Grandfather Passes Down his Love of the Grand Canyon

Every two years, 79-year-old Don Kohler rounds up his children and as many of his 15 grandchildren as he can and brings them to the Grand Canyon National Park, and this October, Kohler and company will be making their 11th descent into the canyon. This is a tradition that serves to pass Kohler’s nearly 70 years of love for the Grand Canyon on to the next generation, but that isn’t the only reason for this elaborate get-together.

Kohler has always loved to travel, and his favorite direction to go was west. Growing up in 1940’s Pennsylvania, a young Don Kohler developed a love for travel and nature. His father, a geography teacher, brought him along on trips out to the west, and by the time Kohler was 10, he had seen the Grand Canyon on a 9-week journey with his family.

Fast forward to 1997, the year of Kohler’s retirement, and you’ll find Kohler and his wife, Alice, enjoying their retirement working at Ruby’s Inn near Bryce Canyon. Felix and Mark Ann Chicocki, two friends of Don and Alice who were staying in Phoenix at the time, came by for a visit, proposing a hike into the Grand Canyon. That hike would go on to be the very first of a new tradition.

Don and Felix frequently exchanged emails in the months leading up to the hike, discussing training, equipment, safety, food, and more, but unfortunately, Felix wouldn’t be able to participate in the hike himself. After being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Felix was forced to drop out, and in his place came Richard Fox, a mutual friend of Felix and Don.

The hike when off without a hitch due to the preparedness of the duo, and while unable to participate in the hike itself, Felix was waiting near the top of the trail to greet Don and Richard at the end of their 17-mile day-long hike. Unfortunately, both Felix and Richard Fox died within a couple years of this hike, but not before Fox and Kohler declared the hike a tradition – every two years, the two would hike the canyon in memory of Felix. With Fox gone, Kohler was left to carry on the tradition himself, and 10 hikes later, Kohler and his family are gearing up for their 2015 hike.

The planning process begins when a date is chosen, and the family prefers to visit the park in the fall, when the crowds are beginning to dissipate and the temperatures are more forgiving. Not everyone is able to come – only those who are physically and mentally mature enough for a Grand Canyon hike can attend, and while their chosen path, the South Kaibab Trail, isn’t the most treacherous, it does require a certain level of maturity.

The South Kaibab Trail brings the family down to the Phantom Ranch where they’ll eat dinner, sleep, and then have breakfast, and after that, it’s back on the trail – this time, back up.

Do you have a Grand Canyon tradition? Let us know in the comments section below, and call or click today for more information on the canyon, the park, and planning your visit!