This time of year I am normally not anywhere near the mountains here in the West, but it is a great time for the amazing Canyon Country of the American Southwest and Northwest Mexico. I've backpacked into Mexico's Barranca country of the Sierra Madre Occidental a few times. The lastest complex, Copper Canyon, is four times larger than the Grand Canyon and 2,000 feet deeper. But I won't go there anymore. The native Tarahumara Indians, who live in caves in the canyon walls, are very timid and not a problem. The only "obstacle" there is that, although I speak Spanish, it is of little use with them because they only speak Tarahumara. I have yet to see an English-to-Tarahumara dictionary -- probably because most native languages are not written languages. The real problem is that outside drug operations have a lot of illegal pot plantations there with armed guards -- and it is difficult to outrun a bullet in a canyon with a 60 pound pack.
Anyway, I've been to many beautiful canyons over the years, in the US, as well. The King, the Grand Canyon, is basically a mountain upside down. Climbing down it and back up is much more work that any mountain I have climbed. Going down is easy, but getting back up is usually done late in the day, and you have to carry ALL of your water. I just call it hiking or backpacking. Some people call it "Canyoneering" instead of just hiking or backpacking, for some reason. But it, and other canyons, can be too crowded for my taste. In the GC, and other parks, monuments, and wilderness areas of the SW, you need to get a permit to camp. They strictly limit the number of people and you have to camp in designated, marked, spots. In the most popular spots in the Grand Canyon or Canyonland Nationa Park, you have to wait TEN YEARS to get a permit. PLUS, you have to prove to the backcountry rangers -- who assume you are a complete idiot -- that you know what the hell you are doing, because there is no way that they can find you, let alone save your sorry ass if there is a problem. I simply pick the areas where I know no one wants to go -- typically because they are long, hard hikes -- and you have to carry ALL your water. So a 40 pound pack becomes two hikes or an 80 pound pack. My top pick? The Powell plateau and the North Bass (non-maintained) "trail" down to the River. No water and a 45% incline (or more) all the way, on loose gravel. But you will have the place to yourself. FYI, you can't get in during the Fall, Winter, or Spring because they don't plow the roads and it's twenty miles down a jeep trail to the trailhead. Bring a handsaw to cut down the trees that fell down during the Winter. Don't go in the Summer because it is WAY too hot. The only times to go are late Spring/early Summer -- but watch out for the fierce afternoon lightning storms -- or Late Summer/early Fall -- but watch out for the numerous pink rattlesnakes that blend in with the rocks.
As to my 600mm T Fujinon, here are some details on how I did it:
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