Packing for Adventure

Our one night stay at the Phantom Ranch was scheduled for June 23, 2025, and we had just over a year to prepare for it – physically and mentally. I prepared by giving myself a goal of finishing out 2024 by running 300 miles – a goal I achieved (though I did have to do 9 miles on a treadmill safe from the snow after Christmas). With the advent of the new year, I gave myself an updated goal to do 365 miles in 2025. I signed up for a winter race series and two half marathons to keep me going.

Chris, despite my repeated nagging, did nothing to prepare. Guess who fared better in the end? (Not me.)

My biggest concern was the heat. I thrive in the heat – I was concerned about Chris! I kept telling him I didn’t want to listen to him complain about the heat.

The week before our trip, the Grand Canyon was experiencing a heat wave. The temperatures in the inner rim were reaching highs of more than 110 degrees! When asking for advice on the trail, I was told over and over again by park rangers and fellow hikers alike over social media that I needed to be extra cautious and many stories were circulated about people overwhelming the Grand Canyon’s rescue services with their emergencies. These warnings were intimidating for sure, but after how hard I’d worked to get that Phantom Ranch reservation, I wasn’t about to give it up.

We did end up lucking out and caught a “cold front” – our highest temperature we encountered was 103 degrees!

Pro tip: Check this page for updated weather info—Phantom Ranch is much hotter than the South Rim! https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-condition.htm#weather

We made sure to start our descent down the South Kaibab Trail the earliest we could. We caught a shuttle bus from the Bright Angel Lodge at 4:00 AM to the South Kaibab Trailhead and started our way down at 4:30 AM. It was dark enough to not be hot but light enough that we didn’t need headlamps. By the time we reach Ooh Aah Point, the sun was up and it was a beautiful day.

I knew it would be steep, but it was STEEP. Despite my solid hiking boots and trekking poles, I slipped seven times, four of which landed me on the ground. I was not injured, but my knees and toes definitely felt the brunt of it.

We made it to the Phantom Ranch by about 8:45 AM. This is about the time that it started getting really hot and we were ready for a break and some ice cold lemonade!

Scenic points along the way include:

• South Kaibab Trailhead – 0 miles | 6,859 ft elevation
• Ooh Aah Point – 0.9 miles | 6,702 ft elevation
• Cedar Ridge – 1.5 miles | 6,177 ft elevation (pit toilets available)
• Skeleton Point – 3 miles | 5,207 ft elevation
• Tipoff – 4.4 miles | 4,137 ft elevation (pit toilets and non-potable water available)
• Black Bridge – 6.6 miles | 2,425 ft elevation
• Phantom Ranch – 7.5 miles | 2,542 ft elevation