tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12148784632783057412024-12-18T22:15:37.297-05:00<a href = "http://www.believeintomorrow.org">A blog by Brian Morrison, founder of Believe In Tomorrow Children's Foundation </a>Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-20100479356433706462010-01-19T14:05:00.002-05:002010-01-19T14:07:57.872-05:00

Please check out my new blog location:www.briansblog.believeintomorrow.org

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-19872138733743999752009-11-24T08:57:00.002-05:002009-11-24T09:00:50.812-05:00

At the Believe In Tomorrow Children's Foundation we have so much to be thankful for during this Thanksgiving holiday season. Our pediatric hospital housing serving the Johns Hopkins Children's Center has operated at full capacity all year, and I am thankful for our wonderful staff and volunteers who make those facilities such a welcoming place for some very sick children. Our Believe In Tomorrow

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-52958856708189996362009-04-13T11:19:00.000-04:002009-04-13T11:21:34.876-04:00

Sometimes, life can be pretty interesting. Sometimes it takes great leaps forward leaving me a bit bewildered at how fast time can pass by. That happened to me the other day when I awoke from a dream of an incident that happened 32 years ago. In the dream, everyone looked and spoke exactly as they were at that moment in time back in 1977. It is amazing to me that our minds retain past events with

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-23485691599260276032007-10-31T14:36:00.001-04:002007-11-01T14:31:10.523-04:00

Veterans Day puts a face to the freedoms we enjoy in this country. It puts a face to those men and women who sacrifice so much for the freedoms large and small that we all too often take for granted. The faces of American veterans are those images of our grandparents and parents, our brothers and sisters, our children and grandchildren. They are all too often the gentle faces of young men and

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-55125296309411409652007-10-24T11:47:00.000-04:002007-10-24T12:03:24.408-04:00

I just returned from Hendersonville, North Carolina where several events were held to support the construction of the Believe In Tomorrow House at Pinnacle Falls. When completed next May, this new Believe In Tomorrow retreat facility will be the first in the United States to prioritize military pediatrics. Many volunteers working on this project attended a reception last Thursday. During the

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-52075466049712978202007-10-22T16:11:00.001-04:002007-10-22T16:11:17.780-04:00

Today we woke at about 5:30am, and packed up our camp for the last time and headed up the Bright Angel Trail. It is a 4.6 mile climb to the top and we arrived at the South Rim in the early afternoon. The weather coming up was cool, and we felt strong and relatively rested. We spent some time at the top looking back toward the North Rim and filling our memories with the sights and sounds of the

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-70190085472055694192007-10-22T16:10:00.005-04:002007-10-22T16:10:54.358-04:00

We woke this morning to learn that Doug had got up in the middle of the night to see two ring tail cats, a raccoon like animal with a cat like ringed tail, inside of the vestibule of his tent. They were not at all afraid of him and he had to shoo them away. Last night, Doug for the very first time left food in his backpack, which is hanging outside on a pole near the tents. This morning he

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-6793543096622716912007-10-22T16:10:00.003-04:002007-10-22T16:10:32.961-04:00

Today we woke up brushing a layer of red dust off of ourselves and our belongings. The wind was strong during the night but had calmed down considerably. Each of us seems much more relaxed today as the pressure of the North Rim climb is behind us. We cooked the fish for breakfast and packed and were on the trail by around 8am. The hike each day is strenuous. Some days are simply harder than

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-7179093227806645252007-10-22T16:10:00.001-04:002007-10-22T16:10:13.974-04:00

I do not believe that any of us slept much last night. The wind was relentless throughout the night and sleep only came in brief increments. At the first sign of light we were up and delighted that it was not raining...... giving us an opportunity to break down our camp and make it back into the canyon. At over 8,000 feet, the weather at the North Rim can be significantly different than at the

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-2062800057927796732007-10-22T16:09:00.003-04:002007-10-22T16:09:46.677-04:00

To know a person's character you sometimes have to spend considerable time with them, or go through a difficult situation that brings out the true character that we are made of. Our hike today tested the very core of each of us. The North Kaibab trail from Cottonwood to the backpack camping area at the top of the North Rim is 8.2 miles. The rise in elevation from the bottom to the top is

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-52113699877029066882007-10-22T16:09:00.001-04:002007-10-22T16:09:23.951-04:00

Today we hiked across the width of the canyon toward the base of the North Rim, on a trail that runs along side Bright Angel Creek. We woke at 5:30am, broke down our camp and we were on the trail by 6:30 am. It was a warm, sunny day that was in the low 90's. The trail steadily rises in elevation from 2,400 ft. at Bright Angel to 4,000 ft. at Cottonwood, our final destination of the day. The

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-45239947233308055742007-10-22T16:08:00.000-04:002007-10-22T16:09:01.728-04:00

Today we began the hike. Although we had set the alarms for 5:15 to catch a 6am shuttle to the trail, I believe that each of us was up much earlier with the anticipation of starting. It was cool in the morning and we drove to the Backcountry Office, parked the car, and caught the 5:45am hiker shuttle bus to the South Kaibab trailhead where we started the hike by 6:15. It was an incredible hike

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-8596755978267787682007-10-22T16:07:00.000-04:002007-10-22T16:08:17.515-04:00

Today we were up by 6am and after breakfast checked into the Backcountry Office to let them know we were about to start the hike. It is a chilly and rainy day and we are glad that we are starting the hike tomorrow. The rain let up slightly in the afternoon and we hiked to Shashone Point with our full Backpacks. It was a four mile hike and it felt good to be out. I think everyone is eager for the

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-18397901127058266672007-10-22T15:44:00.000-04:002007-10-22T16:15:40.305-04:00

This morning we met at Doug's house at 5:15 in order to get to the airport for a 6:45 departure to Phoenix. It seems as though this date has arrived suddenly. In two days we will be plunging into the Grand Canyon for a 72 mile, 7 day hike that will take us from the South Rim to the bottom of the canyon, all the way across and up to the top of the North Rim, and back down again to reverse the hike

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-46685245270535983502007-10-22T11:53:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:27:54.310-04:00

I have been out of the Grand Canyon for almost 48 hours and am sitting between my Dad and my Uncle on a flight from Phoenix to Baltimore. I have spent two nights out of the canyon but have not slept that well. I wake each night and think of the things that I saw and did on my seven day journey. I especially think of how I felt when I would look up at the night sky to see clouds of stars

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-50949320022979053122007-10-22T11:48:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:24:14.990-04:00

Today I woke at dawn. As I stepped out of my tent I found myself staring directly into the eyes of a deer only several feet from me. The deer was as startled as I was and I believe we both jumped several feet into the air. It however bounded off in an instant, leaving me to gather myself and start my morning routine.I am not used to going to bed at 7:00pm and getting up with the rising sun. My

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-16233099790429888692007-10-22T11:45:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:25:10.807-04:00

Today was the first cloudy day and it is currently raining lightly. I was on the trail early this morning headed for Indian Gardens. It was a pretty hike on the Bright Angel trail as I climbed out of the Inner Canyon to the base of the South Rim. Indian Gardens is pretty, with a number of cottonwoods and aspens. You usually do not think of the Grand Canyon as having lush vegetation but where

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-37080581828352155442007-10-22T11:42:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:18:15.744-04:00

I again slept like a child, I fell asleep around 7:30p.m. I woke a number of times to look at the stars and tried to stay awake but never could. I finally awoke at 6:30 and because I had nothing to eat but two freeze dried dinners that I did not want for breakfast, I was on the trail by 7:00. I did have some power gels and such to drink, which I did. It was a great day to walk through the inner

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-16147448110418207192007-10-22T11:33:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:17:06.696-04:00

Yesterday I made it to the top of the North Rim!!! The scenery was spectacular and the hike was pretty difficult both mentally and physically. The North Rim is much higher than the South Rim and actually in a different vegetation zone. It is a beautiful alpine environment with lodge pole pines and aspen trees. It was also very cold and all of the facilities were shut down for the winter.When I

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-11907523744597773192007-10-22T11:31:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:13:04.195-04:00

I did something extraordinary last night. I slept like I have not slept since I was a child. I fell asleep as soon as I finished my second journal entry at 7pm and with the exception of waking at 4am, I did not wake again until about 6:30a.m. When I woke at 4, I looked up through the screen roof of the tent to see a number of shooting stars within several minutes, but I could not stay awake to

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-83665548715634555232007-10-22T11:29:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:12:05.801-04:00

While yesterday was a day of wonderment, today has been more a day of wonderful reflection. I did make an error today that may prove to be a bit of a challenge. I camped beside Bright Angel Stream and did not sleep all that well considering how tired I was. It was my first night in the tent and the stream, which was about 10 feet away, was a little loud throughout the night. It was also a little

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1214878463278305741.post-23915333366505346582007-10-22T11:18:00.000-04:002007-10-22T12:08:28.407-04:00

Today has simply been unbelievably inspiring. Every step I took on the hike into the canyon was an experience that I will remember and cherish forever. What started as an effort to explore the inner workings of pledge driven adventure events, and to raise funds and awareness for a new initiative to serve the critically ill children of military families, has become much more personal to me. For

Brian Morrisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697127518001150942noreply@blogger.com