Writer

Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff is a native of Arizona and a graduate of Northern Arizona University.  She has worked in outdoor recreation and education for most of her adult life.  Currently she guides tours and teaches classes in Grand Canyon National Park.  She is also a guest lecturer and guide for Road Scholar and a board member of the Grand Canyon Historical Society


Articles

Grumpy talk on the trail

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

I suppose it’s the human thing on a hiking trail to acknowledge one another when passing. But on a well-used…

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Before you sleep on the ground, read this

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

What fun: You’re going on a guided outdoor trip. As you get ready, here are some tips from actual guides…

Backpackers in the White Goat Wilderness, Alberta, Canada

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There’s such a thing as trail etiquette

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

The uppermost switchback on the Bright Angel Trail in Grand Canyon National Park is eight feet wide. Yet the last…

Bright Angel Trail, NPS/Ty Karlovetz

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Too many tourists follow a leader

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

A spectacular picture recently appeared on social media of a young lady in Arizona. She was poised on the edge…

spencer backman, via unsplash

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Never hike without this perfect accompaniment

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

I have long been known to have pet peeves about the debris hikers drop along trails, but one piece of…

Buster babes with a bandana collar

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Let’s redefine those bucket lists

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

What did we learn this summer and fall? We learned that people who’d been cooped up, thanks to COVID-19, flocked…

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Hands off the rocks

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

Hikers are flooding our public lands, so I ask the question: Why can’t people just leave the poor rocks alone?…

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“Look at me” culture leaves too many marks

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

“The pioneers endured drought, famine, disease, and death in order to reach the West and scratch their names on the wall.”

Photograph by Lloyd Bunk, courtesy of Unsplash

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GRAND CANYON TAKES A BREAK FROM THE CROWDS

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

To reach any national park in the West, people have to travel. Travel is risky and helps spread the virus.

Photograph by Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

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