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Welcome to THE home of Grand Canyon hiking. If it happens below the rim—from short day hikes to Rim2Rims and beyond—you'll learn all the tips and tricks to have your safest and most memorable Grand Canyon experience. Host Brian Speciale brings you stories of triumph, tragedy, and trail-won wisdom—told by first-timers, seasoned vets, and Canyon insiders alike. But don't just take our word for it; here's what our listeners say: “I am continually inspired by the guests and the vulnerability of ...
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Zeena Speciale, a shamanic Reiki master teacher, certified sound healer, and co-founder of hiKin—a community where hiking and kinship move as one—guides this weekly podcast into the heart of mindful movement and soulful connection. Sacred Steps offers walking/hiking meditations, breathwork, and nature-rooted reflections to help you find presence on the trail and clarity within. Find Zeena at Soul Collective, her spirit-based yoga studio in the heart of Cave Creek, AZ, or at soulcollective.love.
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Ep94: Surviving And Thriving On The Journey From Cancer To Canyon
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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 S…
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Ep93: Facebook Joe on Fire, Family, and a Life Below the Rim
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In this episode, Brian sits down with Joe Adloch—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-c…
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Ep92: Bruce Aiken: The Artist Who Lived At The Bottom Of The Grand Canyon
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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 Brav…
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Ep8: A Little Bee And The Power Of Witnessing
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Not every act of love is about fixing or saving. Sometimes the most sacred thing we can do is simply witness — to sit beside, to see, to honor. In this walking meditation, Zeena shares the story of a small bee and the lesson it carried: that presence itself is enough. As you walk, you’ll be guided to breathe deeply, notice your body, and let each s…
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Ep91: A 10-Year-Old’s Final Hike: The Tragedy of Philip Grimm
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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,…
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Sometimes the most sacred moments aren’t the big milestones — they’re the quiet ones we almost miss. In this walking meditation, Zeena invites you to slow down, soften your pace, and begin noticing the beauty woven into the everyday: the shimmer of light in a puddle, the color of the sky, the breath that carries you forward. This practice is a gent…
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Ep90: YouTube's Famous "Hiking Guy" On Rim-to-Rim And Beyond
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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 …
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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, an…
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Ep88: How To Hike Rim-To-River Without Getting Wrecked
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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.…
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Sacred Steps Hiking Meditation: You Are The Phoenix
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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…
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Miracles don’t always arrive with thunder. Sometimes they arrive as breath, as movement, as you, walking softly into what’s next. In this meditative walking practice, Zeena guides you to the edge of a miracle—not the loud kind, but the quiet shifts that change everything beneath the surface. You’ll explore five sacred threads that reveal themselves…
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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…
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I simply MUST share this. It's too powerful not to, and just what many of us need to hear. Please subscribe to Sacred Steps: Meditation In Motion to get magic like this every single week. These are hiking/walking meditations made specifically for our hiKin community. -Brian -- As the North Rim of the Grand Canyon burns, this episode of Sacred Steps…
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As the North Rim of the Grand Canyon burns, this episode of Sacred Steps becomes more than a meditation—it becomes a collective ritual. Guided by Zeena Speciale, co-founder of hiKin and a witness to the Canyon’s healing cycles, we walk through the grief of loss and into the sacred wisdom of renewal. This is a fire walk—for the land, for ourselves, …
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North Rim Fire Update | As Fire Spreads North, How Safe Is Kaibab Lodge?
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As the Dragon Bravo Fire grows past 11,700 acres with 0% containment, frustration is mounting—not just from the blaze itself, but from what many see as a lack of access, transparency, and leadership. On today’s episode, we break down the latest updates from fire crews and federal officials, including new threats to Kaibab Lodge and continued struct…
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Don't Give Up On Your Canyon Adventure! | North Rim Fire Update | Thursday, July 17
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In this special episode of The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show, Brian shares critical updates on the Dragon Bravo Fire that has devastated the North Rim. With the fire now at over 11,000 acres and containment still at 0%, much of the North Rim infrastructure—including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge—has been lost. Trail closures are expanding, includi…
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The Day That Changed Everything: Krocky Meshkin's North Rim Fire Story | Plus Updates On Fire's Progress
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In this emotional and unfiltered conversation, longtime Grand Canyon shuttle driver and tour guide Krocky Meshkin opens up about the devastation of the North Rim fire, the shocking loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge, and the ripple effects on his livelihood and identity. Just days before the blaze, Krocky was celebrating a life finally coming together—…
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North Rim Fire Update | BREAKING: Manzanita, Roaring Springs Threatened | Tuesday, July 15
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In this urgent fire update, Brian and Zeena share troubling new developments from the North Rim: the blaze has now spilled over the rim and threatens Manzanita and the critical pump house at Roaring Springs. With no containment and growing danger deep inside the canyon, we break down what’s really happening—what’s confirmed, what’s not, and what it…
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North Rim Fire Update | Loss...And Hope | Monday, July 14
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What do you say when one of your favorite places in the world burns down? In this update on the devastating North Rim fire, Brian and Zeena sit down to reflect on the Dragon Bravo Fire that consumed Grand Canyon Lodge and much of the North Rim. But this isn’t just a story of loss—it’s one of love, memory, and the spirit that refuses to die. With fi…
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Ep3: Kaibab—The Wisdom Of The Upside Down Mountain
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In this powerful walking meditation, Zeena Speciale explores the meaning of the word Kaibab—a Paiute word that translates to “mountain lying down.” As you walk, you’ll be invited to consider what it means to descend instead of climb, to find wisdom not in the striving, but in the surrender. Step by step, breath by breath, this episode guides you in…
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Sacred Steps (Hiking/Movement Meditation): Kaibab—The Wisdom Of The Upside Down Mountain
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To subscribe on Apple Podcasts, click here. To subscribe on Spotify, click here. -- In this powerful walking meditation, Zeena Speciale explores the meaning of the word Kaibab—a Paiute word that translates to “mountain lying down.” As you walk, you’ll be invited to consider what it means to descend instead of climb, to find wisdom not in the strivi…
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Tales From Below (Ep7): Humbled By The Canyon
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Ashley Handschke and her fiancé weren’t new to pushing their limits. As endurance athletes and seasoned hikers, they thought they were ready for a two-day Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim of the Grand Canyon. But the Canyon has a way of humbling even the strongest. With temperatures soaring past 100 degrees and the climb up South Kaibab feeling endless, their fir…
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Ep87: The Boston Marathoner Who Died in the Grand Canyon: The Margaret Bradley Story
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Margaret Bradley was young, brilliant, and unstoppable—an All-American runner and Boston Marathon finisher who thought she could handle anything, even the Grand Canyon in July. She was wrong. In this powerful and cautionary episode, we revisit the tragic story of Margaret’s final run, exploring what went wrong, how it could have been prevented, and…
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Ep2: Mending the Cracks: A Meditation on Wholeness
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In Japan, there is an art called kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with shimmering gold, turning cracks into beauty rather than hiding them away. In this meditative walk, Zeena guides you to honor the places within you that feel tender or fractured, filling them with breath and light as you move. Each step becomes a gentle repair, remindin…
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Sacred Steps (Hiking/Movement Meditation): Mending The Cracks: A Meditation On Wholeness
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To subscribe on Apple Podcasts, click here. To subscribe on Spotify, click here. -- In Japan, there is an art called kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with shimmering gold, turning cracks into beauty rather than hiding them away. In this meditative walk, Zeena guides you to honor the places within you that feel tender or fractured, filling…
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