Tick It Before You Kick It
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Tick It Before You Kick It
Everything You Need to Know Before Hiking Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon
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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Are you rolling your eyes at me? I can feel you rolling your eyes at me right now. I'm rolling my eyes at me right now. Hey there, my intrepid adventurers, my name is Alexandra, and welcome to Take it Before you Kick it the podcast where we talk about everything 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 is right. We are going to be talking about one of the most epic, long, strenuous bucket list hikes that you can do within the United States, and that is going from the Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon. Honestly, I looked up the best bucket list hikes everywhere and Rim to Rim was on every single one of them. So I thought that I would hop on the Rim to Rim train, see what it's saying so that I could report back to you and maybe you can see if you want to put it on your bucket list too. So stay tuned for my experience hiking Rim to Rim as a solo female hiker all in one day. Are you rolling your eyes at me? I can feel you rolling your eyes at me right now. I'm rolling my eyes at me. Right now. We'll talk about if I recommend it, everything that I packed, how I prepared, how I did it and what would I change if I did it next time. So stay tuned.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about conquering the Grand Canyon and going rim to rim. So a brief overview what is the rim 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, you know, literally going across the canyon. But that is actually not what Rim to Rim is. You basically start at either the south or the north rim, you hike all the way down into the canyon to the Colorado River, and then you hike all the way back up on the other side. So the other thing that I learned is that the Grand Canyon is actually only about 18 miles wide. However, to drive from the North Rim to the South Rim or vice versa, you have to go around the entire Grand Canyon and it takes like four to five hours. So this makes it very hard logistically and we're going to talk about it. However, to get started, you would either start at the North Rim, go down to the Colorado River and then go to the South Rim, or you would start at the South Rim and then go all the way up to the North Rim. Now what's the differences between the North Rim and the South Rim? And honestly, it's kind of just popularity. So the South Rim is going to be where all of the lodges are, more campgrounds are here, the Grand Canyon Village is here, it's more touristy, there's more buses, there's more to do, and then the North Rim is going to be a little bit more remote.
Speaker 1:Not a lot of people actually go to the North Rim. Most people just go to the South Rim and call it good. So why is this a bucket list hike for adventurers? And honestly, I think it is because the Grand Canyon is such a famous national park and obviously most people have heard of the Grand Canyon and it's just this sense of accomplishment of actually going down to the bottom and then back up to the top. Obviously, there's a lot of ways to see the Grand Canyon without hiking. You can just go to Mather Point right by the Visitor Center, which is gorgeous, but what a lot of travelers see is just the Grand Canyon as a whole. But in order to see the Grand Canyon from the river up, it takes a lot of effort and I think it brings a huge sense of accomplishment for hikers and I think, since it is a very unique viewpoint that not a lot of people get, that just makes it very tempting for us hikers. You know, we want to say, oh yeah, of course we've seen the Grand Canyon, you know, in all of its glory, but we've also seen the Grand Canyon from the Colorado River. It is truly a sense of accomplishment.
Speaker 1:This hike is a minimum of at least 20 miles, maybe sometimes up to 24, 25, 26, depending on what you're doing, and the total elevation gain from you going down and then back up is around 11,000 feet. So that means that you're descending 5,000, 6,000 feet into the canyon and then you have to go straight back up. I've actually heard this being compared to the difficulty of running a marathon. Literally, and as if it wouldn't get harder, there are some people who run it and there are some people who go rim to rim to rim, which is where you just go from one side all the way to the other, all the way back. It's like over 43 miles, which is absolutely insane, but people do it.
Speaker 1:This one is only going to talk about rim to rim. We're only going to talk about one side, because that's what I did. You would have to camp and do a bunch of training and I actually talked to one of the rangers and he said rim to rim to rim is actually Olympic level. So I don't know, I'm a hiker, I don't know if I'm Olympic level. That's maybe extending my abilities a bit much. So now let's talk about what caused me to do Rim to Rim, other than the fact that it was just like this very prestigious bucket list hike that everybody talked about.
Speaker 1:So, if you don't know me, I am an RVing mermaid who goes everywhere with a mermaid tail and I have been hitting all of the major national parks this summer and fall and in each one I feel like I just take the hardest, most difficult, most bucket list worthy hike that is in the park and I do it. So, like in Yosemite, I did Half Dome, in Zion, I did Angels Landing and the Narrows. You know there's all of them. So I'm, anyway, I've just been on this kick and I didn't really realize how intense rim to rim was when I got to the Grand Canyon and I thought, oh yeah, I'll just do rim to rim and everyone's like, oh, it's not really a hike that you just decide to do. Well, I did again. Are you rolling your eyes at me still? You know, I'm just going to be myself. It's how I operate, this is how I do things. So that is how I decided and I again was highly motivated. I was like, oh, I did Half Dome and that was about 17 miles and about like 5,400 feet in elevation gain. So we just add on another you know, 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?
Speaker 1:First off, permits and reservations. As of right now, it's 2024. As of right now, you do not need a permit to hike rim to rim if you are going to do it in a day. However, you do need a permit if you are going to overnight camp, or you know you're going to stay in some ranch and I can see why they do that, because obviously this is a longer one. So a lot of people do it over the course of two, three, four days and you do need a permit to do that. Or if you are going with a group. Unfortunately, I think, if you're choosing a group, they should sort out permits for you. However, I would be very weary about this because I have heard that they are very difficult to get. So if you are going to go this route, maybe go with a company who chooses your permits for you and can confirm your permits for you, so that you're not doing this by yourself. But I saw a lot of campers we'll talk about the campgrounds later but it was a thing Like people would bring all of their camping gear, hike halfway, have a permit, camp in their campground and then do the other half, and I do think that this is a good idea. However, I again did not have a permit because I just did this spontaneously again, which I do not recommend, but that's what I did. So I did not have a permit and it was all fine.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about time of year. So the ideal seasons for hiking this would be spring or fall. Now I I did it in fall and I actually did it to the point where they had closed the North Rim, kind of like. They had closed it on October 15th and they said, oh, it's just open for day use and I'm gonna be honest, I actually got postponed a lot of times because of snow, and I was so shocked 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 there starting in October, so be prepared for that. However, the temperatures were a lot nicer. Did choose a day that was very cold on the north rim and it was around a high of 55 on the south rim. Now, as you go down, it definitely gets hotter and hotter, even down to like 20, 30 degrees difference, and this is important because even with a high of 55 on the south rim, I was burning in the canyon.
Speaker 1:So this is why I would avoid summer like the absolute plague, and I know you're like oh, the kids are out of school, it's the only time I have off work. I think it's doable. There are a lot of things that I would rather do than do summer, and I think if you choose to do this, you need to be prepared, just because it gets so hot in there, even in shaded areas, that people actually just have heat stroke and they aren't in good situations. So I would avoid summer like the plague. If you are going to do rim to rim, and if you do decide to do it against my recommendations, good luck. Tell me how it went if you make it out, yay.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk a little bit about choosing the right route, because, as I said, you can go from north to south or south to north, and honestly I would. I would see where you are staying and where your accommodation is. There's a lodge up at the north rim. I am personally staying in a RV park at the south rim, so, depending on what side your accommodation is, I would choose the opposite end to start at.
Speaker 1:So, for example, I was in the south rim, so I drove to the north rim and then hiked from North to South, and I would do this because I've heard of hikers who you know are staying in the South. They hike to the North and you can either have a car pick you up, which, as I said, it's about three to four hours to go from the South to the North, so get your best friend beg on your knees or you can take one of these shuttles, and the shuttles only have two times when they can pick you up and it was something weird like two or noon, and I'm like, okay, what time would you actually have to start to hike over 20 miles? And then what if you just didn'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 more risky than just taking the shuttle directly to where you're going to start and then hiking back to your accommodation. So that's what I would consider first.
Speaker 1:Now, logistically and this is according to the Rangers, because I went in and got all of the information from the Rangers so the North Rim to the South Rim is generally considered easier and I can see what they're talking about, because the North Rim you would go to the North Kaibab and I'm really sorry if I'm mispronouncing the Kaibab, I'm pretty sure it's Kaibab. I'm just going to say Kaibab. I'm sorry if that's incorrect, but anyway. So that trail all the way down to Phantom Ranch was about 14 to 15 miles for me, as I explored a little bit in between. For me, as I explored a little bit in between, however, that was a. The first seven miles were pretty rough, and then it went into kind of a gentler slope as I was going through what's called the box and again we'll talk about it and then all the way down to Phantom Ranch.
Speaker 1:Now I think that that gentle downhill personally, I would rather go gentle downhill than uphill, and any day of the week. However, some people are different. Some people really don't like how downhill feels on their knees. So if that is the case, maybe go south and then do that sharp downhill. I mean it's going to suck either way, I'm not going to lie. But then, once you're done with that, you'll just have a gentle uphill instead of going down for longer. If you are coming from the north rim, you're coming from the North Kaibab Trail all the way down.
Speaker 1:Once you get to Phantom Ranch, you're going to have some options. The first option is the South Kaibab Trail, and this is the one that I went with, because the Bright Angel one was undergoing repairs and this one was okay. The only thing is that they have a lot of mule on there, so there was like poop and it was hot and there wasn't a lot of places to refill water without treating it first. So that's why, even though it's longer, the rangers actually recommended me to go to Bright Angel. It's about three miles longer than the South Kaibab one. However, it's a little bit less of an incline and it's a little safer. Again, I unfortunately didn't get 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 either go down that Bright Angel or you'd go down the South Kaibab and then you would go up to the North Kaibab in the North Rim.
Speaker 1:Now just a little tip on parking. There is no commercial parking on the South Kaibab trail. You would have to take the shuttle pretty much to the visitor center and then you would figure out your ride from there. However, there was limited parking at Bright Angel because there's the Bright Angel Lodge and all of that jazz. So, again, just thinking about logistics, on how you're actually going to get to and from the trailhead, is very, very important when planning this hike.
Speaker 1:Because it was a little trickier than previous ones that I have done. So what I ended up doing, because it was a little trickier than previous ones that I have done, so what I ended up doing, because that was so much information just thrown at you all at once. So what I ended up doing is I ended up taking my own car. Luckily, my mother drove me. So nice. So my mother drove me from the South Rim to the North Rim. We left at about 10 or 11 pm. We went all the way up there. We had to drive a little bit slower 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 turn around and then go to the North Rim. So we got there at about 3. We took our time, we did a little stargazing, I got ready and then I ended up starting the hike down North Kaibab around 3.45 am, and this was actually on Halloween. So I was on there on October 31st.
Speaker 1:It was very, very cold Again. That first seven miles was a little steep. Some of the rocks shifted. I did fall on my booty once. Oops, I did not see a single soul. I thought that I would actually be greeted with a lot of other hikers, but this was not the case and I ended up just belting out some Broadway show tunes on this hike just to keep away the animals and to keep myself awake. So there was a couple rest stops along the way, ways to fill up water, and then I got to the campground, which, again, this is where you could get a permit and you could go camping, which is way smarter than what I did.
Speaker 1:But here we go, so kind of breezed through the Cottonwood Camp, ended up going to the Ribbon Falls, which was quite a detour, and I ended up like trying to hike across the river because the bridge was out, like trying to hike across the river because the bridge was out. So, anyway, explored a lot and added a lot to my miles during this section because I was trying 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 Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch, which Phantom Ranch is a very infamous lodge. Down there they have this infamous lemonade that you can have and it is a very good rest stop, like kind of right in the middle of the canyon. So this hike in between Cottonwood Campground and Phantom Ranch was absolutely stunning. There was just these rock faces going straight up and I was by a river the entire time. There was a little bit more people, but not as much, and honestly this was just my favorite part.
Speaker 1:Now, part of this is known as the box, and people will warn you about the box because the box is hot. In fact, they said it turns into an inferno, especially during the summer. So, whatever they said, whatever you do, whatever time you choose to start, direction you do, whatever time you choose to start, direction you choose to go, you cannot be in the box midday, especially during summer. It gets so hot. Now, personally me, I was there like early morning and it was wonderful, absolutely wonderful.
Speaker 1:Then I went to Phantom Ranch, got a lemonade they were doing some construction so I didn't actually spend a ton of time there I filled up my water and then I started going to the Black Suspension Bridge over the Colorado River and then up the brutal ascent on the South Kaibab. Now I ended up getting at the top of South Kaibab at around like 4 30 pm and then I went to the, the visitor center, hiked to Mather because I had to take a picture with my I Hooked Room to Room t-shirt. So overall I think I was a little bit under 26 miles, with all of my exploring and getting lost and then going to Mather. I don't think it was this. If you were just to walk from one side to the other, obviously it would be a lot shorter than this. I think the AllTrail said it was 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 was so tired by the end and then I slept for like three days and treated a massive blister on the underside of my foot. It was awesome.
Speaker 1:Now let's talk about the gear that I packed and what I packed and didn't actually use. So the only things that I honestly used for this hike was my camelback, some snacks, trekking poles oh my gosh, trekking poles obviously good footwear and clothes and honestly, that was kind of it. I packed a lot more than I need. I packed, like, these micro spikes because again, it snowed and they were like, oh, use crampons. I don't think you need to use crampons or micro spikes if it's just yeah. Anyway, I didn't need to use any of that. I didn't end up eating as much as I should just because I was afraid that if I sat down I just wouldn't get back up.
Speaker 1:Now, things that I wish I would have had I wish I would have had more sunscreen. Again, I just didn't expect it to be that intense down there, which was funny because they were like, oh, avoid the box because that turns into an infertile. That section was great. It was that little section right as I was going up Kaibab. That was just brutal, so it can just get hot anywhere. I definitely did bring a hat and I brought a lot of layers. I don't think I needed as many layers as I had. Again, it was really cold when I started. So I was like, oh, I'm going to have a hat and gloves and you know, 16 layers and they just ended up like being draped off my backpack for the majority of the hike. So I wish I would have just sucked it up, been cold for about an hour and then the rest of it would have been great.
Speaker 1:Another thing that I wish I would have had, which I tried to get earlier but it wasn't going to get here in time, was like a water filtration straw, just because I filled up at Phantom Ranch but there wasn't a lot to fill up and I was sweating so hard on that trail and I needed water and I was just kind of concerned that I would run out of water and there was some 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 I bought at the little general market in the village. It said that you needed to put the little tablet, the purification tablet, in there and it took like four hours. So that just wasn't worth it. So I think I would have had like a little straw that maybe I could have used to filter some water. I definitely wish I would have had more blister care, maybe supplies and also lightweight cooling towels. I use these for my yoga instructor training and I actually had one and took it out of my bag because I thought it was going to be cold. Oh, so dumb, bad hiker, but anyway, it's basically this cooling towel. You put some water on it and then you just put it on your face and neck and it cools you down. I would have literally chopped off my left pinky toe for a cooling towel about three-fourths of the way up, let me tell you, yeah, went really lightweight on this one.
Speaker 1:Obviously, if you are choosing to camp and get the permit, you are going to need to carry a lot, which I don't know how people pack and carry all of their camping gear down that steep incline. But good for you. Honestly, so much respect. Now, what would I recommend for training man? Yes, do the training. This is definitely not a hike that you can just wake up and be like well, you know, I've never hiked before, I'm going to hike rim to rim. No, they're going to have to helicopter you out of there Absolutely not. Maybe you might have a higher chance of success if you are camping in the middle or doing it over, spread out over a period of time.
Speaker 1:However, if you want to do this all in one day, you basically need to be in tip-top physical shape Now. I would obviously recommend working on endurance, leg strength and just elevation changes and steep inclines. Honestly, I think the best thing that you could do is very long hikes with high elevation changes. I think that the only reason I survived this is again, I was doing Half Dome. I was hiking these 18-mile hikes. I did like nine miles the previous week. I actually calculated that in addition to this, I actually hiked over 70 miles just in October 2024. So I just think these really high endurance elevation hikes are key, and also another thing that I would recommend is to mentally prepare for the intensity and just building resistance.
Speaker 1:Now, of course, I was doing this solo. I'm a solo female hiker and I'm going to be honest, I was fine. I was very bored about like a third, the way in, as I said, I just started belting show tunes just to have something to do. But that incline was so rough on my mind just because I didn't have anyone to talk through it with me and I just kind of just had to be miserable by myself and it was really hard mentally, like I would almost argue that it was just as hard mentally as it was physically.
Speaker 1:Now for me. I hate hiking in the heat, so I was fine, like when I was in the shade. However, heat was brutal for me and I have asthma and like heat induced asthma. So I just couldn't breathe and I just wasn't feeling very good. I think I had some heat exhaustion and I was just physically sore as well. So that ascent, I'm going to be honest, was probably one of the roughest hikes I've ever done, and part of it was due to the fact that I was just slowly going crazy in my mind. So do not neglect your mind. Meditate a little bit, practice some mindfulness and, yeah, just do not take this hike lightly. It is not for the weak, the whole thing is just very intense.
Speaker 1:I would say that the descent, obviously you know, like your joints are getting sore and everything, but it's not really like a challenge. I mean it's not really like a huge challenge, but I think where the challenge lies in Rim to Rim is climbing your way out of the canyon, because you're already sore and you're already like your knees are already like what have you done? You just descended 6,000 feet from the North Rim. What's going on here? And then, yeah, you just kind of go up for just ever and it just feels like forever. Like I've been on hikes where it just keeps going and going and going. But this one takes the cake.
Speaker 1:I feel like I went through you know, all the stages of grief on this hike. Like I started out angry, like I was like I hate the Grand Canyon, this is terrible. And then I was like bargaining. I was like, please, god, I will do anything, just get me off this trail. And it was acceptance. I was like I'm just going to be hot and miserable for like the next six hours. It's fine, whatever. So just be prepared for some turmoil. You know it's. You have heat, you have fatigue, you have dehydration. As I said, I probably should have eaten a little bit more, but I just didn't want to stop.
Speaker 1:But, however, there are some good moments like the Bright Angel Creek in the box, phantom Ranch is super cool and the bridges the suspension bridges across the Colorado River are so cool. And also Ribbon Falls is cool if I manage to get over the river and not walk two miles trying to find it, yay. So this whole thing is a journey and you have to be prepared for a journey. It's a mental journey, it's a physical journey. You are seeing the most amazing things, but at the same time, you just hate it and want to crawl up underneath a rock and cease to exist. It is just, you know, it's nerve-wracking, it's exhilarating, it's adrenaline pumping and if you can hear me talk, you can probably see why this is such a bucket list hike and the sense of accomplishments for 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 a little bit.
Speaker 1:Hydration and nutrition you need to have a plan for water now. What I would recommend is that you go into the visitor center, you talk to the rangers and you say where can I get water? Because sometimes they turn off and you have to do it like the day before, because it's very unpredictable and you also need to know which water stations provide drinking water and which stations you need to treat the water Again, going back to those like little tablets that take four hours, which I don't have time for that. So, yes, getting a sense of where you can fill up is crucial. Now I had a three liter Camelback with me the entire time.
Speaker 1:I don't think I went through that much going down Again. I was cold, I was conserving water. I didn't really get my heart rate up at all. I did fill up at the first rest stop, the Mantizanita, that's probably not it, whatever, the one that starts with an M, that's before the Cottonwood campsite. And then I also filled up at Phantom Ranch. So I went through probably like one and a half on the way down, and then the way up was a completely different story. I was drinking that thing and chugging it almost to the point where I was freaking out that I was going to run out of water.
Speaker 1:So again, if you do up that Bright Angel Trail, I know that there are more places to get water, but just have a solid hydration plan and then also actually 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'm not going to start again. Like, actually have high energy snacks to fuel your trek. I had some beef jerky. I had my yogurt covered raisins. They recommended a lot of salty snacks because you are going to be sweating out a lot of salt that needs to be replenished. So, yeah, just a lot of salty snacks and then high protein snacks.
Speaker 1:Another thing that I would do is maybe 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 to be nice. So you need to listen to your body and you need to know the signs of dehydration and heat exhaustion. 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 much water as I can, but again, I didn't want to run out of it.
Speaker 1:So this is a strategic hike, especially if you are doing this all in one day, you need to be prepared and careful and listen to your body and what it needs, and you also need to have a backup plan like dealing with setbacks and injuries or just unplanned challenges. You know, I didn't really realize that I was going to just like have an asthma attack halfway through, so luckily I had my inhaler. But you know that there's just a lot of things that can go wrong when you're hiking 20 plus miles in and out of one of the most famous canyons in the world, because unfortunately there's just not a lot of ways that you can get rescued, like you could just need to be like helicoptered out. It's not like they have a road or a touristy road that just goes down to Phantom Ranch where you can get a lemonade and then leave Like no, you have to hike like 15 miles in order to get that lemonade and then you have to crawl out of the canyon. So there's just a lot of factors.
Speaker 1:It was funny because I went to the Yavapai Lodge and they had a sign that says remember, hiking into the canyon is voluntary, hiking out of the canyon is mandatory, and I think that because when you're going down you're like, yay, this is so great, this is awesome. I'm bucket list hiking. It's hard on my joints but it's fine and I can handle it and it's all good, and I'm in the box and it's beautiful, and I got my lemonade at Phantom Ranch. And then you go up and you're like, why did I do this to myself? This is terrible. Oh my gosh, I'm, I'm gonna just burst into flames and die. That's kind of what it feels like. So be prepared for this and you know, really, just look ahead and be like, okay, I have this condition. I need to plan if it flares up or if anything happens. There you go.
Speaker 1:You know, once you have crawled out of the canyon from whence you came let's just talk a little bit about the recovery and just reflection of this entire thing you will be sore. I'm sorry, if you hike that long and have that much elevation gain and are not sore, I'm suspicious of you. You're too good to be true. I don't trust your muscles and I don't trust you. You have to have sore muscles, it's a rite of passage. I'm sorry if you don't look like you're close to death coming out of that rim and you didn't do it correctly. So, yes, I would just be very prepared for those sore muscles.
Speaker 1:I'm currently on day three of recovery from this hike and I still you know I'm hobbling a bit, 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 blisters and I've never gotten a blister ever Like even when I hiked eight days in Peru. I didn't get a blister. However, I did get a blister and it was funny because I didn't notice that I was getting a blister until after the hike and it was right in between my big toe and my second toe and I was like, oh, that kind of hurts. And I looked at it and literally screamed like it was so gross. It was like the biggest blister I have ever had in my life. So it was kind of interesting recovering and trying not to pop that blister. That's so gross, but you need to know.
Speaker 1:And then also fatigue. I didn't really experience any like mental fatigue after that. It was just like this giant adrenaline rush, not that I did it, but just that it was over, because there was just a second in there where I was like this is never ending, I'm just going to hike for the rest of my existence up this South Kaibab Trail. Everybody was at the oo-ah point and like the skeleton point and those are very common day hikes, if you don't want to go all the way down and everyone was so full of life and happy and they're like oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm just over here, like close to death. They're like oh my gosh, this is, this is amazing. I'm just over here like close to death. They're like did you go down to the river? I'm like I came from North Rim and they were like oh my gosh, that's crazy. Um, I was like the only one.
Speaker 1:I did meet a couple people that had camped, but I didn't meet anybody who did it in one day. I was very sad. Either that or I'm just an idiot. I think that's that's it. I just who would do that to themselves? Me, just me. And you know just some mindfulness techniques. Just say, like you know how it impacted you, the sense of accomplishments, the lessons you learned, and I know this sounds so cheesy.
Speaker 1:However, I had a point in which I was going up the South Kaibab and I was dying and I couldn't breathe because of my asthma and it hot and I was sweating and it was going into my eyes and it smelled like mule poop and I was just living my best life on this trail right now. And then I got to Skeleton Point and there was a point in that trail where it kind of was flat, just like a gentle uphill, and I have never felt such peace and relief in my life. I was like, oh my gosh. I was oh my gosh. I was just so happy to be going at not a super high incline on this trail and I just thought to myself. I was like, oh my gosh, it's like life, like you know, it might be hard, but just wait for that piece, wait for that flat part right after skeleton point, and that's what I'm talking about. You know, learn some lessons while you're doing this. So this is what happens when you're alone and close to madness, hiking for like 11 hours straight uphill and downhill. So now we'll talk about this funny moment that I had, now that we're getting to the end of this podcast, and I was going uphill and visibly dying on the South Kaibab.
Speaker 1:Now people are just there doing like some intermediate hikes. Now actually hiking down to Skeleton Point is considered an advanced hike and they don't even recommend going down the full thing in one day. So all these people are going, they look fresh, they look nice, and there's this dad and his son and they're wearing like flannel and jeans and they just look like they haven't seen the sun in a while. And I'm over here looking like a tomato that is close to being squished, okay. And I saw them coming and I was like, okay, I'm going to step aside so that they can come forward. And I know they meant it in a very, very encouraging way. But they kind of said something along the lines of like oh don't worry, you've got it, keep pushing. Said something along the lines of like oh don't worry, you've got it, keep pushing.
Speaker 1:And I was so annoyed because I was so close to just absolute madness and I turned around and I snapped at them and I was like honey, you're wearing jeans. And immediately I was like I'm so sorry, I can't breathe, I'm dying. I've been hiking since 4am, I'm so sorry, please forgive me. And they just turned bright white and I felt so bad for snapping at them and they turned around. They're like how many miles are you on? I was like I'm on like 19. And so, anyway, so definitely snapped at those people. I'm very, very sorry if that was you, but kind of funny looking back, and I'm glad that they were so understanding. You know, like when you're miserable, you just you just get irritated. You just snap at everyone, and I was, so I felt so bad.
Speaker 1: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, how would I change it? And here's what I would do I would stay at the South Rim, I would take a shuttle all the way to the North Rim and then I would go down the North Rim all the way down to Phantom Ranch and then I would stay at Phantom Ranch, I would let my little toes breathe and then, right before the sun came up, I would start the ascent up the Bright Angel Trail and hopefully be done by like mid-morning to lunchtime, hopefully. I would do this because A I just think that starting at the North Rim, getting the descent over with and then resting your body and then being able to start early on the ascent so that you're not caught in either way the box or that little ascent in the heat, I think that would be such a different experience. So if I were to do it again, that is how I would do it.
Speaker 1:And now, finally, the question that you've maybe been waiting for Can you do it in a day? Absolutely you can, with the right amount of training and preparation. And if you are a hiker and you are used to hiking very, very high elevation gains and very long miles, I think that you can. Should you? No, I don't think you should, and they definitely don't recommend this. And everybody on the internet was like don't do it. And that wasn't really helpful because I didn't have a permit and I was going to do it no matter what. So I'm glad that I did it and I'm glad that I pushed myself to do it all in one day.
Speaker 1:However, that ascent going to be honest, I was not living my best life. I was pretty miserable the whole time and I think if I would have done it in multiple days, I think the whole thing would have been like the first three-fourths, because the first three-fourths I was totally fine. It was the ascent that just killed me. So I think if I did it over multiple days, maybe it would have just been a good experience over the entire thing versus me, like cursing the Grand Canyon about halfway up at Skeleton Point. So there you go.
Speaker 1:Is it possible? Yes, should you do it? Probably not, I think. Bottom line stay safe. I can see a lot of things that could go a little weird with this hike, just basically with water and the elements and because it is so long and strenuous in a very hot desert environment. So if you do attempt this hike, please be safe, please talk to the rangers, please do your homework, please take all of your very best gear and plan it out to a tee and just be honest with yourself and your body and your physical ability to what you can accomplish.
Speaker 1:However, I think that if you want to accomplish this, you will with some training and preparation. I think that anybody could do this, accomplish this you will with some training and preparation. I think that anybody could do this hike if they really really wanted to. Now, if you do end up doing this hike, I really do want to see it. I'm on all social medias, at the Bucket List, mermaid, and again, I would just love to see you checking this off and maybe see you do the ascent a little bit more gracefully than I did the ascent. Let me know. I would love to hear from you and hear your thoughts on Rim to Rim. So again, that is it for the Rim to Rim hike in Grand Canyon all in one day. What do you think? Would you conquer this hike? Would you not conquer this hike?
Speaker 1:After listening to this podcast, were you like maybe I'll just go to Skeleton Point in the South Kaibab? Or were you like, nah, I can do it better than you. Bring it on, bring on the bucket list challenge and I'm here for it. I'm living for it. Guys, thank you so much for watching. If you did enjoy this episode or you found anything that I said helpful in my ramblings about Rim to Rim, definitely hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform, send it to a fellow adventurers or check out my my full website, thebucketlistmermaidcom, where I go into even more adventure guides and even more for your adventure bucket list. Thank you, guys, so much for listening again. Love you all. Adventurers. Stay safe out there on the rim to rim. We will see you next week. Keep adventuring.