“For a little while we are again able to see, as the child sees, a world of marvels. For a few moments we discover that nothing can be taken for granted, for if this ring of stone is marvelous, then all which shaped it is marvelous, and our journey here on Earth, able to see and touch and hear in the midst of tangible and mysterious things-in-themselves, is the most strange and daring of all adventures.”
-Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
A bucket list National Park, a bucket list trail adventure, and some of the best kind of peer pressure led my dear friends, Lori and Karen, and I to reach out to another amazing strong friend, Amy, who had just completed this with her sister. And the planning begun…
Our original plan was to conquer the infamous Rim to Rim to Rim hike in two days. We would hike down from the South Rim, across the base of the Canyon, and then hike up to the North Rim to stay a night at the North Rim Lodge. The North Rim is an isolated, landmark gem. While the Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, 95% of those visitors will never see the North Rim, it’s too remote.
While other fast and experienced adventure-seekers attempt and accomplish this R2R2R feat in a single day, that was not our quest. We wanted to soak in the beauty of the Canyon and to not feel rushed.
In early 2024, we entered a waiting list for a room at the North Rim Lodge for the date September 19-20, 2025. We waited.
On September 19, 2024, Karen was notified that we got a room (actually 2, but that’s irrelevant). Yeehaw!! We then began to plan, research, book our room at the South Rim and flights to Phoenix. I reached out to my stepmom who lives in Scottsdale and we made plans to meet after our trek. We would definitely need some ideas for things to do that didn’t require a lot of strenuous activities because we’d be exhausted after a nearly 50-mile hike in 2 days, covering 11,000 feet descending and ascending. We joined Facebook groups, listened to podcasts, met with friends who had completed this adventure, bought books and maps, talked to REI team members about gear like poles, researched emergency and medical equipment (as there is no service in the Canyon), bought and returned and bought sunshirts and hats, trained for elevation on Bob’s Hill and carried a heavy pack for no reason, created our timeline and itinerary, and then, life happened.
With a precarious start to 2025, the National Park Service announced that the Transcanyon Waterline Project was not finished, so River Trail was closed indefinitely. That meant our original Rim to Rim to Rim plan would be even more challenging. The alternative trails that would lead us to the North Kaibab Trail (and up the North Rim), including Phantom Ranch, would not have any water. We would have to rely on filtering water from what creeks were not dried up. Very risky without knowing how hot and how much or little rain would fall in the Canyon. This also meant that on our return the second day, we’d be in peak heat at the bottom of the Canyon without water. Without access to water at several key spots in the middle of the day, even in late Summer heat, could lead to a slew of problems. The NPS didn’t give any timeline for when the pipeline would be repaired, so we had to come up with a backup. After more research and following some key experts, including the GC Hiker Dude’s podcast and Facebook Group, we decided to reserve a shuttle from the North Rim Lodge. Rim to Rim (-Rim) would be our first pivot.
Our training carried on, until life happened a little more, at least for me. Without diving into the details, on April 30th my focus shifted very quickly from everything and everyone else to taking care of my mom. For 3 months, I had to take a pause from thinking about anything else, including this adventure. I am so grateful that Lori and Karen took the reins to stay informed and reach out to me with finalizing details.
On July 4th, lightning struck somewhere in the wilderness along the North Rim, sparking a fire. The NPS reported that they would not contain it and instead allow for it to assist the natural reforestation process. However, on July 11, while Nick, Fiona and I were in Ocean City for Fiona’s Nationals Dance Competition and my mom’s health was rapidly declining, we learned that the Dragon Bravo fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon had grown so quickly that the NPS had to evacuate everyone from the North Rim Lodge area. By that evening, the Lodge had caught on fire and was completely destroyed.
To say we were devastated is an understatement. I cried (more) and felt even more hopeless. Having something of this magnitude to look forward to a few months out provided a little glimmer of hope during an incredibly depressing time in my life. Our first reaction was to cancel everything. Again, I am grateful for Lori and Karen for suggesting we give ourselves a week to breathe and determine what’s next. Nothing was urgent, and for me nothing was as urgent as the attention I had on my mom.
On July 27, my mom passed. She and I had talked about how she never made it to the Grand Canyon on her long road trip across the country with her parents because she was worried about her cat and wanted to get home. So just a couple hours north of the Canyon, outside of Zion National Park, her dad, mom, and her turned the car around and headed home. She had visited nearly every National Park but never made it back to the Grand Canyon. I promised her that I would take some of her with me.
With that in mind, we forged on with another plan. We honed in on message boards, chatted and asked questions about alternative trails, and ultimately decided on a shorter but still challenging route of South Kaibab to Tonto to Bright Angel. The estimated mileage, according to AllTrails, was 13.2 miles and 3,464 ft elevation of descent and gain.
After 18 months of planning, obstacles, and readjusting, I am so grateful Lori, Karen and I chose to be flexible. That’s life after all. Here’s the story, with all the beautiful and the brutal moments.
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I packed all week, leaving things I kept remembering in a pile on the bed in our guest room. The pile was getting a little out of control. The night before I began to pare it down. We were bringing a single suitcase to check so we could throw our hiking poles. TSA’s website said hiking poles could not be taken as a carry-on. Of course, this was a bit nerve-wrecking. We, well Karen and Lori, had purchased and trained with these poles; I never had a chance to train with them.
The rest of my stuff would be packed in a single carry-on duffle bag and a small backpack. I went over my list, compiled from Amy’s packing list and a comprehensive list from GC Hiker Dude. The weather was going to fluctuate from high 40s on the top of the South Rim in the morning to 100-105 degrees in the Canyon midday. The forecast for the Grand Canyon (yes, a single location on Accuweather even though it is 1,904 square miles) was calling for rain and thunderstorms on Friday, the day of our hike. Dangerous flash flooding is a frequent hazard when it rains since the ground is so dry and the rain rushes down along the steep rocks. From earlier discussions, Lori, Karen and I made a pact that our lives are not worth risking in any unforeseen circumstances. We’d all choose to play it safe, if not for ourselves, for our kids.
On Thursday morning, Lori picked me up at 4:15 am and then we picked up Karen and headed to the airport. Our flight was on-time, so we had plenty of time to check our bag with hiking poles, go through security and grab some breakfast.
We quickly realized that our poles would not fit in the suitcase Lori brought. Dang! This, however, ended up being a small hiccup, though it took some time to get a straight answer from someone regarding whether or not we could carry them on the plane. We went up to the Southwest desk to check them, and the woman said, “you don’t need to check these, you can take these with you on the plane.” So we did. Whew. Now we had a suitcase for souvenirs!
After boarding the plane, we got settled in and Karen reached in her bag and said she had gifts for us. She took out a copy of Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire.” Karen had read it when she was young and it had sparked her fire for wanting to travel. It was such a thoughtful gift since we are all bibliophiles! Just as we were about to move away from our gate and head to the runway, the pilot came over the speaker and said in (layman’s terms), “there is something not quite right with the hydraulics and we are going to have it checked out.” Yikes. Not quite what you want to hear.
Two hours later, a few other very technical updates, an inspection sign-off, the pilot finally said, “there was a sticky button and we are good to go.” Geez, I sure hope so.
We landed in Phoenix a little after 10:00am PST, just under 2 hours later than we were supposed to. We still had plenty of time to get our rental car and make the drive up to Grand Canyon Village. We stopped at a little foodie spot, Leila’s Empanadas. We were hungry after a delayed flight. All of the empanadas sounded delicious. I enjoyed buffalo chicken and spinach empanadas, along with a Guarana Antarctica soda - so good!!
Next stop, the town of Williams “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” We walked around this quaint western town, the last on Route 66. They certainly prided themselves on “getting your kicks on Route 66,” too. We stopped in a few shops and grabbed a bite to eat at Historic Brewing. Then, we headed to Safeway to grab our snack essentials, including Uncrustables, Clif bars, Fig Newtons, Almonds, Gummy Bears, Ritz crackers, and Kodiak Oatmeal and bananas for breakfast.
As we approached Grand Canyon National Park, we all thought we’d be able to see it. However, since it’s a canyon, we realized how crazy it must have been to the first explorers, just walking and all of a sudden seeing such a vast hole in the ground. We were stopped by a pack of elk walking across the street in Tusayan (the last, very touristy town before GC). It was about 6pm by now and very crowded in Grand Canyon Village. There were barely any parking spots. We walked along the paved Rim Trail to take a peek into the Canyon. It took my breath away. Looking for a trail, any trail, I could not believe we were going to be in there, and more startling that we were going to have to climb out of that. The walls were so steep and it seemed impossible.
The sky was cloudy and it was quite windy. The weather forecast had changed slightly.
We headed into El Tovar Lodge, built in 1905, a charming lodge with logs for walls that were decorated with the heads of deer, moose, and elk. The gentleman at the front desk told us we did not have a reservation at El Tovar. Karen checked her documents and he was right. We had a reservation at the Bright Angel Lodge which was just a short walk along the Rim. We left our car there since parking was limited.
The Bright Angel Lodge was just as stunning, less dead animals though. We had booked 2 rooms, one for Karen and David (her husband who decided not to join us for the pared down version of our adventure), and another for Lori and I. The rooms were connected by a door that we didn’t discover right away. We were exhausted and had to wake up quite early to walk our bags back to the car and catch a taxi to South Kaibab the next morning around 5am. We packed up our hydration packs, filled our bladder with water, laid out our clothing, and tried to keep the rest of our bags as packed as possible so we wouldn’t have much to do in the morning. We were in bed by 8:30pm. The wind had other plans and was swirling outside, the screen door banging until around 10:00pm.I eventually drifted off to sleep.
My eyes opened around 2:30am, as I was still on east coast time. However, it seemed inadequate for the intense day ahead. I went with it, though. I laid there until Lori’s alarm went off at 4:15am. We got up and got ready for the day ahead. Karen knocked on the connecting door.
I decided on shorts, a tank top, a very lightweight long sleeve with UPF 50 and my Sprints hat. After slathering a nice layer of sunscreen on my legs, face, and backs of my hand (pro tip from Dylan), I called the Grand Canyon switchboard and requested a taxi. Last night when I called to see how long it would take, they said about 30 minutes. However, there was a driver that could be there in 10 minutes and we weren’t quite ready, since we had to walk back to our car parked in front of El Tovar to put our bags. “I’ll call back when we’re ready.”
We put our headlamps and waistlamps on and walked along the Rim Trail. There was just a sliver of a moon with Venus ahead of us. I looked over the edge and saw nothing but rock. Eek. The GC taxi line wasn’t answering as we walked so I told Lori and Karen, I’d try again after we put all of our bags in the rental car. The weather was crisp but not chilly. It was around 50 degrees with a light breeze, much lighter than what kept me up the night, errr, a few hours before. We could wait in the lodge.
The man working at the lodge was nice enough to take a few photos of us while we waited for the taxi. The van pulled up and we were the only 3 to get in. It was a very reasonable price of $15 for all 3 of us and the ride was just about 8 minutes. We talked about our Garmin watches and what type of activity we would log today as. I suggested “Trail Run,” although there was absolutely NO intention of running, because it would tell us our elevation in real time. Our taxi driver heard us talk about Garmin and told us that he had the pleasure of driving a couple of Garmin engineers in the Canyon, “they must know what they’re doing if they are also out here.”
He told us that he had dropped off 2 groups already, 5 people total. When we arrived at the trailhead, the parking lot had a couple cars and a few people. Some looked like they may just walk down a bit, others looked like runners.
“You’re going to start right in the direction of where my headlights are,” he said. “Do you want a picture?” Of course we did.
beginning to lighten up a little, but our lamps were still necessary. The trail was very well-groomed and although there were ledges to our left, I didn’t feel unsafe. I did laugh quite a bit, to shake off some of my fear of heights. The utter silence when we weren’t talking was unreal - only our footsteps, a clink of our hiking poles every now and then, and a kicked pebble. Looking out in the Canyon, you could see a few headlamps, probably from the earlier group the driver dropped off, and looking up a few headlamps of runners that would pass us. The family either didn’t have lights or had already turned around. The moon was glowing from the sun rising slowly.
As we continued on, we knew that we wanted to make it to Ooh Aah Point by sunrise, which was about 0.9-mile from the top. We had plenty of time and soaked in the scenery, sounds, and feeling of solitude. The South Kaibab trail jutted out into the canyon so I felt more and more like I was being enveloped in the steep rock walls and endless protruding rock formations. When we made it to Ooh Aah Point, we stopped and took some photos on top of a rock. The yellow glow of the sun came up over the east rim. We tried to make out the North Rim but it was tough to find with the shadows from the clouds and canyon walls. The North Rim wanted its privacy, it was grieving too.
Two female runners passed us. They looked strong but weren’t carrying much water and we were perplexed.
As we continued on, we were taken to another small spot on the edge of a beautiful overlook that I felt Momma would have liked. I told Karen and Lori that I was going to leave a little of her here. I traced a heart in the red sand and sprinkled a little bit of her.
To myself: “I love you, Momma. I hope you enjoy this stunning scenery and feel the power and beauty of this special place forever.”
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Now the only sign of life was the mule poop that appeared and sometimes smelled mighty fresh. It was incredible to think that such large animals were meandering on these same narrow trails, and we were glad that we didn't have to yield to them as the signs stated. We joked that we should have bought the children’s book “Who Pooped in the Park?” that was in the gift shop so we could identify some of the other scat we’d see. We joked about creating an adult book called, “What scat?!”
At about mile 3, we could see an above ground building that looked like an outhouse. It was Cedar Ridge, and we stopped. There was a couple from Australia who had trekked down from South Kaibab. We chatted with them for a bit.
Several times, I’d pause and look out at just how insignificant I seemed, compared to the vast space between us and the rock wall on the other side, so small.
As we got closer to the Tip Off, where we’d pick up the Tonto Trail, the sun was definitely warming us up. I pulled up my hood over my hat to protect my neck. Out on a wide open hilltop, we could see another outhouse and another covered structure. We went into the covered structure and sat down on the benches to eat a bit more than just snacks. We had an Uncrustable, Fig Newtons, almonds, and gummy bears. We’d need this fuel to get us through the next 4 miles along the very dry and exposed section.
The Tip Off split the trail into three directions - Tonto East, Tonto West, and South Kaibab. South Kaibab was closed beyond this point since it only led to the North Kaibab and Rim. Tonto East would take you too far East to New Hance and Escalante Trails. Tonto West is the direction we needed to go to Bright Angel Trail.
In the distance ahead we saw some bright green trees. They stood out against the red, tan, and beige-toned backdrop. There must be water. We made our way over and sure enough, all of a sudden we found ourselves in grass taller than us - a desert jungle. Did we go off the trail? It seemed to just abruptly stop and we couldn’t figure out where the trail went. We used our poles to push away the tall stalks, and sure enough a creek with rocks laid out that formed a walkway across this little waterway.
On the other side, Tonto continued. We wound along what appeared to be a huge drop off. There was no way we were going around that, but indeed we were. Lori picked up the pace, and I could tell her adrenaline may have kicked in. The Colorado River was still so far below, even though we had descended 3400 feet from the South Rim. There was a spot along Tonto that we could see the river, and it felt so close, yet so far away. If we had chosen to do the Rim to River, it would have added another 5-6 miles and that section also had no water. It also meant that we would have to climb up Bright Angel during the hottest part of the day with the sun beaming down on us. None of us wanted to hold another back if we wanted to attempt it, but we all agreed unanimously that we were happy with our 13-14 mile trek, and seeing the river this time was not necessary.
Karen gave me a packet of the Citrus Salt LMNT. This would be my second electrolyte beverage of the day, and my 2 liters of water was nearly empty, so I filled up my bladder as well. We ate a few snacks, used the bathroom, and continued onward.
We scoped out the area and for some reason had expectations that Havasupai Gardens was more garden-like. It wasn’t. It had a nice campground and a nice shady spot for the 20 or so mules and their riders to take a break. As we walked past the mules, they didn’t seem too happy being tied up. Their journeys up and down the canyon were against their will - to help those that couldn’t get down or back up. I felt bad.
Every now and then, Lori and Karen would point out that they saw people above, way above. Bright Angel, named after a layer of rock (same with Kaibab), is one of the most popular trails because the trailhead is near all of the lodges in the Village. It is also a fairly wide switchback for less-experienced hikers, and has resthouses with water and open bathrooms (outhouses with a hole in the ground) at every 1.5 miles through October 15th. However, pipeline breaks are common and the water isn’t very tasty and does have minerals. It is still recommended to bring as much of your own water as possible and a filter.
The NPS website has this warning about traversing Bright Angel.
At the 3-mile resthouse, we stopped and soaked our hats, towels, and topped off our water. There was a nice little lookout over Havusupai. More tourists and hikers at this stop than we’d seen all day combined. Some had questionable shoe choices and some had small plastic water bottles. It was odd how underprepared they seemed compared to all the work that went into making sure we were (maybe overly) prepared.
We were constantly wanting to ask some hikers: “Where’s your water?”
Oh well, I guess there is a reason for the mules after all.
We continued along the switchbacks. People passed by speaking so many different languages saying, hi, with different accents. It’s amazing to think how far people have come to see this phenomenon - an ancient, giant hole that was once a wide river. We were just a part of the layers of earth, rock, plant life, sky, life, death.
At the next resthouse, we filled up our water again. Now we were just a mere 1.5 miles from the top and I found myself a bit sad that we were nearly finished.
Did I absorb as much of the grandeur as possible? Would I be back to make it to the Colorado River? What if next time it’s more crowded? What if there’s another first on the South Rim? Should I have gone slower?
There’s no right answer to these. I’m just grateful considering all of the many challenges we faced, on top of just how much organizing and coordinating a trip like this takes, that we managed to pull it all off.
I laughed outlandishly as my heart thumped from my fear of heights. The last time I faced this fear, I was in Bryce Canyon and felt the same rush. If I had to choose how to die, this would be it, in nature, doing something I love so what’s there to be scared of, right?
Lori, Karen and I were all smiles the entire 14 miles. In every moment, every memory, every picture, every video, we all look like we are in an euphoric state. Too spectacular, too breathtaking to be real, except it was. We were living in magnificence. My cheeks (all of them) hurt from smiling and hiking (to be expected).
I couldn’t help but think our problems may seem massive, but the Grand Canyon, that is massive. Our problems are small. We are small. Beauty is abundant.
After using the restroom in El Tovar, I saw a vending machine with soda. I immediately bought a Coke. When I hit the button, I heard the machine try to dispense a can but nothing came out. I stood there in shock. I had been craving a cold, bubbly, sweet, caffeinated beverage for miles, hours. I went to the front desk sheepishly and let the kind woman behind the counter know. She said she had to ask the other woman how to give me a refund. I explained that was not necessary, but it would be nice if she could point me in the direction of where I might get a Coke. I explained I had just finished hiking and was craving a beverage for a while. Something clicked and she said, “oh really? Wait here, I’ll be right back.” I sat down gently on one of the nice couches, feeling a bit guilty about how sweaty and gross I was sitting on this nice fancy leather couch. Then I realized I was definitely not the only hiker to do the same.
She walked down the hallway from the steakhouse with a cup of Coke with ice, yes, with ICE - even better than a can of Coke. I exclaimed, “THANK YOU SO MUCH!”
When Karen and Lori returned from the restroom, we headed over to the Bright Angel Lodge to grab a real meal. Our waitress, Lucy, was wonderful and also, she knew we weren’t messing around. We smelled, we were covered in a coating of red dust and our eyes stalked the food as it came out of the kitchen gave it away that we were hungry. We enjoyed our meals, picked up a couple of post cards from the gift shop and headed back outside.
As we shuffled up to our car at the El Tovar Lodge, we saw people stopping to take photos and looked out into the Canyon.
A rainbow streaked across the sky from the left rim to beyond the ledge to the right out towards the middle of the canyon, cutting through a dark rain cloud. We made it out just in time. We were exactly where we were supposed to be at exactly the right time.
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Later in the evening, after we left the Grand Canyon and drove to Sedona, I began to feel nauseous. I had no appetite and even the thought of eating made my stomach a little queasy. I also had a slight headache. A few causes crossed my mind. I didn’t have any coffee that morning, but I did have a Coke which has caffeine, so it wasn’t that.
Unfortunately, I also got my period that morning and had pretty uncomfortable cramps. I wasn’t going to complain. In fact, I was surprised to see that the outhouses had separate receptacles for feminine products.
Then, I thought maybe I had too many electrolytes. I drank 20 oz of Nuun in the morning, 20 oz of LMNT at mile 9, and then 20 oz of Nuun at mile 11.5 along Bright Angel. That was a lot of electrolytes, especially later in the hike without much water in between to dilute the minerals (potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and more). AND the water I was using at the resthouses already contained minerals.
Lastly, altitude sickness is overlooked at the Grand Canyon. The truth is that the South Rim sits at 7,545 feet above sea level (Denver the “mile high city” is only 5,280 feet). As you descend you drop down 3,400 feet and then climb back up the same. That’s a huge fluctuation in a short period of time.
Ultimately, I think it might have been all 3 factors that made me sick. I drank lots of water that evening, took an Imodium and slept very well. I woke up the next morning without a headache, a huge appetite, and well rested.
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