Living the Grand Life

 Some people have bucket lists that take them to the Grand Canyon for a once in their lifetime visit. That’s not Boulder’s Jonathan Greenwald. Jonathan, 78, doesn’t have a bucket list. His life-long passion for hiking has taken him to the Grand Canyon almost every year for nearly 29 years in a row. In fact, he just returned from more than a week in the canyon. He carried a 45 pound pack filled with all the food and supplies he would need to survive the rough terrain and changeable weather that is all part of the magnificent Grand Canyon experience.

“I don’t want to call myself a creature of habit, but I know what I like. I use the same starting word for Wordle every day,” says Jonathan with a laugh. “I’ve been a backpacker my whole life, and spent 14 summers exploring the Canadian Rockies many years ago. Then, someone invited me on a trip to the Grand Canyon and it became my go to place. What I loved about the Grand Canyon is that it’s challenging, magnificent, rigorous and you have to be self reliant.”

It may be the same location year after year, but each trip is unique for its own reasons. “The thing I love about the repetition is by now I know a lot about how to do it. I know how to plan it, I know how to train for it, I know where to get my permits, it just got easy,” says Jonathan. “And the grandeur of the Grand Canyon changes hour by hour. Day by day. It’s not like it’s the same every year. Even the same trail — with treacherous rock falls and changing weather conditions — is not the same year to year.”

Except for the summers that Jonathan was getting chemotherapy to treat his cancer decades ago, or when he had COVID a few years ago, Jonny has shared these Grand Canyon adventures with friends, strangers, and his daughters, Sammy and Noa, who were each in college at the time.

Jonathan’s wife of 32 years, Batya, hasn’t made the Grand Canyon trip with him, but has backpacked with him in the Canadian Rockies over the years. “The Grand Canyon is more rigorous than I like, so we have made a life of camping and day hikes that has really suited our family lifestyle,” says Batya. “Even though it was sometimes challenging having him gone and out of contact while I was teaching and taking care of the girls when they were little, he always came back so happy, so spiritually connected, and he bought the beauty and connection home to us. These days I get excited for his trip. I’ve learned to trust that he will be ok, and it gives me time alone in our house to organize, be quiet, and then look forward to his return.”

Jonathan, who was a paramedic for 50 years, and still trains other paramedics, is not looking to slow down any time soon. “I feel like my life in general is easy,” he says. “So I’ve been training for 3 months for my hike, carrying a 45 pound back pack up and down Sanitas. Honestly, I like opportunities to put rigor and some risk into my everyday life. This is a generalization, but I think most people want to do things the easier way. I like to add physical difficulty to my day to day life. I feel like physical activity is critical to my well being and to my brain. But it’s also a spiritual experience. I have always been so awed by nature. I’m totally moved by what I see and experience being out there in the Grand Canyon.”

But even with all the beauty and the adrenaline of the physical challenge, there are times Jonathan has some reservations about the huge undertaking. “Why am I doing this? I sometimes ask myself,” he says.  “When I went to my annual check up I asked my doctor, ‘At 78 am I foolish for doing it?’ She said no, and if something is going to happen it will happen while training. But sure, mortality comes up for me before each trip. I’m not ready to die, but I think about it. I always get a little anxious about it. More risky than anything we do around here. But totally worth it. Think the most dangerous part is driving there and back.”

These adventures are part of a life philosophy for Jonathan. “If you don’t use it, you lose it. I’m a user of my body and I try to be thoughtful about it,” he says.

The benefits of the Grand Canyon adventure continue to grow as years go on, and the benefits are not only physical. “I appreciate being away from my cell phone and news,” says Jonathan. “While I’m hiking I don’t know what’s going on in the world. Which at this particular time is great. These trips uplift my spirits, even after I return. It feels like a real accomplishment, and maybe it’s just a little boost for my ego, because I’ve done something that others haven’t, at an age that most people don’t.”

So, does Jonny have another Grand Canyon trip in him next year? “I don’t know. I’m going to die at some point and there are so many other gorgeous places in the United States I still want to hike,” says Jonathan. “But maybe, because there is one more nice thing about the Grand Canyon. It doesn’t have grizzly bears!”

But for now, Jonathan has just safely returned to Boulder from this year’s adventure, and it looks like he will have plenty more opportunities to hit the road and go hiking with Batya and their beloved dog Stella. Batya had a surprise waiting for him when he got back from the Grand Canyon. They now have a new bright yellow teardrop trailer, named Buzz, to take them anywhere they want to go!