mind, and all you could think about was Iwaizumi now.

 The sly bastard.

 He knew you too well.

 “And?” he scoffed, carefully grabbing your chin. “You’re my girlfriend. It’s not like that’s indecent.”

 Before you could counter his lips were already on yours. They were cold and slightly chapped, but his mouth fitted against yours perfectly. He angled your face up more, causing the kiss to deepen.

 Your hands gripped at the front of his coat, either to pull him closer or to shove him away, you weren’t sure. But the kiss ended far too soon for your liking.

 “Get home safe. I’ll call you after practice.” he said huskily, pressing his lips to your forehead briefly before pulling away completely.

 That man was incredibly infuriating. 

 But you loved him anyway.

 It was like fate the way you guys ended up dating. Your friend had dragged you to one of Aoba Johsai’s games, she was crazy over their captain and had hoped to talk to him afterwards.

 But you were completely disinterested, you couldn’t care less about the sport, or any sport for that matter. If it didn’t involve figure skating, it didn’t matter to you.

 And then you saw him play.

 You were always a sucker for muscular ruffians. It was his arms that drew you in.

 When the team won, you and your friend found yourself in front of the captain of the team and captain muscles.

 Once you laughed at his ridiculous comments aimed at Oikawa, the rest was history. You guys hit it off instantly and soon began dating.

 You thought that it was going to be hard at first, considering how busy you guys were, but it worked out somehow.

 You appreciated all the effort and support he put in the relationship. Iwaizumi was your rock, a constant comfort in your life.

 You knew that he was worried about you, ever since your injury you knew you were being distant but… you couldn’t help it. You also didn’t mean to either. It just happened.

 Figure skating was your entire life, something that you’ve done since you were little. You were damn good at it too. It was the competition right before nationals when you injured your ankle.

 You were crushed.

 It was a simple mistake too. A jump that caused your complete downfall. 

 You didn’t want to skate anymore. You didn’t want to taste that humiliating defeat again, you didn’t want to feel powerless anymore. You remembered the comments, the circling doubt that after you healed, you wouldn’t be in the top anymore.

 You hated it all.

 So then why were you here?

 You stared at the rink, the ice was smooth and ready to be used… but… you felt sick to your stomach.

 It had been several weeks since the doctor’s visit. 

 You wanted to get out of the house for a bit and then you found yourself here, at the skating rink. Where you had spent countless hours and countless days practicing.

 But it was now or, never right?

 You had to find out. This was the moment that was going to determine if you were going to continue skating.

 Carefully you set yourself on the ice. Your lower lip ached from the way you were biting it so hard. 

 Then you started to move, gliding against the ice easily, like a fish in water. 

 It felt familiar. 

 It felt good.

 It felt free.

 You felt truly free in this moment, your eyes slipping shut as you moved around.

 Maybe… maybe you could still do this. Your heart has never felt lighter until now.

 This was what you were missing. 

 Feeling a bit more confident, you decided to try a triple Salchow. 

 Your form was wonderful, the spins were graceful… but then. Fuck. You panicked when it came to the landing which caused you to fall on your bad ankle.

 You could feel your lower lip quiver as you stared at your hands placed on the ice. Your ankle throbbed in pain for a moment before subsiding.

 But your heart was throbbing in pain now. 

 You couldn’t do it. 

 You failed.

 Again.

 Frustration and anger gripped at your heart; tears were now falling onto the ice below you. 

 You screamed, your hand balling up into a fist, your knuckles slamming down into the ice as you cried out in anger.

 You didn’t even notice the pain in your hand now, nor the blood dripping down your fingers when your skin split. 

 “Y/n!” a strong familiar hand grabbed your bloody fist, preventing you from hurting yourself further.

 You looked up into familiar dark eyes. Iwaizumi was staring at you in worry. 

 “What are you doing?” he scolded, tenderly uncurling your fist, assessing the damage. “You idiot! Look at your hand! Why would you do this to yourself?”

 “I can’t do this anymore.” you whispered angrily, wiping at your eyes with your good hand.

 “What are you talking about?” He frowned.

 “I can’t skate anymore Hajime!” You wailed out, the emotions you were suppressing, the emotions you kept hidden from him, came bursting out. “I can’t do this! I’m not good anymore! I failed! I can’t jump! How can I be a figure skater when I can’t jump!? I’m a failure!”

 “SHUT UP!” Iwaizumi roared, causing your hysterical words to die down. Was he… was he actually mad at you right now?

 “You’re being stupid.” he scowled, his eyes gazing at you with intensity. “Of course, you can’t jump right now. You just got the okay from your doctor to start skating again! You shouldn’t even be trying to jump right now!”

 You sniffed softly, remaining silent as he continued to scold you. 

 “You were supposed to ease into it! If you mess up your ankle again you definitely won’t be able to skate anymore, is that what you want!?”

 “How can I start skating again when I know I’ll just fail! How can I start skating again when everyone in the competition believes that I can’t make it!?” you snapped back, tears welling up in your eyes again.

 Iwaizumi’s angry expression melted into something incredibly soft as he stared at your tearstained face. 

 “What are you talking about babe?” he cupped your jaw carefully, gently titling your face up so he could look at you properly. “You’re not a failure. No one is doubting your abilities but yourself.” his rough fingers wiped at your tears softly. “So, what that you injured yourself? Accidents like that happen all the time. Look at Shittykawa and his knee. An injury isn’t a reflection of what you’re capable of. Everyone knows that you’re an amazing figure skater. Everyone is waiting for you to get back on the ice. But you can’t rush it.”

 His eyes softened further as he took in your beautiful face. “You need to take things slow; I won’t let you injure yourself again. I definitely won’t let you quit either. Besides you really think that I would be dating you if you weren’t an incredible athlete? I don’t date losers babe.” he teased, smiling once you began giggling softly at his statement.

 He pulled you into a gentle hug, his muscular arms securing around your shoulders easily, pulling you against his chest.

 Your fingers gripped at the sides of his jacket, burying your face into his warm chest. His familiar cologne filled your nose, easing the tightness in your chest and filling you with warmth.

 “Don’t hide your feelings from me.” he mumbled, a soft blush coating his cheeks as he stared off towards the far wall. “I want you to tell me these things. Don’t keep me in the dark, I can’t be a good boyfriend if you don’t tell me what’s bothering you.”

 He grabbed your shoulders, carefully pushing you away so he could stare at you once more. “Rely on me more.”

 You stared at him in awe. Your heart thumping in your chest pleasantly. Iwaizumi was the epitome of your ideal man. You loved him completely.

 “You’re so manly Haji.” You blurted out, red rushing to your cheeks at your confession.

 “S-Shut up stupid!” he scowled, looking away from you. He liked that though, he liked that a lot, fuck why were you so cute?

 You couldn’t help but reach up, softly pecking his flushed cheek. He looked at you in shock until he grabbed your face, his mouth pressing against yours in a searing kiss.

 The kiss spoke volumes in how you guys felt about each other. The admiration of each other's strengths, the mutual adoration and love you guys shared. It was all said in that kiss.

 “That’s disgusting Iwa-chan! Other people use this rink!” a familiar voice called out. 

 The kiss ended all too soon, and your sweet boyfriend turned incredibly angry.

 “Shut the hell up Shittykawa! You’re such a crappy guy! At least I have a girlfriend!” he snapped angrily. 

 “That’s mean Iwa-chan!” 

 “Go die!”

 He was definitely the man of your dreams.

[masaru2042]

The Blitzardi

I’ve been asked about these guys a couple times here.

The species is called Kethosi they hail from the planet Kethoi...(the planet in the background). The planet is mostly a desert, but unlike places like Dune or Tatooine, Kethoi isn't defined by one climate feature. In some places, there are green areas, and snow, but not much. Kethoi was once a lush planet and it was very Earth...with various climes like tundras, temperate areas, deserts, tropics, and polar ice caps. But the Kethosi screwed the planet up with their constant need to advance their technology (kinda like what we're doing to Earth). So, what's left is a very dry, arid planet with little water and a thin atmosphere. The Kethosi have since then mostly gone to live underground on their home planet or left to other worlds. The core of the planet has been hollowed out and turned into a miniature Dyson Sphere complete with a small star.

Because of the climate of Kethoi, in the atmosphere, there are millions of spheres which control the weather and help filter the oxygen. Kethoi is often called the "Red Planet" because of its russet colored deserts.

Kethoi has two moons and a ring. One of its moons...Bathoin, is artificial. (Bathoin is the pitted rust-colored moon with the lights on its surface.) Bathoin is actually a super weapon used in protecting the planet from anywhere from invasion or possible meteor impacts. The ring is also artificial housing trillions upon trillions of satellites which monitor the space around Kethoi.

The Kethosi are divided up into various sub-species or races. Like humans on Earth, each race has its own skin color. And also like Humans, Kethosi share a common feature, lupine-like head, pointed furry ears, horns, and manes, draconic-like tails, claws, and scales. They are digigraded, meaning they walk on their toes like birds or velociraptors, instead of walking on flat fleet like plantigraded creatures such as bears and humans. The digigrade gives these aliens incredible speed and agility as well as tremendous abilities in jumping. They also can breathe fire. Their blood is deep blue which alludes to a cobalt base. Growing from their lips like an Eastern Dragon, is a pair of fleshy whiskers. Most Kethosi have wings, except for the Umikao, which do not.

This picture is of a Blizardi Kethosi, who are the ruling race of the Kethosi. Blitzardi are very militaristic, considering themselves as honorable warriors and proud fighters. Their technological advances have mostly been focused on weapons and battle vehicles. Their starships are capable of faster than light travel and even have the ability to swiftly phase through dimensions.

Blitzardi have unique powers to their own race. They can channel electrical currents through their body. They are considered "Perfect Shapeshifters" meaning they can take on the form of anything they see including inanimate objects. Their shapeshifting ability stems down to the molecular level which makes them excellent spies. They can mimic any sound they come across no matter how complex. Blitzardi are also natural teleporters. They also have the ability to control electromagnetism. They can repel their bodies from any surface which helps in their flying. They also can attach themselves to any surface and can even wall upright on walls and ceilings. This understanding of controlling electromagnetic energy is also reflected in their advanced technology. All of these abilities stem from psionic mental control. Though they can do these tricks, it must be taught in schools how to do them. The military is drilled in these abilities and are taught how a special martial arts using these powers. The martial arts seem to give them the ability to phase from one place to another which gives them a ghostly appearance when they fight. They are proficient in hand to hand combat as well as weapons combat.

Bltizardi have sort of a gold or copper coloring to their scales, with manes ranging from chestnut brown to deep black. As a Blitzardi ages, the hair will turn either gray or white. Some have just gray or white streaks. The Aristocracy will wear their hair long, bound in tails with ornate hair ties. Commoners often will just wear their hair short, usually half way down their backs or down to their hips. (The Aristocracy often wear the mane much longer to their knees or sometimes to their ankles regardless of gender. Both male and female generally wear the same hair styles among the aristocrats.) Warriors, (regardless of rank) dread up their hair and depending on their rank and status in the Kethosian armada, may wear ornate beads in their dreadlocks (much like the image you see above.) When angered, a Blitzardi's horns will spark up with electricity. Their tails have two bony prongs that are polarized (one slightly smaller than the other like a plug) and they can shoot their electricity out of these prongs or through their fingers. This makes many who encounter the Blitzardi think they are made of living lightning.

Castes is divided in feudal standards. The highest ruler is the Emperor. (Currently an Emperor rules the Empire, which the Blitzardi have conquered that contain other extraterrestrial creatures from other planets.) Only the Nobility or aristocrats can carry the Energy Staff. Other warriors carry plasma based weapons such as disrupters and blasters or cannons. Rank is determined by uniform insignia for the naval and air force branches and armor color for the marine and army branches. Their Air Force and Army are planet bound defenders while their Navy and Marines are more mobile for use of conquering other planets. The Marines and Army branches also have personal body shields.

Blitzardi clothing is highly decorative and has a slight Asian look to it. Like the traditional clothes of Japan, the traditional costumes of the Blitzardi are layered over one another. The aristocracy and nobility will wear badges hung on rectangular tags which denotes their status and family crest. (But what you see up in the image is what a warrior looks like fully armored.)

Because of the controlling way of the Blitzardi, their culture is often pressed into the other Kethosian races. Other Kethosi like the Lengodo or the Auri will wear similar attire and similar hair styles to show their submission to the Blitzardi ruling party. The only race that defies these cultural standards are the Khazabi who would wear costumes from other cultures and will wear their manes much shorter. (I'll get into the other races later.)

The Kethosi are an original alien race that I have created. I did think about if I were to write Halo: Andromeda, these were the aliens that Telek would meet up. Writing Andromeda would allow me to introduce people to the Kethosi, especially the Blitzardi since they're the main bad guys of the story and it allows me to introduce other original alien races that I have created along with the Kethosi for Telek and his mix-matched crew of Sangheili and Humans to meet or fight against. The only good Blitzardi that Telek meets in the story premise is Grand Duke Xi Kedzuel Draconis, who is leading a resistance of other Kethosi and various other aliens species from the Kethosian Empire against his arrogant and ruthless uncle Emperor Cerinath Khan Draconis. The idea would be that Telek finds out that Khan has President Kiryuu, the Chief, and Cortana as prisoners. The Kethosians in this story originally were allies with the Forerunners and were technologically on par with them. However, since 40,000 years had passed since the Forerunners disappeared, the Kethosians have advanced much in their technology and so they are now technologically more advanced than the Forerunners. They would be considered by the Covenant and the Forerunners as a Tier 0 technological species, capable of transcending beyond their own galaxy and even shifting through dimensions. Because of how very few planets capable of bearing life in Andromeda, the Kethosian empire nearly encompasses the entire galaxy. It is huge!

The original story though of Kedzuel did not involve Telek, but instead talked about how he and his allies like the Khazabi Selena Myles, the Lengodo Mejellon Yeuthfaesa, and Cryu-Ir Xaena Hilthan against Khan with the ending of course Kedzuel taking over the empire as Emperor and pretty much reformatting much of the long centuries of harsh Blitzardi rule and allowing the other planets to have a say on what happens in the empire. The story also involves Earth how Khan would often use Earth and its species for scientific experiments which then creates things such as the various mythological creatures we have--like dragons, werewolves, witches, demons, goblins, that sort of thing. They were failed mutations Khan's evil scientists had done. One of the things though was that because the Kethosians could breathe fire, the humans often called them dragons. Blitzardi were called Lightning Dragons or Electric Dragons (Electric Dragons became a more common term for the Blitzardi in the late 20th Century and early 21st Century Earth), the Khazabi were called Fire Dragons or just simply the Drakes, Lengodo were called Green Dragons, Umikao were called Sea Dragons, Auri were called Gold Dragons, and the Cryu-Ir were called White Dragons or Ice Dragons. But these were names given to the Kethosi by humans.

[iwellbeingstyle]

6 easy exercises to improve blood circulation

To have a good circulation it is essential that our circulatory system (arteries, veins and capillaries) are without alterations so that the blood flows properly throughout the body, which will allow both oxygen and nutrients and all the substances necessary for the correct functioning of our body better reach the cells of the different organs such as muscle tissue, the brain, the heart and the kidneys, among others.  "Circulation" is a process in which blood is pumped from the heart and is distributed throughout the body through the arteries. As the blood circulates, oxygen is distributed, as well as nutrients, to the cells, eliminating waste from the body, so that, finally, it returns to the heart and is sent to the lungs to be oxygenated again and restart the whole process .  A poor blood circulation , will weaken and off the energy of each organ. In addition, it can have serious consequences for the body such as cardiovascular problems that can cause cardiac arrest, diabetes , stroke, arthritis, hypertension, in addition to affecting all the organs involved in these failures such as the kidneys, pancreas, etc. In this article from wellbeingstyle, with the collaboration of Dr. Marco A. Rodríguez Sandoval , general practitioner at Doctoranytime, we propose 6 very easy exercises to improve blood circulation .

The main causes of circulatory problems

Circulatory problems occur mainly in people with sedentary lifestyles , obesity , and poor diet and daily nutrition. People with high blood pressure , smokers and pregnant women can also be affected by them . Although these are the determining factors for poor blood circulation, other causes such as some diseases or poor posture at work, etc., could also be the reason. A study of the San Carlos Clinical Hospital (Madrid) on diseases of the veins also points out genetic or hereditary factors . This is highlighted when it is observed that patients with varicose veins have a family history with the same problem much more frequently than those who do not.

Signs of poor blood circulation

According to specialists, the symptoms that are experienced when a person suffers from circulatory problems include: Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet. Cold hands and feet . Swelling in the feet, ankles, and legs. Memory loss and trouble concentrating . Digestive problems . Fatigue . Joint and muscle pain . Changes in skin color . Leg or foot ulcers . Varicose veins . Cramps . In case you notice any of the mentioned symptoms, it is important to consult a specialist for a diagnosis. 

Effective exercises for better blood circulation

To keep the body healthy, it is advisable to maintain good blood circulation. It is important to recognize that a sedentary life can be a key element in poor blood circulation, some exercises include : Leg raises Doing lifts and push-ups on the legs helps promote circulation in the legs thanks to the fact that they stimulate blood flow. You just have to raise your legs towards the ceiling and extend them as much as possible. You can then bend your knees and stretch again for at least 20 repetitions with alternating movements . Leg splits Raising the legs facilitates the return of blood, avoiding the formation of varicose veins and spiders. All you have to do is raise your legs, separate them and bring them together , repeating and maintaining a balance while performing the exercise. To walk Walking for at least 30 to 40 minutes a day will maintain good circulation in your legs. You can walk for 10 minutes first and then try to pick up your pace for the other minutes. In this way, you will work and exercise the muscles promoting blood flow and strengthening blood vessels. Move your feet The feet are an important foundation for circulation that is often forgotten. Therefore, sitting either in an armchair, chair or sofa, stretch your legs in front and begin to move your feet from side to side . You can take advantage of prolonged sitting to perform this exercise for at least 3 minutes . Bike Whether riding a bike or on the floor with your legs elevated, this exercise will help your circulation a lot. You can lie down on the floor, raise your legs and begin to move them, imitating the movement you do when riding a bicycle. You will feel an instant relief. It is recommended to repeat it every day .

Yoga to improve blood circulation Yoga is an activity that benefits the body in many aspects, in addition to helping with the circulation of the body thanks to its body positions and the use of deep breathing . Yoga can stimulate blood circulation without the need to be an expert in physical activity . In addition to the exercises mentioned above, maintaining a healthy weight is essential to avoid circulatory problems. If a person is overweight, they are likely to be more prone to circulatory problems. In case you are a person used to physical activity, you can increase the difficulty as instead of walking, jogging or running . You can also consult a doctor to help reduce circulatory problems or avoid them at a young age. And you? Do you suffer from problems with blood circulation ? Has this article been useful to you? Leave us your comments and opinions, we will read you! Bibliographic references : - Bergam, JJ The vein book. Burlintong, MA: Elsevier Academic Press, 2007. - Lozano Sánchez, F. Notebooks of vascular pathology. Vol. 3. Salamanca: Arán, 2006. You can read more articles similar to 6 very easy exercises to improve blood circulation , in the Exercises category in Women's Diary. RECENT POSTS - How to Treat Vaginitis in Dogs – The wellbeing Pets - How should the diet be for a pregnant athlete? - How does pollution affect my pregnancy? - Wooden constructions: what are their benefits? - Rib contusion: causes, symptoms and care - Benefits of azelaic acid for the skin – Better with Health - Snow gastritis in dog - Emotional lability: symptoms, causes and treatment - Breast engorgement: everything you need to know - Psoriasis: Bathing in the swimming pool is allowed Read the full article

[kansascityhappenings]

As Grand Canyon National Park turns 100, one man hikes the entire length to save it

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Pete McBride is worried about the Grand Canyon, so he decided to hike it — all of it.

A few years ago, the adventure filmmaker, photographer and writer filmed the path of the Colorado River and was amazed to see that the river doesn’t reach the ocean anymore.

The river “flooded the sea for six million years, and it stopped two decades ago,” says McBride, who has traveled to 75 countries for a host of publications and projects over 20 years.

The trip “made me shift my focus, so now I do a lot of photography around conservation, around fresh water and around public lands.”

Having hiked Mount Everest and documented nature in Antarctica, he didn’t think the Grand Canyon needed his images to survive.

“I figured the Grand Canyon was one of the most protected pieces of landscape on the planet, so it didn’t require another photographer to go photograph there.”

Learning about current threats to the canyon changed his mind.

One of the seven natural wonders

One of the seven natural wonders of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Grand Canyon is one of the most photographed landscapes in the world.

The Grand Canyon is about five or six million years old, but rocks at the canyon bottom date back about 2 billion years. Human artifacts have been found dating back nearly 12,000 years to the Paleo-Indian period, and it’s been continuously occupied into the present day.

The land now known as Grand Canyon National Park, which celebrates its centennial anniversary in February, was first protected by the US government in 1893. When Congress resisted US President Theodore Roosevelt’s effort to make it a national park, which required Congressional approval, he protected it as a national monument in 1908, which he could do without their help. It became Grand Canyon National Park on February 26, 1919.

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world,” said Roosevelt at the time. “I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it.”

(Photo courtesy Erin Whittaker/National Park Service)

Given that illustrious history, McBride was surprised to hear from people working inside and around Grand Canyon National Park that the canyon faces multiple threats.

They come from increased helicopter flights, a proposed tram to the canyon floor, proposed tourist developments and possible uranium drilling. (The threat of uranium isn’t a hypothetical issue: Three buckets of uranium ore were stored at the park museum for nearly two decades, according to a park employee who went public in February. Federal officials are investigating his report.)

While some of the developers who want to make money off the park aren’t from the area, some are Native American tribes who have watched others profit for decades.

A park under threat of development

Most visitors spend only a few minutes at the South Rim, experiencing just that famous view of Grand Canyon National Park, unaware of the canyon’s role as home to ancient peoples, animals and plant life or the threats and economic pressures placed on it.

So McBride decided to hike the length of the canyon, a 750-mile journey (give or take a few miles).

There wasn’t any thru-trail for him to follow. And the hike would include an elevation gain and loss of around 100,000 vertical feet, unstable rock and temperatures fluctuating from 8 degrees to 116 degrees Fahrenheit.

“I don’t know why I got the idea to walk it,” since there’s no trail for much of the distance, he says. “I figured it’d be challenging, but I’ve done a lot in the back country and wilderness and I figured it couldn’t be that hard. And oh, how wrong I was.”

When McBride and his friend, writer Kevin Fedarko, first started planning their hike, they convinced experienced Grand Canyon hiker Rich Rudow to let them join his September 2015 hike.

It didn’t go well.

Loaded up with way too much camera gear and not prepared for the impact of the extreme heat on their bodies, the canyon made them sick and disoriented, forcing them out on their sixth day, as Fedarko later wrote in National Geographic.

The Colorado River winds its way along the West Rim of the Grand Canyon in the Hualapai Indian Reservation on January 10, 2019 near Peach Springs, Arizona. The Grand Canyon National Park is preparing to celebrate its centennial in February. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Back in Flagstaff, Arizona, McBride was diagnosed with hyponatremia, a heat-induced imbalance of salts and minerals, which could have killed him.

There would be no thru-hike.

In fact, McBride and Fedarko thought about quitting as they got medical attention and recovered from their first attempt. But the local hiking community and Native American conservationists convinced them to complete the trip in order to draw attention to the magnificent natural wonder.

Hiking in two-week stints

During five weeks in October, they planned a hiking trip that involved hiking the canyon in two- to three-week stints starting in November 2015 going through March 2016, often bringing more experienced Grand Canyon hikers along, traveling about 15 miles per day and 150-200 miles per trip, completing about 600 miles before summer.

They skipped hiking during the deadly hot summer months — but still photographed the park — and finished up their last two-week stint in late October of 2016.

“There’s no trail for 70 to 80 percent of it, so you have to find your way and you have to learn how to find water. You have to make sure you don’t get pinned up on a cliff, just kinda figure out how to stay alive,” McBride said. “it’s a great lesson in humility and self-sufficiency and getting back in tune with our natural world.”

He carried just one camera, a Sony A7 with a wide angle lens 16-35, to shoot the video that became “Into the Grand Canyon,” a movie airing on National Geographic and streaming on NationalGeographic.com, and the pictures that became his book, “The Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim.”

McBride went through eight pairs of shoes over 13 months, hiked through four sprained ankles, two broken fingers, that case of hyponatremia, lost two girlfriends and even threw his heart out of rhythm, requiring heart surgery.

The lessons he learned, the wisdom he gained, the humility he earned — all of that, plus a careful selection of his images, were more than enough to fill his book.

Here are some of his discoveries on the journey, in his own words and adapted from his book:

It can be viewed from space

“Despite my fatigue, I often lay awake at night: sometimes too wired and worried about finding water and sometimes too spellbound by the spray of stars above us. Kevin (Fedarko) describes this celestial sweep as a second river — one that mirrors the main Colorado below us.

An aerial picture taken on January 3, 2019, shows the Grand Canyon covered with snow in Arizona. (Photo by DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty Images)

“Being inside the only canyon on the planet that can be seen from space makes you feel miniscule. And when you stare skyward, you realize one of this landscape’s unspoken marvels is the clarity of its night sky — one of the few landscapes in America without a blanket of light pollution. I lose myself in the space above and the idea that Mother Nature is still queen in some parts.

“As I doze, I overhear Kevin taking audio notes (easier than writing when he is tired), remarkably 100 yards from me. It is so quiet I think he is five feet away. He describes these moments ‘below the river of stars’ as if ‘the canyon is holding us in the palm of its hand.’”

A silence so profound

“When you get beyond the roar of the river inside the canyon, the silence is so profound and so ancient that it escapes description. At times it makes my ears ring because I’m trying to listen so hard to something that isn’t there. At other times the void of noise is so profound I wonder if it belongs to another world — a world we have long forgotten.

“In the evenings or early mornings, Kevin and I can converse in relaxed, tired voices even though we are the length of a football field apart.

“The same occurs when we hike, but if a single rib of rock separates us, we can’t hear each other holler at the top of our lungs, as if, at times, our voices can’t pierce the blanket of quiet that envelops us.”

The unfiltered night sky

“The clarity of Kevin’s ‘river of stars’ is hemmed on the edges by the distant glow of Las Vegas and St. George, Utah. Otherwise, looking across the sweep of erosion, rock, and time, there is no sign of civilization before us. Of course, we do see jets blinking above, mostly headed to Los Angeles, but they die down after midnight.

“It’s so silent (that) you can be laying in the morning, and you can hear just the distant brush of the bat wings as they’re going out and looking for bugs, and you could hear the little clatter of sheep hooves on a rock layer that might be 1,000 feet below you.

“We just don’t have a silence that’s that deep … it made me realize just how magical that is and what a noisy world we live in.

“I think that was part of the magic where it changed me to a degree, and I now am very aware of noise and silence. It’s not silence without sounds. It’s a silence without the chaotic noise of human sounds. It’s a silence layered with these rich wildlife sounds that we’ve forgotten or our senses are not used to hearing.”

You, too, can go deeper into the canyon

While many visitors only visit the South Rim or take a short (and noisy) helicopter ride to view the canyon, McBride says there’s a better way to appreciate this magnificent national park without risking one’s life on a year-long adventure.

Pack a hat, good hiking shoes and lots of water and choose to spend the day at the canyon beyond a few minutes at the South Rim. “Experience it away from vehicles. You can do that in a variety of ways.”

A general view of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, on February 13, 2017. (RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images)

Visitors can hike into the canyon, just remembering that the hike back up is twice as hard. Visitors can also ride a mule down into the canyon and back up, or ride one way and hike the other way.

Bicycle lovers can rent bicycles and ride the bike path along the South Rim or mountain bike on the trail on the North Rim (open seasonally). Guests using wheelchairs will find some wheelchair-accessible trails, including the Trail of Time and parts of the Rim Trail.

Hardier types can hike two-thirds of the way into the canyon (with all of your gear) and camp at Indian Garden Campground, where there is drinking water. There are also rafting trips for every skill level.

Listen to the sounds

If you take some time to listen to the sounds of the canyon, quietly, McBride says it may change you.

“The silence of this natural wonder starkly contrasts with the noise we make everywhere else, even as the canyon invites us to carry some of that silence within ourselves as we return to the world beyond the rims,” writes McBride.

“As I wonder if any of my images have captured that, I find myself pondering an even deeper question: Is it possible that this journey by foot, along with the photographic record that it has yielded, might help illuminate and underscore what we all share — as well as what we all risk losing — if we fail to protect this vast abyss by foregoing the urge to transform its beauty into cash and simply leaving it as it is?

“While the answer to that question is for others to decide, I do know one thing. After spending so many months drenched in the silence and magic of the seventh natural wonder of the world, I know there is only one place that looks and sounds like this.”

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/02/25/as-grand-canyon-national-park-turns-100-one-man-hikes-the-entire-length-to-save-it/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/02/26/as-grand-canyon-national-park-turns-100-one-man-hikes-the-entire-length-to-save-it/