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 beyond.
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Find Cris at hikingguy.com or at youtube.com/@hikingguy
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Please join the hiKin Grand Canyon Facebook group—the official group of The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show—by clicking here. Our group is a judgment-free zone full of interaction, information, and inspiration—it's simply THE place to get the best information in advance of your Canyon adventure. Join Brian, Coach Arnie, and most of the guests you've heard on the show in an environment created to answer your questions and help you have the best possible experience below the rim. It's completely free.

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Bright Angel Outfitters is now hiKin, where hiking meets kinship to form a community of like-minded hikers dedicated to helping each other hike our best hike. It's about all of us. 

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To reach Coach Arnie, you can call or text him (yes, really!) at (602) 390-9144 or send him a message on Instagram @painfreearnie.

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Have an idea for the show, or someone you think would be a great guest? Reach out to Brian anytime at [email protected].

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The Grand Canyon Shade Tracker is our gift to the Grand Canyon hiking community. This incredible interactive tool lets you see when and where you'll have precious shade on your Grand Canyon hike—every route on every hour of every day of the year. Check it out at gcshadetracker.com. Another free resource from hiKin aimed at making your Grand Canyon adventure the best and safest it can be.

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For more great Grand Canyon content, please check us out on the following platforms:

YouTube (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for informative and inspirational videos

Instagram (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for photos from the trail

TikTok (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for fun and informative short-form videos

Facebook (@GrandCanyonHikerDude)

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 down. Packed with practical tips, warm stories, and laughter, this episode will inspire you to take that first step and remind you that the Canyon is about more than just the miles—it’s about the journey you share with others along the way.
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Please join the hiKin Grand Canyon Facebook group—the official group of The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show—by clicking here. Our group is a judgment-free zone full of interaction, information, and inspiration—it's simply THE place to get the best information in advance of your Canyon adventure. Join Brian, Coach Arnie, and most of the guests you've heard on the show in an environment created to answer your questions and help you have the best possible experience below the rim. It's completely free.

*****

Bright Angel Outfitters is now hiKin, where hiking meets kinship to form a community of like-minded hikers dedicated to helping each other hike our best hike. It's about all of us. 

*****

To reach Coach Arnie, you can call or text him (yes, really!) at (602) 390-9144 or send him a message on Instagram @painfreearnie.

*****

Have an idea for the show, or someone you think would be a great guest? Reach out to Brian anytime at [email protected].

*****

The Grand Canyon Shade Tracker is our gift to the Grand Canyon hiking community. This incredible interactive tool lets you see when and where you'll have precious shade on your Grand Canyon hike—every route on every hour of every day of the year. Check it out at gcshadetracker.com. Another free resource from hiKin aimed at making your Grand Canyon adventure the best and safest it can be.

*****

For more great Grand Canyon content, please check us out on the following platforms:

YouTube (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for informative and inspirational videos

Instagram (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for photos from the trail

TikTok (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for fun and informative short-form videos

Facebook (@GrandCanyonHikerDude)

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 back to the Canyon after heartbreak, this iconic route offers a challenge worthy of your effort—and a reminder that memories below the rim are still waiting to be made.
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Please join the hiKin Grand Canyon Facebook group—the official group of The Grand Canyon Hiker Dude Show—by clicking here. Our group is a judgment-free zone full of interaction, information, and inspiration—it's simply THE place to get the best information in advance of your Canyon adventure. Join Brian, Coach Arnie, and most of the guests you've heard on the show in an environment created to answer your questions and help you have the best possible experience below the rim. It's completely free.

*****

Bright Angel Outfitters is now hiKin, where hiking meets kinship to form a community of like-minded hikers dedicated to helping each other hike our best hike. It's about all of us. 

*****

To reach Coach Arnie, you can call or text him (yes, really!) at (602) 390-9144 or send him a message on Instagram @painfreearnie.

*****

Have an idea for the show, or someone you think would be a great guest? Reach out to Brian anytime at [email protected].

*****

The Grand Canyon Shade Tracker is our gift to the Grand Canyon hiking community. This incredible interactive tool lets you see when and where you'll have precious shade on your Grand Canyon hike—every route on every hour of every day of the year. Check it out at gcshadetracker.com. Another free resource from hiKin aimed at making your Grand Canyon adventure the best and safest it can be.

*****

For more great Grand Canyon content, please check us out on the following platforms:

YouTube (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for informative and inspirational videos

Instagram (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for photos from the trail

TikTok (@GrandCanyonHikerDude) for fun and informative short-form videos

Facebook (@GrandCanyonHikerDude)

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 rise again. This is a meditation for anyone standing in the aftermath, wondering what comes next. The answer? You do.

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Zeena Speciale practices at Soul Collective, her spirit-based yoga studio in Cave Creek, AZ. You can find here at soulcollective.love, or email her at [email protected].

Sacred Steps is brought to you by hiKin, a community where hiking and kinship move as one. Join our private Facebook community (hiKin Grand Canyon) by clicking here, or visit us at hiKin.club.

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
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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, for what’s been lost and what still wants to rise. Step by sacred step, we remember that fire doesn’t just destroy. It clears. It awakens. It transforms.

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 structure protection efforts at the North Rim entrance and administrative loop. Plus, a growing chorus of voices—both online and on the ground—is demanding answers.

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, including a 1.7-mile stretch of the North Kaibab Trail now burned to Supai Tunnel. But amidst the destruction, there's still hope—and a powerful message for hikers: don’t cancel your Canyon dreams, just adapt. Brian also introduces the new “North Rim Rising” shirts, with 100% of profits going to recovery efforts voted on by the community. Tune in for trail closures, fire behavior insights, what’s still safe, and how you can be part of the rebuild.

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—his business thriving, his future clear. Now, he's forced to start over.

Recorded while the fire was still 0% contained, this episode is a raw, intimate account of what it’s like to be on the inside of a disaster that has forever altered the Canyon and the community who calls it home.

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 all means for the future of the North Kaibab Trail. This is the most consequential moment in the corridor’s modern history—and we’re not sugarcoating it.

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 firsthand reports, emotional tributes to employees and volunteers, and a powerful reminder that the Canyon endures, this episode holds space for both grief and hope.