Susan's Grand Canyon Hike

Hiking rim to rim in the Grand Canyon was an incredible experience that left me awestruck by the sheer beauty of this 7th wonder of the world, grateful to God for the fantastic experience, and challenged me physically almost more than I can explain. Let me take you along on the memories of my journey…

I took 150 pictures and will write 1,500 words and still will not be successful in portraying to you the experience of hiking the Grand Canyon. And I so want to convince you to follow in my footsteps, so if your body is able, please make the commitment. Book your trip now because it will be the most memorable hike of your life.

This trip confirms the cliche “it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.” When a body has been well taken care of, it is amazing what it is capable of doing. The mysteries of a sovereign God begin to make sense as you witness His creation and splendor and are given inexplicable energy and sheer will to complete the journey. In realizing His infinite power and glory that He has brought to this world, you will know at the very least, HE IS GOD: just look across the majestic Grand canyon…you are getting set to cross it.

There are many different ways to hike the Grand Canyon, but completing a Rim to Rim journey was the trophy that I and my friend agreed would be the most rewarding. To be sure we had enough time to soak in all the beauty the bloggers describe, we decided to allow 2 days to complete the 25 mile trek. This meant we would have to “play the lottery” for a chance to win a stay at the highly coveted Phantom Ranch located at the bottom of the Canyon along the Colorado River. A visit to Phantom Ranch is like going back in time. Meals are simple and abundant, provisions are scarce, and the absence of all technology is a welcome reprive. I found it curious how the handful of millennials who work down there seem to manage. They work 10 days straight, then hike out of the canyon for 4 days off before heading back down into a fairytale life where politics, traffic, and deadlines are non-existant. At Phantom, there are 3 options for lodging: campsite, cabins, or 8-person dormitories. The lottery will determine your fate; we ended up with 2 bunks in a female dorm on September 5, 2019. Our trip was set. We opted for a steak dinner reservation that night and a 5 a.m. breakfast the next morning before completing our journey.

We first scheduled our trip for September 5th, 2019 when the temperature nearby Phantom Ranch was a reported 135 degrees. But, the fact that there was pipeline break causing the entire North Rim and Phantom Ranch to be shut down during our first scheduled trip, was perhaps just the grace we needed from the high temperatures. Our reservation specialists at Xterra were quick to rebook our trip and found spots for us at PR on October 26th, 2019. Instead of sweltering heat and precise management of hydration and electrolytes, we were able to comfortably drink water only when we were thirsty as the temperature never rose above 85 degrees. I am certain this made the trip much more manageable and definitely more enjoyable.

Our first night we stayed at the lovely El Tovar hotel. It sits at the edge of the South Rim and has incredible view from its back porch. These are the same views that 99% of the Grand Canyon visitors each year are limited to. If you are brave enough to be in the 1% club, so much more awaits you below the rim.

At 5 a.m. we took a $12 taxi to the South Kaibab trailhead. We met some folks in the dining room at El Tovar who said the hike down the South Kaibab trail is better than taking Bright Angel trail, so we took their word for it and were so happy we did. The anticipation was similar to a Polar Bear Plunge. I knew I would get used to it, but realizing there was no turning back once we began made my heart flutter.

With our headlamps illuminating the trail ahead, the walls of the canyon began to slowly swallow us up. As the sun rose, our nerves settled as we were overcome by the beauty of our surroundings. Much of the South Kaibab trail has severe dropoffs on one side and tall canyon walls on the other. Conscious of the accidents of selfie takers on the edge, we were aware of our footing but were never afraid as the awesomeness of the Canyon kept our judgement checked just a bit.

In four short hours the Colorado River appeared and we had made it 8 miles down the canyon to Phantom Ranch. With aching knees and feet, I was ready to rest, but surprised at how quickly we made it down. Most of the hikers we met along the way were making “the loop.” After a stop for lunch at Phantom, they would be heading back up Bright Angel Trail back to their hotel and car at the South Rim. This would still be quite a challenge with its 16 mile length and steep incline, but we opted for a more challenging route in hopes of experiencing a more spectacular journey.

Arriving at Phantom at 10 a.m. meant we had time to spare until the 5 p.m. steak dinner we had booked. After resting an hour, we were ready to explore the canyon bottom and the beautiful beaches of the Colorado River. I know now that either completing “the loop” back to the South Rim or even completing Rim to Rim in the same day is doable and will perhaps be my next feat. But, chatting with the other hikers and mule riders at Phantom about their journeys was one of my favorite memories, so I’m glad we did this. I would have preferred to camp at one of their campsites along the river than to stay in the all-female dorm. It’s just too hard to control who your bunkmates are. There is a mule service that will take supplies down for you so that your backpack is not too loaded down. I would use this service for a tent, but I really didn’t need it for overnight items. I quickly learned that if my teeth were brushed and sunscreen applied I really didn’t need much else besides food and water.

A knock on our dorm door at 4 a.m. began day 2 of our Rim to Rim hike. After another delicious, family style meal complete with bacon, eggs, sausage, juice, coffee and pancakes we were on our way, headlamps blazing. Headed towards Cottonwood Campground 9 miles away, we could hear the Colorado River roaring next to us and caught glimpses of it in the moonlight, but for about 2 hours we couldn’t see much but a few feet in front of us. We could hardly detect an incline over 9 miles as our legs were fresh from our 5 hour night’s sleep. The jaunt to Cottonwood was delightful. Once we arrived we met campers who had descended the North Rim the day before and were about to embark on our road once traveled. Once again I so enjoyed meeting other hikers and comparing journeys. What a blessing it was to hear their encouraging words about what lied ahead for us. The water was on at Cottonwood, so we refilled both of our 1 liter bottles at that point, knowing the most treacherous part of the hike was literally around the corner.

The best way to describe the final third of our journey is like being on a stair master for 5 hours with little oxygen. I kept glancing at my Apple Watch and monitoring our distance. “I think I can” kept resonating in my mind. Each time I glanced, I couldn’t help but notice my heart rate was above 170 the whole time unless we had stopped to rest. Speaking of stopping to rest, we didn’t much. It was imperative that we make it to the top by 2 p.m. in order to meet the one and only hiker’s shuttle that was to take us back to the South Rim to our hotel. ALL hotels, stores, services at the North Rim were closed for the season, so had we not made it out in time, I’m not sure what we would have done. While we stopped for water, snacks and bathroom breaks, I wished we could have rested a bit more. Turns out we made it out with 1.5 hours to spare. better safe than sorry!

The hike up the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is approximately 8 miles gaining 5,000 feet in elevation along the way ending up at 9,000+ feet above sea level. Incredible hiking! During this stretch we met several groups. Some had just hiked down a couple of miles and right back up, others were running, as their mission was going Rim to Rim to Rim. Those are Ultra Athletes - people who simply amaze me. I am fairly fit yet this climb was the greatest fitness challenge I think I have completed. It was grueling; it was also magnificent. With just 3 miles left, we began to see snow along the trail. At the Rim we realized they had seen several inches and temperatures of 17 degrees the night before. Since we were moving at what seemed like a snail’s pace, we were able to soak in the beauty. Some of the trees were changing colors, offering the most beautiful yellow contrast to the orange, brown and blue hues of the canyon walls. I was out of breath the whole time and uncomfortable and tired, but I also remember feeling so grateful that we weren’t also struggling with heat like we might have been in September. We also had no injuries, no blisters, no toenail issues like I had expected. I was grateful for the training I had done to prepare. We mentioned more than once that it would be very hard to do without some training. All in all we felt great. When I heard Yvette say, “I think I see the trailhead!” I just couldn’t believe it. I felt even more adrenaline kick in and it was as if I could RUN the rest of the way to the top. Sure enough we had made it! In a total of 10.5 hours from South Rim to North Rim with plenty of time to spare.

The logistics of completing this feat are tricky. Once we made it out of the canyon, we had to be shuttled back to the South Rim. That is a 4.5 hour ride. We shared our shuttle with 4 men who were preparing to do the same hike we had just completed the next day. They were using the shuttle to drop their cars off at the finish. I expected the shuttle ride to be uncomfortable and tedious, but it turned out to be delightful. The jovial shuttle driver along with the eager and excited hikers who were anxious to hear our stories and share in their anticipation, made it great. They were experienced hikers and we told them they were in for the time of their lives. Before we knew it we were enjoying a celebratory dinner and champagne and met even more hikers with whom we swapped stories. Finally a hot shower called our names and then off to bed so that we could drive back to Phoenix (3.5 hours) to fly home the next morning.

It has taken me a full week to come down from the high that the Grand Canyon rim to rim journey gave me. Surprisingly I was not too sore or tired. I am anxious to do it again. There is nothing like being virtually alone and disconnected amidst the beauty of a place on earth that I have heard about all my life but could never have imagined. There were moments of self-reflection and even more moments of gratitude to the One who provided me this body and the means in which to explore His creation to the fullest. My advice to everyone: if you CAN physically hike Rim to Rim you SHOULD NOT MISS THIS EXPERIENCE!