Packing for Adventure

Our 15-minute rest at Havasupai Gardens was well-earned. We ate, rehydrated, and chatted with some hikers heading down to begin a Colorado River trip of some sort.

I loved the gentle, tranquil trek along the Tonto Trail—but 4.6 miles is still 4.6 miles. After the break at Havasupai Gardens, I felt ready to continue, but this was where it got steep again.

I’ll never know if the difficulty I faced on the final 4.5 miles to the South Rim was purely due to the incline, or if it was the accumulation of having already hiked more than 7 miles that morning. I like to think that the Tonto diversion did not contribute to the difficulty of the trail, so that’s what I will go with. At the end of the day, I do not regret our choice one tiny little bit.

Despite the difficulty, every second of that final stretch was breathtakingly beautiful. The descent down South Kaibab had also been stunning, but I’m a stronger uphill hiker than downhill. South Kaibab had been slippery and steep, and I’d spent a fair amount of it on the ground.

We also had milestones to aim for—rest stops every 1.5 miles—which made the last stretch feel more manageable. Just three short segments. Easy peasy!

We started this part of the journey with a 15-minute break at Havasupai Gardens, followed by 5-minute stops at the 3-Mile and 1.5-Mile Resthouses. To be honest, the Resthouses themselves weren’t really worth stopping at. Yes, it provides a place to sit and some shade, but the water pumps were not in the shelters, and the benches required walking up and down stairs. We just found a spot to sit in the shade of some trees closer to the water and were happy with that. With all the opportunity for shade and water, the Bright Angel trail felt felt like an oasis!

As we neared the top, we started encountering lots of other hikers. Some of them looked at me with wide eyes, maybe even a little pity, and offered encouragement like, “You’re doing great!” I always have mixed feelings about this kind of trail support. On one hand, I truly love and appreciate the sense of unity and camaraderie. There’s a shared kindness among hikers—strangers cheering each other on—that I wish existed everywhere. I feel the same thing when I run races, and it’s inspiring.

On the other hand, I had to resist the urge to explain: Yes, I may look like I’m dying, but I’ve been up since 3:30 AM and already climbed more than 8 miles!

That being said, people are SO NICE! At the 1.5-Mile Resthouse, we met a volunteer ranger who shared fun trail trivia and told us about a sacred Grand Canyon tradition: If it’s your first time hiking rim-to-rim—even though technically we started and ended on the South Rim—it’s mandatory to celebrate with ice cream. It’s the rules. I wasn’t about to risk the consequences of breaking tradition.

We reached the Bright Angel Trailhead around 11:45 AM. Our day had started before sunrise, and our long journey included these key milestones (mileage comprehensive of our hike down):

• Phantom Ranch – 7.5 miles | 2,542 ft elevation
• Black Bridge – 8.4 miles | 2,425 ft elevation
• Tipoff – 10.5 miles | 4,137 ft elevation (pit toilets and non-potable water available)
• Havasupai Gardens – 15.8 miles | 4,112 ft elevation (pit toilets and drinkable water available)
• 3-Mile Resthouse – 17.3 miles | 5,048 ft elevation (pit toilets and drinkable water available)
• 1.5-Mile Resthouse – 18.8 miles | 5,975 ft elevation (pit toilets and drinkable water available)
• Bright Angel Trailhead – 20.3 miles | 6,847 ft elevation (pit toilets and drinkable water available)

We had done it. After 20.3 miles, thousands of feet of elevation change, and hours on our feet, we had conquered the Grand Canyon. We felt mostly tired—but also filled with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. We had tested every ounce of strength and determination. In return, the canyon gave us something back: raw natural beauty, deep reflection and perspective, and lasting memories.

In the next posts, I’ll share what it’s really like to stay at Phantom Ranch: the things I wish I’d known and answers to the questions I searched for but could hardly find. If you’ve ever wondered whether it lives up to the hype, or how to prepare… you won’t want to miss it.