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chests filled to the brim with steaks, shrimp and fresh vegetables from which they assembled triple-decker sandwiches hosting an array of cold cuts, cheeses from 15 different countries, and vine ripened tomato slices piled 6 inches high on various home-made marbled breads, Joe turned to Warren and said, "Whadda ya mean you only brought Gorp for lunch!"

But this Seder… DeWallis hosted an incredible evening of culture, humor… and the most extensive and tasty fare "g" could have imagined. DeWallis had been cooking and preparing food for a week. From matzo ball soup, to breads, a pot roast, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffed grape leaves, and on and on… All 20 guests agreed… DeWallis CAN COOK! And, at that very moment… "g" finally understood something he had completely over-looked. DeWallis didn't have a trailside-meal-preparation disability at all. He was simply a master at eating simple on the trail… minimal. Nothing special. As "g" abruptly learned, DeWallis saved "extravagant" for evenings like this. From this point forward, "g" proclaimed to never-ever talk foolhardy about DeWallis' trailside cooking. (Of course, this is yet to be seen.)

Spring finally arrived and thawed the two feet of ice on "g's" pool cover. May 1st would soon bring "g's" first hiking event of the season. The Jogging LaBella Brother's would return to the Grand Canyon and hike the Boucher-Tonto-Bright Angel Loop. It would be another four days of sibling rivalry… err… backpacking.

During the four months preceding this trip, RB and "g" lived their lives like carnival clowns riding lightening bolts. RB, being the CEO of his engineering firm, was busy securing half a million dollar contracts, doubling his employee base, living the high caloric lifestyle of an executive on the cutting edge of new business technology, and all the while maintaining the delicate balance between techno-mania and his Reiki training. His efforts did not go unnoticed as he was nominated for "Entrepreneur of the Year" in Arizona. (Really.)

"g" on the other hand, tapped into a different life-line. Working his usual 30+ clinical hours per week, "g" embraced a strict aerobic commitment during lunchtime at the "Y," he expanded the scope of G-WeBconnect , and he took the art of dehydrating backcountry meals to excessively new heights. With losing some mass around his belt-line, developing the first line of limited edition G-WeBconnect Customized Logo T-shirts, and having become possessed by his food dehydrator, "g" couldn't have followed a more different path then his brother… Or, did he?

It seems as though the LaBella Brothers had capitalized on a healthy pre-trip, division of labor. RB liked the idea of his older brother being in good shape to carry all of that weighty cooking gear for his home spun, dehydrated trail meals. "g" was thrilled that RB was bringing his wife's PALM 7 for downloading maps from U-Lost.Com, his 15 pound digital camera to capture spectacular sunsets, and his Reiki healing powers for "g's" anticipated sore legs. While "g" was busy planning their gourmet meals, RB was busy plotting and forecasting their expected weather for hiking. It was a blend of brotherly camaraderie with no-strings attached.

The LaBella Brothers experienced three minor setbacks prior to their trip. First, in mid-January RB learned that they would be hiking the Canyon during peak rattlesnake mating season. This frightened both boys to no end! They envisioned trails heavily slathered in rattlers… Snakes would be everywhere. Snakes would slide onto them from rock perches above. Snakes would cuddle up to them while sleeping in their bags. There would be snakes dangling from trees. Snakes finding a comfortable home in their packs... "g" became sick to death about these cognitive concoctions.

"We're goin' Down!" says, RB (left).

Yep, the Boys had plenty of goofing-around-energy just prior to their decent in October 2000.

Jim (center/left) was told by Stewarts Ice Cream Shops that a movie deal could be in the making if his paper coffee cup (Stewarts Coffee) survived the strenuous rigors of their 4 days of backpacking.

"g" (center/right) wondered, "Why the heck do I ever let Steve stand behind me when their takin' our picture?"

Steve (far right) couldn't wait to try out his new hand-shaking buzzing gadget with unsuspecting hikers they would encounter.