February 6, 2025 • 37 mins
The episode chronicles a thrilling solo hike from Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon, sharing the physical and mental challenges faced during the trek.
Listeners learn about the hike's requirements, planning considerations, and personal experiences, along with insights into the beauty and difficulty of one of North America's most iconic trails.
• Exploring the essence of the Rim to Rim hike
• Discussing the elevation gain and strenuous nature of the hike
• Planning logistics, permits, and seasonal considerations
• Choosing the right route based on accommodations
• Starting early for the best hiking experience
• Key reflections on packing gear and hydration strategies
• Encountering memorable moments along the trail
• Mental resilience during the ascent experience
• Importance of recovery and lessons learned
• Encouraging listeners to prepare adequately for the challenge
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Are you rolling your eyes at me?
I can feel you rolling youreyes at me right now.
I'm rolling my eyes at me rightnow.
Hey there, my intrepidadventurers, my name is
Alexandra, and welcome to Takeit Before you Kick it the
podcast where we talk abouteverything that you need to put
on your adventure bucket list,and on this week's episode it is
going to be a big one, that isright.
(00:20):
We are going to be talkingabout one of the most epic, long
, strenuous bucket list hikesthat you can do within the
United States, and that is goingfrom the Rim to Rim in the
Grand Canyon.
Honestly, I looked up the bestbucket list hikes everywhere and
(00:40):
Rim to Rim was on every singleone of them.
So I thought that I would hopon the Rim to Rim train, see
what it's saying so that I couldreport back to you and maybe
you can see if you want to putit on your bucket list too.
So stay tuned for my experiencehiking Rim to Rim as a solo
female hiker all in one day.
Are you rolling your eyes at me?
I can feel you rolling youreyes at me right now.
I'm rolling my eyes at me.
Right now.
We'll talk about if I recommendit, everything that I packed,
(01:02):
how I prepared, how I did it andwhat would I change if I did it
next time.
So stay tuned.
Let's talk about conquering theGrand Canyon and going rim to
rim.
So a brief overview what is therim to rim hike?
Because, I'm going to be honest, when I first started this and
someone said, oh, do rim to rim,I thought that I would be going
kind of in the semi-circle, youknow, literally going across
(01:25):
the canyon.
But that is actually not whatRim to Rim is.
You basically start at eitherthe south or the north rim, you
hike all the way down into thecanyon to the Colorado River,
and then you hike all the wayback up on the other side.
So the other thing that Ilearned is that the Grand Canyon
is actually only about 18 mileswide.
However, to drive from theNorth Rim to the South Rim or
(01:48):
vice versa, you have to goaround the entire Grand Canyon
and it takes like four to fivehours.
So this makes it very hardlogistically and we're going to
talk about it.
However, to get started, youwould either start at the North
Rim, go down to the ColoradoRiver and then go to the South
Rim, or you would start at theSouth Rim and then go all the
way up to the North Rim.
Now what's the differencesbetween the North Rim and the
(02:08):
South Rim?
And honestly, it's kind of justpopularity.
So the South Rim is going to bewhere all of the lodges are,
more campgrounds are here, theGrand Canyon Village is here,
it's more touristy, there's morebuses, there's more to do, and
then the North Rim is going tobe a little bit more remote.
Not a lot of people actually goto the North Rim.
(02:29):
Most people just go to theSouth Rim and call it good.
So why is this a bucket listhike for adventurers?
And honestly, I think it isbecause the Grand Canyon is such
a famous national park andobviously most people have heard
of the Grand Canyon and it'sjust this sense of
accomplishment of actually goingdown to the bottom and then
(02:51):
back up to the top.
Obviously, there's a lot ofways to see the Grand Canyon
without hiking.
You can just go to Mather Pointright by the Visitor Center,
which is gorgeous, but what alot of travelers see is just the
Grand Canyon as a whole.
But in order to see the GrandCanyon from the river up, it
takes a lot of effort and Ithink it brings a huge sense of
(03:13):
accomplishment for hikers and Ithink, since it is a very unique
viewpoint that not a lot ofpeople get, that just makes it
very tempting for us hikers.
You know, we want to say, ohyeah, of course we've seen the
Grand Canyon, you know, in allof its glory, but we've also
seen the Grand Canyon from theColorado River.
It is truly a sense ofaccomplishment.
(03:34):
This hike is a minimum of atleast 20 miles, maybe sometimes
up to 24, 25, 26, depending onwhat you're doing, and the total
elevation gain from you goingdown and then back up is around
11,000 feet.
So that means that you'redescending 5,000, 6,000 feet
into the canyon and then youhave to go straight back up.
(03:55):
I've actually heard this beingcompared to the difficulty of
running a marathon.
Literally, and as if itwouldn't get harder, there are
some people who run it and thereare some people who go rim to
rim to rim, which is where youjust go from one side all the
way to the other, all the wayback.
It's like over 43 miles, whichis absolutely insane, but people
(04:18):
do it.
This one is only going to talkabout rim to rim.
We're only going to talk aboutone side, because that's what I
did.
You would have to camp and do abunch of training and I
actually talked to one of therangers and he said rim to rim
to rim is actually Olympic level.
So I don't know, I'm a hiker, Idon't know if I'm Olympic level
.
That's maybe extending myabilities a bit much.
(04:41):
So now let's talk about whatcaused me to do Rim to Rim,
other than the fact that it wasjust like this very prestigious
bucket list hike that everybodytalked about.
So, if you don't know me, I aman RVing mermaid who goes
everywhere with a mermaid tailand I have been hitting all of
the major national parks thissummer and fall and in each one
(05:04):
I feel like I just take thehardest, most difficult, most
bucket list worthy hike that isin the park and I do it.
So, like in Yosemite, I didHalf Dome, in Zion, I did Angels
Landing and the Narrows.
You know there's all of them.
So I'm, anyway, I've just beenon this kick and I didn't really
realize how intense rim to rimwas when I got to the Grand
(05:28):
Canyon and I thought, oh yeah,I'll just do rim to rim and
everyone's like, oh, it's notreally a hike that you just
decide to do.
Well, I did again.
Are you rolling your eyes at mestill?
You know, I'm just going to bemyself.
It's how I operate, this is howI do things.
So that is how I decided and Iagain was highly motivated.
I was like, oh, I did Half Domeand that was about 17 miles and
(05:52):
about like 5,400 feet inelevation gain.
So we just add on another youknow, five, six, seven, eight
miles, and we'll see how I do.
So let's go into planning.
How did I plan this rim to rim?
First off, permits andreservations.
As of right now, it's 2024.
As of right now, you do notneed a permit to hike rim to rim
(06:14):
if you are going to do it in aday.
However, you do need a permitif you are going to overnight
camp, or you know you're goingto stay in some ranch and I can
see why they do that, becauseobviously this is a longer one.
So a lot of people do it overthe course of two, three, four
days and you do need a permit todo that.
Or if you are going with agroup.
Unfortunately, I think, ifyou're choosing a group, they
(06:35):
should sort out permits for you.
However, I would be very wearyabout this because I have heard
that they are very difficult toget.
So if you are going to go thisroute, maybe go with a company
who chooses your permits for youand can confirm your permits
for you, so that you're notdoing this by yourself.
But I saw a lot of camperswe'll talk about the campgrounds
(06:55):
later but it was a thing Likepeople would bring all of their
camping gear, hike halfway, havea permit, camp in their
campground and then do the otherhalf, and I do think that this
is a good idea.
However, I again did not have apermit because I just did this
spontaneously again, which I donot recommend, but that's what I
did.
So I did not have a permit andit was all fine.
(07:17):
Now let's talk about time ofyear.
So the ideal seasons for hikingthis would be spring or fall.
Now I I did it in fall and Iactually did it to the point
where they had closed the NorthRim, kind of like.
They had closed it on October15th and they said, oh, it's
just open for day use and I'mgonna be honest, I actually got
postponed a lot of times becauseof snow, and I was so shocked
(07:41):
by this because I was like oh,the Grand Canyon is supposed to
be super hot, why is it snowing?
However, yes, it snows up therestarting in October, so be
prepared for that.
However, the temperatures werea lot nicer.
Did choose a day that was verycold on the north rim and it was
around a high of 55 on thesouth rim.
Now, as you go down, itdefinitely gets hotter and
(08:04):
hotter, even down to like 20, 30degrees difference, and this is
important because even with ahigh of 55 on the south rim, I
was burning in the canyon.
So this is why I would avoidsummer like the absolute plague,
and I know you're like oh, thekids are out of school, it's the
only time I have off work.
(08:24):
I think it's doable.
There are a lot of things thatI would rather do than do summer
, and I think if you choose todo this, you need to be prepared
, just because it gets so hot inthere, even in shaded areas,
that people actually just haveheat stroke and they aren't in
good situations.
So I would avoid summer likethe plague.
(08:45):
If you are going to do rim torim, and if you do decide to do
it against my recommendations,good luck.
Tell me how it went if you makeit out, yay.
Now let's talk a little bitabout choosing the right route,
because, as I said, you can gofrom north to south or south to
north, and honestly I would.
I would see where you arestaying and where your
(09:06):
accommodation is.
There's a lodge up at the northrim.
I am personally staying in a RVpark at the south rim, so,
depending on what side youraccommodation is, I would choose
the opposite end to start at.
So, for example, I was in thesouth rim, so I drove to the
north rim and then hiked fromNorth to South, and I would do
this because I've heard ofhikers who you know are staying
(09:29):
in the South.
They hike to the North and youcan either have a car pick you
up, which, as I said, it's aboutthree to four hours to go from
the South to the North, so getyour best friend beg on your
knees or you can take one ofthese shuttles, and the shuttles
only have two times when theycan pick you up and it was
something weird like two or noon, and I'm like, okay, what time
(09:50):
would you actually have to startto hike over 20 miles?
And then what if you justdidn't make it in time.
What if you had to take a nap?
What if you had to take a break?
What if you missed your shuttle?
I just think that is a lot morerisky than just taking the
shuttle directly to where you'regoing to start and then hiking
back to your accommodation.
So that's what I would considerfirst.
Now, logistically and this isaccording to the Rangers,
(10:12):
because I went in and got all ofthe information from the
Rangers so the North Rim to theSouth Rim is generally
considered easier and I can seewhat they're talking about,
because the North Rim you wouldgo to the North Kaibab and I'm
really sorry if I'mmispronouncing the Kaibab, I'm
pretty sure it's Kaibab.
I'm just going to say Kaibab.
(10:32):
I'm sorry if that's incorrect,but anyway.
So that trail all the way downto Phantom Ranch was about 14 to
15 miles for me, as I exploreda little bit in between.
For me, as I explored a littlebit in between, however, that
was a.
The first seven miles werepretty rough, and then it went
into kind of a gentler slope asI was going through what's
(10:52):
called the box and again we'lltalk about it and then all the
way down to Phantom Ranch.
Now I think that that gentledownhill personally, I would
rather go gentle downhill thanuphill, and any day of the week.
However, some people aredifferent.
Some people really don't likehow downhill feels on their
knees.
So if that is the case, maybego south and then do that sharp
(11:16):
downhill.
I mean it's going to suckeither way, I'm not going to lie
.
But then, once you're done withthat, you'll just have a gentle
uphill instead of going downfor longer.
If you are coming from thenorth rim, you're coming from
the North Kaibab Trail all theway down.
Once you get to Phantom Ranch,you're going to have some
options.
The first option is the SouthKaibab Trail, and this is the
one that I went with, becausethe Bright Angel one was
(11:39):
undergoing repairs and this onewas okay.
The only thing is that theyhave a lot of mule on there, so
there was like poop and it washot and there wasn't a lot of
places to refill water withouttreating it first.
So that's why, even though it'slonger, the rangers actually
recommended me to go to BrightAngel.
It's about three miles longerthan the South Kaibab one.
(12:01):
However, it's a little bit lessof an incline and it's a little
safer.
Again, I unfortunately didn'tget to do this option because it
was under construction.
But those are your options and,again, if you were going from
south to north, you would eithergo down that Bright Angel or
you'd go down the South Kaibaband then you would go up to the
North Kaibab in the North Rim.
(12:22):
Now just a little tip on parking.
There is no commercial parkingon the South Kaibab trail.
You would have to take theshuttle pretty much to the
visitor center and then youwould figure out your ride from
there.
However, there was limitedparking at Bright Angel because
there's the Bright Angel Lodgeand all of that jazz.
So, again, just thinking aboutlogistics, on how you're
actually going to get to andfrom the trailhead, is very,
(12:44):
very important when planningthis hike.
Because it was a little trickierthan previous ones that I have
done.
So what I ended up doing,because it was a little trickier
than previous ones that I havedone, so what I ended up doing,
because that was so muchinformation just thrown at you
all at once.
So what I ended up doing is Iended up taking my own car.
Luckily, my mother drove me.
So nice.
So my mother drove me from theSouth Rim to the North Rim.
(13:06):
We left at about 10 or 11 pm.
We went all the way up there.
We had to drive a little bitslower because there was a lot
of deer on this route.
You would exit the Grand Canyon, go around to Marble Canyon,
kind of near Page, and then turnaround and then go to the North
Rim.
So we got there at about 3.
We took our time, we did alittle stargazing, I got ready
(13:28):
and then I ended up starting thehike down North Kaibab around
3.45 am, and this was actuallyon Halloween.
So I was on there on October31st.
It was very, very cold Again.
That first seven miles was alittle steep.
Some of the rocks shifted.
I did fall on my booty once.
(13:48):
Oops, I did not see a singlesoul.
I thought that I would actuallybe greeted with a lot of other
hikers, but this was not thecase and I ended up just belting
out some Broadway show tunes onthis hike just to keep away the
animals and to keep myselfawake.
So there was a couple reststops along the way, ways to
fill up water, and then I got tothe campground, which, again,
(14:11):
this is where you could get apermit and you could go camping,
which is way smarter than whatI did.
But here we go, so kind ofbreezed through the Cottonwood
Camp, ended up going to theRibbon Falls, which was quite a
detour, and I ended up liketrying to hike across the river
because the bridge was out, liketrying to hike across the river
(14:33):
because the bridge was out.
So, anyway, explored a lot andadded a lot to my miles during
this section because I wastrying to find a way across and
couldn't.
So that was fun.
Anyway, ended up backtracking,going back on the trail, the
section between the CottonwoodCampground and Phantom Ranch,
which Phantom Ranch is a veryinfamous lodge.
Down there they have thisinfamous lemonade that you can
(14:53):
have and it is a very good reststop, like kind of right in the
middle of the canyon.
So this hike in betweenCottonwood Campground and
Phantom Ranch was absolutelystunning.
There was just these rock facesgoing straight up and I was by
a river the entire time.
There was a little bit morepeople, but not as much, and
honestly this was just myfavorite part.
(15:15):
Now, part of this is known asthe box, and people will warn
you about the box because thebox is hot.
In fact, they said it turnsinto an inferno, especially
during the summer.
So, whatever they said,whatever you do, whatever time
you choose to start, directionyou do, whatever time you choose
to start, direction you chooseto go, you cannot be in the box
midday, especially during summer.
(15:35):
It gets so hot.
Now, personally me, I was therelike early morning and it was
wonderful, absolutely wonderful.
Then I went to Phantom Ranch,got a lemonade they were doing
some construction so I didn'tactually spend a ton of time
there I filled up my water andthen I started going to the
Black Suspension Bridge over theColorado River and then up the
(15:56):
brutal ascent on the SouthKaibab.
Now I ended up getting at thetop of South Kaibab at around
like 4 30 pm and then I went tothe, the visitor center, hiked
to Mather because I had to takea picture with my I Hooked Room
to Room t-shirt.
So overall I think I was alittle bit under 26 miles, with
(16:20):
all of my exploring and gettinglost and then going to Mather.
I don't think it was this.
If you were just to walk fromone side to the other, obviously
it would be a lot shorter thanthis.
I think the AllTrail said itwas about 20.1.
That was a straight lie.
I think it's about 22, 23 miles, which do not underestimate
that number, because, wow, I wasso tired by the end and then I
(16:44):
slept for like three days andtreated a massive blister on the
underside of my foot.
It was awesome.
Now let's talk about the gearthat I packed and what I packed
and didn't actually use.
So the only things that Ihonestly used for this hike was
my camelback, some snacks,trekking poles oh my gosh,
(17:04):
trekking poles obviously goodfootwear and clothes and
honestly, that was kind of it.
I packed a lot more than I need.
I packed, like, these microspikes because again, it snowed
and they were like, oh, usecrampons.
I don't think you need to usecrampons or micro spikes if it's
just yeah.
Anyway, I didn't need to useany of that.
I didn't end up eating as muchas I should just because I was
(17:26):
afraid that if I sat down I justwouldn't get back up.
Now, things that I wish I wouldhave had I wish I would have had
more sunscreen.
Again, I just didn't expect itto be that intense down there,
which was funny because theywere like, oh, avoid the box
because that turns into aninfertile.
That section was great.
It was that little sectionright as I was going up Kaibab.
That was just brutal, so it canjust get hot anywhere.
(17:49):
I definitely did bring a hatand I brought a lot of layers.
I don't think I needed as manylayers as I had.
Again, it was really cold whenI started.
So I was like, oh, I'm going tohave a hat and gloves and you
know, 16 layers and they justended up like being draped off
my backpack for the majority ofthe hike.
So I wish I would have justsucked it up, been cold for
(18:15):
about an hour and then the restof it would have been great.
Another thing that I wish Iwould have had, which I tried to
get earlier but it wasn't goingto get here in time, was like a
water filtration straw, justbecause I filled up at Phantom
Ranch but there wasn't a lot tofill up and I was sweating so
hard on that trail and I neededwater and I was just kind of
concerned that I would run outof water and there was some
(18:36):
water stations like at like,like tip point or tip off, I
can't remember the exact thing,but you needed to treat it and
the stuff that I had that Ibought at the little general
market in the village.
It said that you needed to putthe little tablet, the
purification tablet, in thereand it took like four hours.
So that just wasn't worth it.
So I think I would have hadlike a little straw that maybe I
(19:00):
could have used to filter somewater.
I definitely wish I would havehad more blister care, maybe
supplies and also lightweightcooling towels.
I use these for my yogainstructor training and I
actually had one and took it outof my bag because I thought it
was going to be cold.
Oh, so dumb, bad hiker, butanyway, it's basically this
(19:20):
cooling towel.
You put some water on it andthen you just put it on your
face and neck and it cools youdown.
I would have literally choppedoff my left pinky toe for a
cooling towel aboutthree-fourths of the way up, let
me tell you, yeah, went reallylightweight on this one.
Obviously, if you are choosingto camp and get the permit, you
are going to need to carry a lot, which I don't know how people
(19:40):
pack and carry all of theircamping gear down that steep
incline.
But good for you.
Honestly, so much respect.
Now, what would I recommend fortraining man?
Yes, do the training.
This is definitely not a hikethat you can just wake up and be
like well, you know, I've neverhiked before, I'm going to hike
(20:02):
rim to rim.
No, they're going to have tohelicopter you out of there
Absolutely not.
Maybe you might have a higherchance of success if you are
camping in the middle or doingit over, spread out over a
period of time.
However, if you want to do thisall in one day, you basically
need to be in tip-top physicalshape Now.
I would obviously recommendworking on endurance, leg
(20:22):
strength and just elevationchanges and steep inclines.
Honestly, I think the bestthing that you could do is very
long hikes with high elevationchanges.
I think that the only reason Isurvived this is again, I was
doing Half Dome.
I was hiking these 18-milehikes.
I did like nine miles theprevious week.
(20:42):
I actually calculated that inaddition to this, I actually
hiked over 70 miles just inOctober 2024.
So I just think these reallyhigh endurance elevation hikes
are key, and also another thingthat I would recommend is to
mentally prepare for theintensity and just building
(21:03):
resistance.
Now, of course, I was doing thissolo.
I'm a solo female hiker and I'mgoing to be honest, I was fine.
I was very bored about like athird, the way in, as I said, I
just started belting show tunesjust to have something to do.
But that incline was so roughon my mind just because I didn't
(21:24):
have anyone to talk through itwith me and I just kind of just
had to be miserable by myselfand it was really hard mentally,
like I would almost argue thatit was just as hard mentally as
it was physically.
Now for me.
I hate hiking in the heat, so Iwas fine, like when I was in
the shade.
However, heat was brutal for meand I have asthma and like heat
(21:46):
induced asthma.
So I just couldn't breathe andI just wasn't feeling very good.
I think I had some heatexhaustion and I was just
physically sore as well.
So that ascent, I'm going to behonest, was probably one of the
roughest hikes I've ever done,and part of it was due to the
fact that I was just slowlygoing crazy in my mind.
(22:07):
So do not neglect your mind.
Meditate a little bit, practicesome mindfulness and, yeah,
just do not take this hikelightly.
It is not for the weak, thewhole thing is just very intense
.
I would say that the descent,obviously you know, like your
(22:27):
joints are getting sore andeverything, but it's not really
like a challenge.
I mean it's not really like ahuge challenge, but I think
where the challenge lies in Rimto Rim is climbing your way out
of the canyon, because you'realready sore and you're already
like your knees are already likewhat have you done?
You just descended 6,000 feetfrom the North Rim.
(22:50):
What's going on here?
And then, yeah, you just kindof go up for just ever and it
just feels like forever.
Like I've been on hikes whereit just keeps going and going
and going.
But this one takes the cake.
I feel like I went through youknow, all the stages of grief on
this hike.
Like I started out angry, likeI was like I hate the Grand
(23:10):
Canyon, this is terrible.
And then I was like bargaining.
I was like, please, god, I willdo anything, just get me off
this trail.
And it was acceptance.
I was like I'm just going to behot and miserable for like the
next six hours.
It's fine, whatever.
So just be prepared for someturmoil.
You know it's.
You have heat, you have fatigue, you have dehydration.
As I said, I probably shouldhave eaten a little bit more,
but I just didn't want to stop.
(23:32):
But, however, there are somegood moments like the Bright
Angel Creek in the box, phantomRanch is super cool and the
bridges the suspension bridgesacross the Colorado River are so
cool.
And also Ribbon Falls is coolif I manage to get over the
river and not walk two milestrying to find it, yay.
So this whole thing is ajourney and you have to be
(23:55):
prepared for a journey.
It's a mental journey, it's aphysical journey.
You are seeing the most amazingthings, but at the same time,
you just hate it and want tocrawl up underneath a rock and
cease to exist.
It is just, you know, it'snerve-wracking, it's
exhilarating, it's adrenalinepumping and if you can hear me
talk, you can probably see whythis is such a bucket list hike
(24:18):
and the sense of accomplishmentsfor these hikers and why this
is such a popular thing to do.
However, with that being said,it can be a little dangerous, as
we have talked about previously.
So let's just talk about it alittle bit.
Hydration and nutrition you needto have a plan for water now.
What I would recommend is thatyou go into the visitor center,
(24:39):
you talk to the rangers and yousay where can I get water?
Because sometimes they turn offand you have to do it like the
day before, because it's veryunpredictable and you also need
to know which water stationsprovide drinking water and which
stations you need to treat thewater Again, going back to those
like little tablets that takefour hours, which I don't have
time for that.
So, yes, getting a sense ofwhere you can fill up is crucial
(25:02):
.
Now I had a three literCamelback with me the entire
time.
I don't think I went throughthat much going down Again.
I was cold, I was conservingwater.
I didn't really get my heartrate up at all.
I did fill up at the first reststop, the Mantizanita, that's
probably not it, whatever, theone that starts with an M,
that's before the Cottonwoodcampsite.
(25:23):
And then I also filled up atPhantom Ranch.
So I went through probably likeone and a half on the way down,
and then the way up was acompletely different story.
I was drinking that thing andchugging it almost to the point
where I was freaking out that Iwas going to run out of water.
So again, if you do up thatBright Angel Trail, I know that
there are more places to getwater, but just have a solid
(25:44):
hydration plan and then alsoactually eat food.
Don't be like me where I was,like I just want to get it done
and over with and if I stop, I'mnot going to start again.
Like, actually have high energysnacks to fuel your trek.
I had some beef jerky.
I had my yogurt covered raisins.
They recommended a lot of saltysnacks because you are going to
be sweating out a lot of saltthat needs to be replenished.
(26:04):
So, yeah, just a lot of saltysnacks and then high protein
snacks.
Another thing that I would do ismaybe learn some signs of
dehydration because, as I said,this hike unfortunately has not
been kind to some hikers.
We'll just put it that way tobe nice.
So you need to listen to yourbody and you need to know the
(26:27):
signs of dehydration and heatexhaustion.
I definitely noticed this Again, even when there was just a
high of 55, I noticed this.
I mean, I was getting nauseous,I wasn't feeling very good, I
was trying to drink as muchwater as I can, but again, I
didn't want to run out of it.
So this is a strategic hike,especially if you are doing this
all in one day, you need to beprepared and careful and listen
(26:51):
to your body and what it needs,and you also need to have a
backup plan like dealing withsetbacks and injuries or just
unplanned challenges.
You know, I didn't reallyrealize that I was going to just
like have an asthma attackhalfway through, so luckily I
had my inhaler.
But you know that there's justa lot of things that can go
wrong when you're hiking 20 plusmiles in and out of one of the
(27:13):
most famous canyons in the world, because unfortunately there's
just not a lot of ways that youcan get rescued, like you could
just need to be likehelicoptered out.
It's not like they have a roador a touristy road that just
goes down to Phantom Ranch whereyou can get a lemonade and then
leave Like no, you have to hikelike 15 miles in order to get
that lemonade and then you haveto crawl out of the canyon.
(27:35):
So there's just a lot offactors.
It was funny because I went tothe Yavapai Lodge and they had a
sign that says remember, hikinginto the canyon is voluntary,
hiking out of the canyon ismandatory, and I think that
because when you're going downyou're like, yay, this is so
great, this is awesome.
I'm bucket list hiking.
It's hard on my joints but it'sfine and I can handle it and
(27:58):
it's all good, and I'm in thebox and it's beautiful, and I
got my lemonade at Phantom Ranch.
And then you go up and you'relike, why did I do this to
myself?
This is terrible.
Oh my gosh, I'm, I'm gonna justburst into flames and die.
That's kind of what it feelslike.
So be prepared for this and youknow, really, just look ahead
and be like, okay, I have thiscondition.
I need to plan if it flares upor if anything happens.
(28:21):
There you go.
You know, once you have crawledout of the canyon from whence
you came let's just talk alittle bit about the recovery
and just reflection of thisentire thing you will be sore.
I'm sorry, if you hike thatlong and have that much
elevation gain and are not sore,I'm suspicious of you.
(28:42):
You're too good to be true.
I don't trust your muscles andI don't trust you.
You have to have sore muscles,it's a rite of passage.
I'm sorry if you don't looklike you're close to death
coming out of that rim and youdidn't do it correctly.
So, yes, I would just be veryprepared for those sore muscles.
I'm currently on day three ofrecovery from this hike and I
(29:05):
still you know I'm hobbling abit, but I'm not as much of like
an old witch, you know, going,going down.
I'm like, oh, you know,hobbling like a penguin down to
the Yavapai Lodge.
So it does get better.
However, I definitely had to,you know, elevate my feet, ice
some joints, just to be careful.
I don't normally get blistersand I've never gotten a blister
(29:26):
ever Like even when I hikedeight days in Peru.
I didn't get a blister.
However, I did get a blisterand it was funny because I
didn't notice that I was gettinga blister until after the hike
and it was right in between mybig toe and my second toe and I
was like, oh, that kind of hurts.
And I looked at it andliterally screamed like it was
so gross.
It was like the biggest blisterI have ever had in my life.
(29:47):
So it was kind of interestingrecovering and trying not to pop
that blister.
That's so gross, but you needto know.
And then also fatigue.
I didn't really experience anylike mental fatigue after that.
It was just like this giantadrenaline rush, not that I did
it, but just that it was over,because there was just a second
in there where I was like thisis never ending, I'm just going
(30:09):
to hike for the rest of myexistence up this South Kaibab
Trail.
Everybody was at the oo-ahpoint and like the skeleton
point and those are very commonday hikes, if you don't want to
go all the way down and everyonewas so full of life and happy
and they're like oh my gosh,this is amazing.
I'm just over here, like closeto death.
They're like oh my gosh, thisis, this is amazing.
I'm just over here like closeto death.
They're like did you go down tothe river?
(30:29):
I'm like I came from North Rimand they were like oh my gosh,
that's crazy.
Um, I was like the only one.
I did meet a couple people thathad camped, but I didn't meet
anybody who did it in one day.
I was very sad.
Either that or I'm just anidiot.
I think that's that's it.
I just who would do that tothemselves?
Me, just me.
And you know just somemindfulness techniques.
(30:50):
Just say, like you know how itimpacted you, the sense of
accomplishments, the lessons youlearned, and I know this sounds
so cheesy.
However, I had a point in whichI was going up the South Kaibab
and I was dying and I couldn'tbreathe because of my asthma and
it hot and I was sweating andit was going into my eyes and it
smelled like mule poop and Iwas just living my best life on
(31:11):
this trail right now.
And then I got to SkeletonPoint and there was a point in
that trail where it kind of wasflat, just like a gentle uphill,
and I have never felt suchpeace and relief in my life.
I was like, oh my gosh.
I was oh my gosh.
I was just so happy to be goingat not a super high incline on
this trail and I just thought tomyself.
(31:32):
I was like, oh my gosh, it'slike life, like you know, it
might be hard, but just wait forthat piece, wait for that flat
part right after skeleton point,and that's what I'm talking
about.
You know, learn some lessonswhile you're doing this.
So this is what happens whenyou're alone and close to
madness, hiking for like 11hours straight uphill and
downhill.
So now we'll talk about thisfunny moment that I had, now
(31:55):
that we're getting to the end ofthis podcast, and I was going
uphill and visibly dying on theSouth Kaibab.
Now people are just there doinglike some intermediate hikes.
Now actually hiking down toSkeleton Point is considered an
advanced hike and they don'teven recommend going down the
full thing in one day.
So all these people are going,they look fresh, they look nice,
(32:17):
and there's this dad and hisson and they're wearing like
flannel and jeans and they justlook like they haven't seen the
sun in a while.
And I'm over here looking likea tomato that is close to being
squished, okay.
And I saw them coming and I waslike, okay, I'm going to step
aside so that they can comeforward.
(32:38):
And I know they meant it in avery, very encouraging way.
But they kind of said somethingalong the lines of like oh
don't worry, you've got it, keeppushing.
Said something along the linesof like oh don't worry, you've
got it, keep pushing.
And I was so annoyed because Iwas so close to just absolute
madness and I turned around andI snapped at them and I was like
honey, you're wearing jeans.
And immediately I was like I'mso sorry, I can't breathe, I'm
(33:01):
dying.
I've been hiking since 4am, I'mso sorry, please forgive me.
And they just turned brightwhite and I felt so bad for
snapping at them and they turnedaround.
They're like how many miles areyou on?
I was like I'm on like 19.
And so, anyway, so definitelysnapped at those people.
I'm very, very sorry if thatwas you, but kind of funny
looking back, and I'm glad thatthey were so understanding.
(33:23):
You know, like when you'remiserable, you just you just get
irritated.
You just snap at everyone, andI was, so I felt so bad.
So now that I have done it all,let's just quick talk about A
what is my ultimate?
If I were to do it again, howwould I change it?
And here's what I would do Iwould stay at the South Rim, I
would take a shuttle all the wayto the North Rim and then I
(33:44):
would go down the North Rim allthe way down to Phantom Ranch
and then I would stay at PhantomRanch, I would let my little
toes breathe and then, rightbefore the sun came up, I would
start the ascent up the BrightAngel Trail and hopefully be
done by like mid-morning tolunchtime, hopefully.
I would do this because A Ijust think that starting at the
(34:05):
North Rim, getting the descentover with and then resting your
body and then being able tostart early on the ascent so
that you're not caught in eitherway the box or that little
ascent in the heat, I think thatwould be such a different
experience.
So if I were to do it again,that is how I would do it.
And now, finally, the questionthat you've maybe been waiting
(34:27):
for Can you do it in a day?
Absolutely you can, with theright amount of training and
preparation.
And if you are a hiker and youare used to hiking very, very
high elevation gains and verylong miles, I think that you can
.
Should you?
No, I don't think you should,and they definitely don't
(34:49):
recommend this.
And everybody on the internetwas like don't do it.
And that wasn't really helpfulbecause I didn't have a permit
and I was going to do it nomatter what.
So I'm glad that I did it andI'm glad that I pushed myself to
do it all in one day.
However, that ascent going to behonest, I was not living my
best life.
I was pretty miserable thewhole time and I think if I
would have done it in multipledays, I think the whole thing
(35:10):
would have been like the firstthree-fourths, because the first
three-fourths I was totallyfine.
It was the ascent that justkilled me.
So I think if I did it overmultiple days, maybe it would
have just been a good experienceover the entire thing versus me
, like cursing the Grand Canyonabout halfway up at Skeleton
Point.
So there you go.
Is it possible?
Yes, should you do it?
(35:30):
Probably not, I think.
Bottom line stay safe.
I can see a lot of things thatcould go a little weird with
this hike, just basically withwater and the elements and
because it is so long andstrenuous in a very hot desert
environment.
So if you do attempt this hike,please be safe, please talk to
the rangers, please do yourhomework, please take all of
(35:52):
your very best gear and plan itout to a tee and just be honest
with yourself and your body andyour physical ability to what
you can accomplish.
However, I think that if youwant to accomplish this, you
will with some training andpreparation.
I think that anybody could dothis, accomplish this you will
with some training andpreparation.
I think that anybody could dothis hike if they really really
(36:13):
wanted to.
Now, if you do end up doingthis hike, I really do want to
see it.
I'm on all social medias, atthe Bucket List, mermaid, and
again, I would just love to seeyou checking this off and maybe
see you do the ascent a littlebit more gracefully than I did
the ascent.
Let me know.
I would love to hear from youand hear your thoughts on Rim to
Rim.
So again, that is it for theRim to Rim hike in Grand Canyon
(36:34):
all in one day.
What do you think?
Would you conquer this hike?
Would you not conquer this hike?
After listening to this podcast,were you like maybe I'll just
go to Skeleton Point in theSouth Kaibab?
Or were you like, nah, I can doit better than you.
Bring it on, bring on thebucket list challenge and I'm
here for it.
I'm living for it.
Guys, thank you so much forwatching.
If you did enjoy this episodeor you found anything that I
(36:56):
said helpful in my ramblingsabout Rim to Rim, definitely hit
that subscribe button on yourfavorite podcasting platform,
send it to a fellow adventurersor check out my my full website,
thebucketlistmermaidcom, whereI go into even more adventure
guides and even more for youradventure bucket list.
Thank you, guys, so much forlistening again.
Love you all.
Adventurers.
Stay safe out there on the rimto rim.
(37:18):
We will see you next week.
Keep adventuring.
Are you rolling your eyes at me?
I can feel you rolling youreyes at me right now.
I'm rolling my eyes at me rightnow.
Hey there, my intrepidadventurers, my name is
Alexandra, and welcome to Takeit Before you Kick it the
podcast where we talk abouteverything that you need to put
on your adventure bucket list,and on this week's episode it is
going to be a big one, that isright.
(00:20):
We are going to be talkingabout one of the most epic, long
, strenuous bucket list hikesthat you can do within the
United States, and that is goingfrom the Rim to Rim in the
Grand Canyon.
Honestly, I looked up the bestbucket list hikes everywhere and
(00:40):
Rim to Rim was on every singleone of them.
So I thought that I would hopon the Rim to Rim train, see
what it's saying so that I couldreport back to you and maybe
you can see if you want to putit on your bucket list too.
So stay tuned for my experiencehiking Rim to Rim as a solo
female hiker all in one day.
Are you rolling your eyes at me?
I can feel you rolling youreyes at me right now.
I'm rolling my eyes at me.
Right now.
We'll talk about if I recommendit, everything that I packed,
(01:02):
how I prepared, how I did it andwhat would I change if I did it
next time.
So stay tuned.
Let's talk about conquering theGrand Canyon and going rim to
rim.
So a brief overview what is therim to rim hike?
Because, I'm going to be honest, when I first started this and
someone said, oh, do rim to rim,I thought that I would be going
kind of in the semi-circle, youknow, literally going across
(01:25):
the canyon.
But that is actually not whatRim to Rim is.
You basically start at eitherthe south or the north rim, you
hike all the way down into thecanyon to the Colorado River,
and then you hike all the wayback up on the other side.
So the other thing that Ilearned is that the Grand Canyon
is actually only about 18 mileswide.
However, to drive from theNorth Rim to the South Rim or
(01:48):
vice versa, you have to goaround the entire Grand Canyon
and it takes like four to fivehours.
So this makes it very hardlogistically and we're going to
talk about it.
However, to get started, youwould either start at the North
Rim, go down to the ColoradoRiver and then go to the South
Rim, or you would start at theSouth Rim and then go all the
way up to the North Rim.
Now what's the differencesbetween the North Rim and the
(02:08):
South Rim?
And honestly, it's kind of justpopularity.
So the South Rim is going to bewhere all of the lodges are,
more campgrounds are here, theGrand Canyon Village is here,
it's more touristy, there's morebuses, there's more to do, and
then the North Rim is going tobe a little bit more remote.
Not a lot of people actually goto the North Rim.
(02:29):
Most people just go to theSouth Rim and call it good.
So why is this a bucket listhike for adventurers?
And honestly, I think it isbecause the Grand Canyon is such
a famous national park andobviously most people have heard
of the Grand Canyon and it'sjust this sense of
accomplishment of actually goingdown to the bottom and then
(02:51):
back up to the top.
Obviously, there's a lot ofways to see the Grand Canyon
without hiking.
You can just go to Mather Pointright by the Visitor Center,
which is gorgeous, but what alot of travelers see is just the
Grand Canyon as a whole.
But in order to see the GrandCanyon from the river up, it
takes a lot of effort and Ithink it brings a huge sense of
(03:13):
accomplishment for hikers and Ithink, since it is a very unique
viewpoint that not a lot ofpeople get, that just makes it
very tempting for us hikers.
You know, we want to say, ohyeah, of course we've seen the
Grand Canyon, you know, in allof its glory, but we've also
seen the Grand Canyon from theColorado River.
It is truly a sense ofaccomplishment.
(03:34):
This hike is a minimum of atleast 20 miles, maybe sometimes
up to 24, 25, 26, depending onwhat you're doing, and the total
elevation gain from you goingdown and then back up is around
11,000 feet.
So that means that you'redescending 5,000, 6,000 feet
into the canyon and then youhave to go straight back up.
(03:55):
I've actually heard this beingcompared to the difficulty of
running a marathon.
Literally, and as if itwouldn't get harder, there are
some people who run it and thereare some people who go rim to
rim to rim, which is where youjust go from one side all the
way to the other, all the wayback.
It's like over 43 miles, whichis absolutely insane, but people
(04:18):
do it.
This one is only going to talkabout rim to rim.
We're only going to talk aboutone side, because that's what I
did.
You would have to camp and do abunch of training and I
actually talked to one of therangers and he said rim to rim
to rim is actually Olympic level.
So I don't know, I'm a hiker, Idon't know if I'm Olympic level
.
That's maybe extending myabilities a bit much.
(04:41):
So now let's talk about whatcaused me to do Rim to Rim,
other than the fact that it wasjust like this very prestigious
bucket list hike that everybodytalked about.
So, if you don't know me, I aman RVing mermaid who goes
everywhere with a mermaid tailand I have been hitting all of
the major national parks thissummer and fall and in each one
(05:04):
I feel like I just take thehardest, most difficult, most
bucket list worthy hike that isin the park and I do it.
So, like in Yosemite, I didHalf Dome, in Zion, I did Angels
Landing and the Narrows.
You know there's all of them.
So I'm, anyway, I've just beenon this kick and I didn't really
realize how intense rim to rimwas when I got to the Grand
(05:28):
Canyon and I thought, oh yeah,I'll just do rim to rim and
everyone's like, oh, it's notreally a hike that you just
decide to do.
Well, I did again.
Are you rolling your eyes at mestill?
You know, I'm just going to bemyself.
It's how I operate, this is howI do things.
So that is how I decided and Iagain was highly motivated.
I was like, oh, I did Half Domeand that was about 17 miles and
(05:52):
about like 5,400 feet inelevation gain.
So we just add on another youknow, five, six, seven, eight
miles, and we'll see how I do.
So let's go into planning.
How did I plan this rim to rim?
First off, permits andreservations.
As of right now, it's 2024.
As of right now, you do notneed a permit to hike rim to rim
(06:14):
if you are going to do it in aday.
However, you do need a permitif you are going to overnight
camp, or you know you're goingto stay in some ranch and I can
see why they do that, becauseobviously this is a longer one.
So a lot of people do it overthe course of two, three, four
days and you do need a permit todo that.
Or if you are going with agroup.
Unfortunately, I think, ifyou're choosing a group, they
(06:35):
should sort out permits for you.
However, I would be very wearyabout this because I have heard
that they are very difficult toget.
So if you are going to go thisroute, maybe go with a company
who chooses your permits for youand can confirm your permits
for you, so that you're notdoing this by yourself.
But I saw a lot of camperswe'll talk about the campgrounds
(06:55):
later but it was a thing Likepeople would bring all of their
camping gear, hike halfway, havea permit, camp in their
campground and then do the otherhalf, and I do think that this
is a good idea.
However, I again did not have apermit because I just did this
spontaneously again, which I donot recommend, but that's what I
did.
So I did not have a permit andit was all fine.
(07:17):
Now let's talk about time ofyear.
So the ideal seasons for hikingthis would be spring or fall.
Now I I did it in fall and Iactually did it to the point
where they had closed the NorthRim, kind of like.
They had closed it on October15th and they said, oh, it's
just open for day use and I'mgonna be honest, I actually got
postponed a lot of times becauseof snow, and I was so shocked
(07:41):
by this because I was like oh,the Grand Canyon is supposed to
be super hot, why is it snowing?
However, yes, it snows up therestarting in October, so be
prepared for that.
However, the temperatures werea lot nicer.
Did choose a day that was verycold on the north rim and it was
around a high of 55 on thesouth rim.
Now, as you go down, itdefinitely gets hotter and
(08:04):
hotter, even down to like 20, 30degrees difference, and this is
important because even with ahigh of 55 on the south rim, I
was burning in the canyon.
So this is why I would avoidsummer like the absolute plague,
and I know you're like oh, thekids are out of school, it's the
only time I have off work.
(08:24):
I think it's doable.
There are a lot of things thatI would rather do than do summer
, and I think if you choose todo this, you need to be prepared
, just because it gets so hot inthere, even in shaded areas,
that people actually just haveheat stroke and they aren't in
good situations.
So I would avoid summer likethe plague.
(08:45):
If you are going to do rim torim, and if you do decide to do
it against my recommendations,good luck.
Tell me how it went if you makeit out, yay.
Now let's talk a little bitabout choosing the right route,
because, as I said, you can gofrom north to south or south to
north, and honestly I would.
I would see where you arestaying and where your
(09:06):
accommodation is.
There's a lodge up at the northrim.
I am personally staying in a RVpark at the south rim, so,
depending on what side youraccommodation is, I would choose
the opposite end to start at.
So, for example, I was in thesouth rim, so I drove to the
north rim and then hiked fromNorth to South, and I would do
this because I've heard ofhikers who you know are staying
(09:29):
in the South.
They hike to the North and youcan either have a car pick you
up, which, as I said, it's aboutthree to four hours to go from
the South to the North, so getyour best friend beg on your
knees or you can take one ofthese shuttles, and the shuttles
only have two times when theycan pick you up and it was
something weird like two or noon, and I'm like, okay, what time
(09:50):
would you actually have to startto hike over 20 miles?
And then what if you justdidn't make it in time.
What if you had to take a nap?
What if you had to take a break?
What if you missed your shuttle?
I just think that is a lot morerisky than just taking the
shuttle directly to where you'regoing to start and then hiking
back to your accommodation.
So that's what I would considerfirst.
Now, logistically and this isaccording to the Rangers,
(10:12):
because I went in and got all ofthe information from the
Rangers so the North Rim to theSouth Rim is generally
considered easier and I can seewhat they're talking about,
because the North Rim you wouldgo to the North Kaibab and I'm
really sorry if I'mmispronouncing the Kaibab, I'm
pretty sure it's Kaibab.
I'm just going to say Kaibab.
(10:32):
I'm sorry if that's incorrect,but anyway.
So that trail all the way downto Phantom Ranch was about 14 to
15 miles for me, as I exploreda little bit in between.
For me, as I explored a littlebit in between, however, that
was a.
The first seven miles werepretty rough, and then it went
into kind of a gentler slope asI was going through what's
(10:52):
called the box and again we'lltalk about it and then all the
way down to Phantom Ranch.
Now I think that that gentledownhill personally, I would
rather go gentle downhill thanuphill, and any day of the week.
However, some people aredifferent.
Some people really don't likehow downhill feels on their
knees.
So if that is the case, maybego south and then do that sharp
(11:16):
downhill.
I mean it's going to suckeither way, I'm not going to lie
.
But then, once you're done withthat, you'll just have a gentle
uphill instead of going downfor longer.
If you are coming from thenorth rim, you're coming from
the North Kaibab Trail all theway down.
Once you get to Phantom Ranch,you're going to have some
options.
The first option is the SouthKaibab Trail, and this is the
one that I went with, becausethe Bright Angel one was
(11:39):
undergoing repairs and this onewas okay.
The only thing is that theyhave a lot of mule on there, so
there was like poop and it washot and there wasn't a lot of
places to refill water withouttreating it first.
So that's why, even though it'slonger, the rangers actually
recommended me to go to BrightAngel.
It's about three miles longerthan the South Kaibab one.
(12:01):
However, it's a little bit lessof an incline and it's a little
safer.
Again, I unfortunately didn'tget to do this option because it
was under construction.
But those are your options and,again, if you were going from
south to north, you would eithergo down that Bright Angel or
you'd go down the South Kaibaband then you would go up to the
North Kaibab in the North Rim.
(12:22):
Now just a little tip on parking.
There is no commercial parkingon the South Kaibab trail.
You would have to take theshuttle pretty much to the
visitor center and then youwould figure out your ride from
there.
However, there was limitedparking at Bright Angel because
there's the Bright Angel Lodgeand all of that jazz.
So, again, just thinking aboutlogistics, on how you're
actually going to get to andfrom the trailhead, is very,
(12:44):
very important when planningthis hike.
Because it was a little trickierthan previous ones that I have
done.
So what I ended up doing,because it was a little trickier
than previous ones that I havedone, so what I ended up doing,
because that was so muchinformation just thrown at you
all at once.
So what I ended up doing is Iended up taking my own car.
Luckily, my mother drove me.
So nice.
So my mother drove me from theSouth Rim to the North Rim.
(13:06):
We left at about 10 or 11 pm.
We went all the way up there.
We had to drive a little bitslower because there was a lot
of deer on this route.
You would exit the Grand Canyon, go around to Marble Canyon,
kind of near Page, and then turnaround and then go to the North
Rim.
So we got there at about 3.
We took our time, we did alittle stargazing, I got ready
(13:28):
and then I ended up starting thehike down North Kaibab around
3.45 am, and this was actuallyon Halloween.
So I was on there on October31st.
It was very, very cold Again.
That first seven miles was alittle steep.
Some of the rocks shifted.
I did fall on my booty once.
(13:48):
Oops, I did not see a singlesoul.
I thought that I would actuallybe greeted with a lot of other
hikers, but this was not thecase and I ended up just belting
out some Broadway show tunes onthis hike just to keep away the
animals and to keep myselfawake.
So there was a couple reststops along the way, ways to
fill up water, and then I got tothe campground, which, again,
(14:11):
this is where you could get apermit and you could go camping,
which is way smarter than whatI did.
But here we go, so kind ofbreezed through the Cottonwood
Camp, ended up going to theRibbon Falls, which was quite a
detour, and I ended up liketrying to hike across the river
because the bridge was out, liketrying to hike across the river
(14:33):
because the bridge was out.
So, anyway, explored a lot andadded a lot to my miles during
this section because I wastrying to find a way across and
couldn't.
So that was fun.
Anyway, ended up backtracking,going back on the trail, the
section between the CottonwoodCampground and Phantom Ranch,
which Phantom Ranch is a veryinfamous lodge.
Down there they have thisinfamous lemonade that you can
(14:53):
have and it is a very good reststop, like kind of right in the
middle of the canyon.
So this hike in betweenCottonwood Campground and
Phantom Ranch was absolutelystunning.
There was just these rock facesgoing straight up and I was by
a river the entire time.
There was a little bit morepeople, but not as much, and
honestly this was just myfavorite part.
(15:15):
Now, part of this is known asthe box, and people will warn
you about the box because thebox is hot.
In fact, they said it turnsinto an inferno, especially
during the summer.
So, whatever they said,whatever you do, whatever time
you choose to start, directionyou do, whatever time you choose
to start, direction you chooseto go, you cannot be in the box
midday, especially during summer.
(15:35):
It gets so hot.
Now, personally me, I was therelike early morning and it was
wonderful, absolutely wonderful.
Then I went to Phantom Ranch,got a lemonade they were doing
some construction so I didn'tactually spend a ton of time
there I filled up my water andthen I started going to the
Black Suspension Bridge over theColorado River and then up the
(15:56):
brutal ascent on the SouthKaibab.
Now I ended up getting at thetop of South Kaibab at around
like 4 30 pm and then I went tothe, the visitor center, hiked
to Mather because I had to takea picture with my I Hooked Room
to Room t-shirt.
So overall I think I was alittle bit under 26 miles, with
(16:20):
all of my exploring and gettinglost and then going to Mather.
I don't think it was this.
If you were just to walk fromone side to the other, obviously
it would be a lot shorter thanthis.
I think the AllTrail said itwas about 20.1.
That was a straight lie.
I think it's about 22, 23 miles, which do not underestimate
that number, because, wow, I wasso tired by the end and then I
(16:44):
slept for like three days andtreated a massive blister on the
underside of my foot.
It was awesome.
Now let's talk about the gearthat I packed and what I packed
and didn't actually use.
So the only things that Ihonestly used for this hike was
my camelback, some snacks,trekking poles oh my gosh,
(17:04):
trekking poles obviously goodfootwear and clothes and
honestly, that was kind of it.
I packed a lot more than I need.
I packed, like, these microspikes because again, it snowed
and they were like, oh, usecrampons.
I don't think you need to usecrampons or micro spikes if it's
just yeah.
Anyway, I didn't need to useany of that.
I didn't end up eating as muchas I should just because I was
(17:26):
afraid that if I sat down I justwouldn't get back up.
Now, things that I wish I wouldhave had I wish I would have had
more sunscreen.
Again, I just didn't expect itto be that intense down there,
which was funny because theywere like, oh, avoid the box
because that turns into aninfertile.
That section was great.
It was that little sectionright as I was going up Kaibab.
That was just brutal, so it canjust get hot anywhere.
(17:49):
I definitely did bring a hatand I brought a lot of layers.
I don't think I needed as manylayers as I had.
Again, it was really cold whenI started.
So I was like, oh, I'm going tohave a hat and gloves and you
know, 16 layers and they justended up like being draped off
my backpack for the majority ofthe hike.
So I wish I would have justsucked it up, been cold for
(18:15):
about an hour and then the restof it would have been great.
Another thing that I wish Iwould have had, which I tried to
get earlier but it wasn't goingto get here in time, was like a
water filtration straw, justbecause I filled up at Phantom
Ranch but there wasn't a lot tofill up and I was sweating so
hard on that trail and I neededwater and I was just kind of
concerned that I would run outof water and there was some
(18:36):
water stations like at like,like tip point or tip off, I
can't remember the exact thing,but you needed to treat it and
the stuff that I had that Ibought at the little general
market in the village.
It said that you needed to putthe little tablet, the
purification tablet, in thereand it took like four hours.
So that just wasn't worth it.
So I think I would have hadlike a little straw that maybe I
(19:00):
could have used to filter somewater.
I definitely wish I would havehad more blister care, maybe
supplies and also lightweightcooling towels.
I use these for my yogainstructor training and I
actually had one and took it outof my bag because I thought it
was going to be cold.
Oh, so dumb, bad hiker, butanyway, it's basically this
(19:20):
cooling towel.
You put some water on it andthen you just put it on your
face and neck and it cools youdown.
I would have literally choppedoff my left pinky toe for a
cooling towel aboutthree-fourths of the way up, let
me tell you, yeah, went reallylightweight on this one.
Obviously, if you are choosingto camp and get the permit, you
are going to need to carry a lot, which I don't know how people
(19:40):
pack and carry all of theircamping gear down that steep
incline.
But good for you.
Honestly, so much respect.
Now, what would I recommend fortraining man?
Yes, do the training.
This is definitely not a hikethat you can just wake up and be
like well, you know, I've neverhiked before, I'm going to hike
(20:02):
rim to rim.
No, they're going to have tohelicopter you out of there
Absolutely not.
Maybe you might have a higherchance of success if you are
camping in the middle or doingit over, spread out over a
period of time.
However, if you want to do thisall in one day, you basically
need to be in tip-top physicalshape Now.
I would obviously recommendworking on endurance, leg
(20:22):
strength and just elevationchanges and steep inclines.
Honestly, I think the bestthing that you could do is very
long hikes with high elevationchanges.
I think that the only reason Isurvived this is again, I was
doing Half Dome.
I was hiking these 18-milehikes.
I did like nine miles theprevious week.
(20:42):
I actually calculated that inaddition to this, I actually
hiked over 70 miles just inOctober 2024.
So I just think these reallyhigh endurance elevation hikes
are key, and also another thingthat I would recommend is to
mentally prepare for theintensity and just building
(21:03):
resistance.
Now, of course, I was doing thissolo.
I'm a solo female hiker and I'mgoing to be honest, I was fine.
I was very bored about like athird, the way in, as I said, I
just started belting show tunesjust to have something to do.
But that incline was so roughon my mind just because I didn't
(21:24):
have anyone to talk through itwith me and I just kind of just
had to be miserable by myselfand it was really hard mentally,
like I would almost argue thatit was just as hard mentally as
it was physically.
Now for me.
I hate hiking in the heat, so Iwas fine, like when I was in
the shade.
However, heat was brutal for meand I have asthma and like heat
(21:46):
induced asthma.
So I just couldn't breathe andI just wasn't feeling very good.
I think I had some heatexhaustion and I was just
physically sore as well.
So that ascent, I'm going to behonest, was probably one of the
roughest hikes I've ever done,and part of it was due to the
fact that I was just slowlygoing crazy in my mind.
(22:07):
So do not neglect your mind.
Meditate a little bit, practicesome mindfulness and, yeah,
just do not take this hikelightly.
It is not for the weak, thewhole thing is just very intense
.
I would say that the descent,obviously you know, like your
(22:27):
joints are getting sore andeverything, but it's not really
like a challenge.
I mean it's not really like ahuge challenge, but I think
where the challenge lies in Rimto Rim is climbing your way out
of the canyon, because you'realready sore and you're already
like your knees are already likewhat have you done?
You just descended 6,000 feetfrom the North Rim.
(22:50):
What's going on here?
And then, yeah, you just kindof go up for just ever and it
just feels like forever.
Like I've been on hikes whereit just keeps going and going
and going.
But this one takes the cake.
I feel like I went through youknow, all the stages of grief on
this hike.
Like I started out angry, likeI was like I hate the Grand
(23:10):
Canyon, this is terrible.
And then I was like bargaining.
I was like, please, god, I willdo anything, just get me off
this trail.
And it was acceptance.
I was like I'm just going to behot and miserable for like the
next six hours.
It's fine, whatever.
So just be prepared for someturmoil.
You know it's.
You have heat, you have fatigue, you have dehydration.
As I said, I probably shouldhave eaten a little bit more,
but I just didn't want to stop.
(23:32):
But, however, there are somegood moments like the Bright
Angel Creek in the box, phantomRanch is super cool and the
bridges the suspension bridgesacross the Colorado River are so
cool.
And also Ribbon Falls is coolif I manage to get over the
river and not walk two milestrying to find it, yay.
So this whole thing is ajourney and you have to be
(23:55):
prepared for a journey.
It's a mental journey, it's aphysical journey.
You are seeing the most amazingthings, but at the same time,
you just hate it and want tocrawl up underneath a rock and
cease to exist.
It is just, you know, it'snerve-wracking, it's
exhilarating, it's adrenalinepumping and if you can hear me
talk, you can probably see whythis is such a bucket list hike
(24:18):
and the sense of accomplishmentsfor these hikers and why this
is such a popular thing to do.
However, with that being said,it can be a little dangerous, as
we have talked about previously.
So let's just talk about it alittle bit.
Hydration and nutrition you needto have a plan for water now.
What I would recommend is thatyou go into the visitor center,
(24:39):
you talk to the rangers and yousay where can I get water?
Because sometimes they turn offand you have to do it like the
day before, because it's veryunpredictable and you also need
to know which water stationsprovide drinking water and which
stations you need to treat thewater Again, going back to those
like little tablets that takefour hours, which I don't have
time for that.
So, yes, getting a sense ofwhere you can fill up is crucial
(25:02):
.
Now I had a three literCamelback with me the entire
time.
I don't think I went throughthat much going down Again.
I was cold, I was conservingwater.
I didn't really get my heartrate up at all.
I did fill up at the first reststop, the Mantizanita, that's
probably not it, whatever, theone that starts with an M,
that's before the Cottonwoodcampsite.
(25:23):
And then I also filled up atPhantom Ranch.
So I went through probably likeone and a half on the way down,
and then the way up was acompletely different story.
I was drinking that thing andchugging it almost to the point
where I was freaking out that Iwas going to run out of water.
So again, if you do up thatBright Angel Trail, I know that
there are more places to getwater, but just have a solid
(25:44):
hydration plan and then alsoactually eat food.
Don't be like me where I was,like I just want to get it done
and over with and if I stop, I'mnot going to start again.
Like, actually have high energysnacks to fuel your trek.
I had some beef jerky.
I had my yogurt covered raisins.
They recommended a lot of saltysnacks because you are going to
be sweating out a lot of saltthat needs to be replenished.
(26:04):
So, yeah, just a lot of saltysnacks and then high protein
snacks.
Another thing that I would do ismaybe learn some signs of
dehydration because, as I said,this hike unfortunately has not
been kind to some hikers.
We'll just put it that way tobe nice.
So you need to listen to yourbody and you need to know the
(26:27):
signs of dehydration and heatexhaustion.
I definitely noticed this Again, even when there was just a
high of 55, I noticed this.
I mean, I was getting nauseous,I wasn't feeling very good, I
was trying to drink as muchwater as I can, but again, I
didn't want to run out of it.
So this is a strategic hike,especially if you are doing this
all in one day, you need to beprepared and careful and listen
(26:51):
to your body and what it needs,and you also need to have a
backup plan like dealing withsetbacks and injuries or just
unplanned challenges.
You know, I didn't reallyrealize that I was going to just
like have an asthma attackhalfway through, so luckily I
had my inhaler.
But you know that there's justa lot of things that can go
wrong when you're hiking 20 plusmiles in and out of one of the
(27:13):
most famous canyons in the world, because unfortunately there's
just not a lot of ways that youcan get rescued, like you could
just need to be likehelicoptered out.
It's not like they have a roador a touristy road that just
goes down to Phantom Ranch whereyou can get a lemonade and then
leave Like no, you have to hikelike 15 miles in order to get
that lemonade and then you haveto crawl out of the canyon.
(27:35):
So there's just a lot offactors.
It was funny because I went tothe Yavapai Lodge and they had a
sign that says remember, hikinginto the canyon is voluntary,
hiking out of the canyon ismandatory, and I think that
because when you're going downyou're like, yay, this is so
great, this is awesome.
I'm bucket list hiking.
It's hard on my joints but it'sfine and I can handle it and
(27:58):
it's all good, and I'm in thebox and it's beautiful, and I
got my lemonade at Phantom Ranch.
And then you go up and you'relike, why did I do this to
myself?
This is terrible.
Oh my gosh, I'm, I'm gonna justburst into flames and die.
That's kind of what it feelslike.
So be prepared for this and youknow, really, just look ahead
and be like, okay, I have thiscondition.
I need to plan if it flares upor if anything happens.
(28:21):
There you go.
You know, once you have crawledout of the canyon from whence
you came let's just talk alittle bit about the recovery
and just reflection of thisentire thing you will be sore.
I'm sorry, if you hike thatlong and have that much
elevation gain and are not sore,I'm suspicious of you.
(28:42):
You're too good to be true.
I don't trust your muscles andI don't trust you.
You have to have sore muscles,it's a rite of passage.
I'm sorry if you don't looklike you're close to death
coming out of that rim and youdidn't do it correctly.
So, yes, I would just be veryprepared for those sore muscles.
I'm currently on day three ofrecovery from this hike and I
(29:05):
still you know I'm hobbling abit, but I'm not as much of like
an old witch, you know, going,going down.
I'm like, oh, you know,hobbling like a penguin down to
the Yavapai Lodge.
So it does get better.
However, I definitely had to,you know, elevate my feet, ice
some joints, just to be careful.
I don't normally get blistersand I've never gotten a blister
(29:26):
ever Like even when I hikedeight days in Peru.
I didn't get a blister.
However, I did get a blisterand it was funny because I
didn't notice that I was gettinga blister until after the hike
and it was right in between mybig toe and my second toe and I
was like, oh, that kind of hurts.
And I looked at it andliterally screamed like it was
so gross.
It was like the biggest blisterI have ever had in my life.
(29:47):
So it was kind of interestingrecovering and trying not to pop
that blister.
That's so gross, but you needto know.
And then also fatigue.
I didn't really experience anylike mental fatigue after that.
It was just like this giantadrenaline rush, not that I did
it, but just that it was over,because there was just a second
in there where I was like thisis never ending, I'm just going
(30:09):
to hike for the rest of myexistence up this South Kaibab
Trail.
Everybody was at the oo-ahpoint and like the skeleton
point and those are very commonday hikes, if you don't want to
go all the way down and everyonewas so full of life and happy
and they're like oh my gosh,this is amazing.
I'm just over here, like closeto death.
They're like oh my gosh, thisis, this is amazing.
I'm just over here like closeto death.
They're like did you go down tothe river?
(30:29):
I'm like I came from North Rimand they were like oh my gosh,
that's crazy.
Um, I was like the only one.
I did meet a couple people thathad camped, but I didn't meet
anybody who did it in one day.
I was very sad.
Either that or I'm just anidiot.
I think that's that's it.
I just who would do that tothemselves?
Me, just me.
And you know just somemindfulness techniques.
(30:50):
Just say, like you know how itimpacted you, the sense of
accomplishments, the lessons youlearned, and I know this sounds
so cheesy.
However, I had a point in whichI was going up the South Kaibab
and I was dying and I couldn'tbreathe because of my asthma and
it hot and I was sweating andit was going into my eyes and it
smelled like mule poop and Iwas just living my best life on
(31:11):
this trail right now.
And then I got to SkeletonPoint and there was a point in
that trail where it kind of wasflat, just like a gentle uphill,
and I have never felt suchpeace and relief in my life.
I was like, oh my gosh.
I was oh my gosh.
I was just so happy to be goingat not a super high incline on
this trail and I just thought tomyself.
(31:32):
I was like, oh my gosh, it'slike life, like you know, it
might be hard, but just wait forthat piece, wait for that flat
part right after skeleton point,and that's what I'm talking
about.
You know, learn some lessonswhile you're doing this.
So this is what happens whenyou're alone and close to
madness, hiking for like 11hours straight uphill and
downhill.
So now we'll talk about thisfunny moment that I had, now
(31:55):
that we're getting to the end ofthis podcast, and I was going
uphill and visibly dying on theSouth Kaibab.
Now people are just there doinglike some intermediate hikes.
Now actually hiking down toSkeleton Point is considered an
advanced hike and they don'teven recommend going down the
full thing in one day.
So all these people are going,they look fresh, they look nice,
(32:17):
and there's this dad and hisson and they're wearing like
flannel and jeans and they justlook like they haven't seen the
sun in a while.
And I'm over here looking likea tomato that is close to being
squished, okay.
And I saw them coming and I waslike, okay, I'm going to step
aside so that they can comeforward.
(32:38):
And I know they meant it in avery, very encouraging way.
But they kind of said somethingalong the lines of like oh
don't worry, you've got it, keeppushing.
Said something along the linesof like oh don't worry, you've
got it, keep pushing.
And I was so annoyed because Iwas so close to just absolute
madness and I turned around andI snapped at them and I was like
honey, you're wearing jeans.
And immediately I was like I'mso sorry, I can't breathe, I'm
(33:01):
dying.
I've been hiking since 4am, I'mso sorry, please forgive me.
And they just turned brightwhite and I felt so bad for
snapping at them and they turnedaround.
They're like how many miles areyou on?
I was like I'm on like 19.
And so, anyway, so definitelysnapped at those people.
I'm very, very sorry if thatwas you, but kind of funny
looking back, and I'm glad thatthey were so understanding.
(33:23):
You know, like when you'remiserable, you just you just get
irritated.
You just snap at everyone, andI was, so I felt so bad.
So now that I have done it all,let's just quick talk about A
what is my ultimate?
If I were to do it again, howwould I change it?
And here's what I would do Iwould stay at the South Rim, I
would take a shuttle all the wayto the North Rim and then I
(33:44):
would go down the North Rim allthe way down to Phantom Ranch
and then I would stay at PhantomRanch, I would let my little
toes breathe and then, rightbefore the sun came up, I would
start the ascent up the BrightAngel Trail and hopefully be
done by like mid-morning tolunchtime, hopefully.
I would do this because A Ijust think that starting at the
(34:05):
North Rim, getting the descentover with and then resting your
body and then being able tostart early on the ascent so
that you're not caught in eitherway the box or that little
ascent in the heat, I think thatwould be such a different
experience.
So if I were to do it again,that is how I would do it.
And now, finally, the questionthat you've maybe been waiting
(34:27):
for Can you do it in a day?
Absolutely you can, with theright amount of training and
preparation.
And if you are a hiker and youare used to hiking very, very
high elevation gains and verylong miles, I think that you can
.
Should you?
No, I don't think you should,and they definitely don't
(34:49):
recommend this.
And everybody on the internetwas like don't do it.
And that wasn't really helpfulbecause I didn't have a permit
and I was going to do it nomatter what.
So I'm glad that I did it andI'm glad that I pushed myself to
do it all in one day.
However, that ascent going to behonest, I was not living my
best life.
I was pretty miserable thewhole time and I think if I
would have done it in multipledays, I think the whole thing
(35:10):
would have been like the firstthree-fourths, because the first
three-fourths I was totallyfine.
It was the ascent that justkilled me.
So I think if I did it overmultiple days, maybe it would
have just been a good experienceover the entire thing versus me
, like cursing the Grand Canyonabout halfway up at Skeleton
Point.
So there you go.
Is it possible?
Yes, should you do it?
(35:30):
Probably not, I think.
Bottom line stay safe.
I can see a lot of things thatcould go a little weird with
this hike, just basically withwater and the elements and
because it is so long andstrenuous in a very hot desert
environment.
So if you do attempt this hike,please be safe, please talk to
the rangers, please do yourhomework, please take all of
(35:52):
your very best gear and plan itout to a tee and just be honest
with yourself and your body andyour physical ability to what
you can accomplish.
However, I think that if youwant to accomplish this, you
will with some training andpreparation.
I think that anybody could dothis, accomplish this you will
with some training andpreparation.
I think that anybody could dothis hike if they really really
(36:13):
wanted to.
Now, if you do end up doingthis hike, I really do want to
see it.
I'm on all social medias, atthe Bucket List, mermaid, and
again, I would just love to seeyou checking this off and maybe
see you do the ascent a littlebit more gracefully than I did
the ascent.
Let me know.
I would love to hear from youand hear your thoughts on Rim to
Rim.
So again, that is it for theRim to Rim hike in Grand Canyon
(36:34):
all in one day.
What do you think?
Would you conquer this hike?
Would you not conquer this hike?
After listening to this podcast,were you like maybe I'll just
go to Skeleton Point in theSouth Kaibab?
Or were you like, nah, I can doit better than you.
Bring it on, bring on thebucket list challenge and I'm
here for it.
I'm living for it.
Guys, thank you so much forwatching.
If you did enjoy this episodeor you found anything that I
(36:56):
said helpful in my ramblingsabout Rim to Rim, definitely hit
that subscribe button on yourfavorite podcasting platform,
send it to a fellow adventurersor check out my my full website,
thebucketlistmermaidcom, whereI go into even more adventure
guides and even more for youradventure bucket list.
Thank you, guys, so much forlistening again.
Love you all.
Adventurers.
Stay safe out there on the rimto rim.
(37:18):
We will see you next week.
Keep adventuring.
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