Hint 1: Get the heck out there. There’s nothing to fear. All the stories about snakes and spiders and cactus are true, but you just step over them on your way downcanyon. Get a guidebook and find a good canyon. Hop in your car. You don’t need four wheel drive. Throw in some water. And GO!

Hint 2: Don’t be afraid to get nekkid. The rocks are all bare, so why not you? Now I’m not talking about hiking in the buff (although I say go ahead if you are this ambitious), I’m talking about after you make camp on a nice slickrock shelf. The sun is low and the stone is warm. Shuck the duds and let the evening breeze circulate, so to speak.

Hint 3: Be adventurous. Watch the walls as you hike. Explore those side canyons. Climb up to that alcove. If you just go out to bag the ruins or the narrows or the glyphs you read about in the guidebooks and then run home, you are missing half the experience. I guarantee you that the guidebooks don’t mention gobs of great stuff. What’s around that next bend, you say? Well, go find out!

Hint 4: Gear. You don’t need fancy stuff. In fact, old sneakers do the trick just fine. Teva sandals are for grocery shopping, not canyon walking. They’ll tear your feet up and you slip out of them. Dress like you are going to the beach to climb on the rocks above the tidepools and you will do fine. One note: cell phones don’t work in the canyons; leave them in the car. One endorsement: a cold bottle of Kool-Aid sitting in the cooler in the car will bring life to the dead, I swear. Oh Yeah!

Hint 5: Push yourself. Try something new. The desert is a land of contrasts and extremes, so try to fit in. Try hiking solo. Grab a rope and throw it in the pack to get into places you might not try otherwise. Get up early, take only water and candy bars and go from dawn to dusk down one canyon and up another. Swim the pool to see what’s beyond. Find a lonely ledge with a view and just sit watching the colors change for a day.

Hint 6: The desert is fragile. The desert takes a long time to recover. Keep it pristine for others and for your descendents. Don’t make campfires, watch the stars instead. Learn how to dig a proper cathole. Never leave toilet paper on the land, the animals will just dig it up and it will blow around. Pack it out or burn it. Go in small groups. Hike in the washes when possible and not on the living soil. Camp in places where the impact will not remain such as bare slickrock or sandy patches.