Packing for Adventure

I’ve mentioned previously that we were on a tight timeframe. We had to pack a LOT into a short amount of time. We were really only in the Grand Canyon for 2 full days. We spent one day driving there, so that doesn’t count. Then our first full day was hiking down to Phantom Ranch, and we hiked back up on our second day. We planned to drive home the next day, so if there was anywhere else we wanted to visit, we had to do it on day 2.

We made it to the South Rim from Phantom Ranch before noon, so we had a good chunk of the day left to see more. But since we were BEAT, we had to be selective.

We started by getting some lunch and checking into our cabin at the Bright Angel Lodge, and then of course a well-needed shower!

We wanted to see the maximum amount of the South Rim with minimum movement. Luckily there is a shuttle system that makes this pretty easy. There is a shuttle bus that takes you to Hermit’s Rest right by the Bright Angel Lodge, and it has several stops along the way. Perfect for tired legs and limited time.

We planned to make our way to Hermits Rest with a few stops and then grab some dinner when we got back and GO TO BED.

A quick tip: some shuttle stops serve both directions (eastbound and westbound), so make sure you’re getting on the right one. We accidentally hopped on the wrong bus once and had to backtrack—but thankfully, the next shuttle wasn’t far behind.

We didn’t stop at every overlook, but if we hadn’t been so wiped out from hiking 20 miles in the last two days, we would’ve loved to walk portions of the Rim Trail. It’s flat, well-maintained, and incredibly scenic.

Our favorite stops were the Hopi Point and Pima Point. We didn’t make it a point to be there at sunset, but I imagine it is glorious.

The final destination was Hermit’s Rest itself – named for Louis Boucher. It was built as a place for tourists to rest on the way to the Hermit Camp. Hermit Camp itself is no longer there, but rumor is there are still traces of it. Now Hermit’s Rest is nothing more than a rustic spot to buy souvenirs and refreshments. It is sad to me, I wish I could have seen the camp and travelled on the mules getting there. There is a trail you can hike to explore more of what used to be, but it is long and difficult, more so than what we’d already done!

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for our itinerary and packing list!