Packing for Adventure

For my first series of posts, I’m going to tell you all about our recent trip to the Grand Canyon. Neither Chris nor I had ever been before, and since we’re both National Park lovers—and firm believers in “go big or go home” when it comes to travel—I wanted to make sure our first trip there was memorable.

I’ll start by saying that I grew up being afraid of the Grand Canyon thanks to Donald Duck! There was a video I’d watch as a kid where Donald Duck rides a mule along impossibly narrow canyon trails, and I couldn’t fathom why anyone would choose to do something so dangerous!

Turns out Donald Duck might have exaggerated just a little.

As a kid, I liked hiking, but I didn’t really embrace it until my early 20s. The first time I heard about Phantom Ranch, I was far from physically fit. I had a budding love for nature, but hardcore hiking felt out of reach for someone like me. Even the name—Phantom Ranch—evoked images of ghostly echoes from a bygone era, rugged mountain men and remote wilderness. It sounded mythical, mysterious, and completely unattainable.

That changed after I hiked Half Dome in Yosemite in 2023. Suddenly I felt like Superwoman—like maybe I could do the impossible.

The second we got home from that trip (more on that in a later post!), I started researching how to get to Phantom Ranch. I learned you have to use a lottery system. It took nearly two years to land a reservation—and, wouldn’t you know it, we got one… in late June. Which meant one thing: HEAT.

Next up: our descent into the canyon, the stay at Phantom Ranch, and—spoiler alert—the climb back out. Let’s just say Donald Duck wasn’t completely wrong.