Grand Canyon Day 4: Rim to Rim

Day 4: Rim to Rim

14.5 Hours

26 miles

2130 calories

We started at 4:45am with so many other travelers. It was 42 degrees and we were freezing, but the less clothes the better because we knew it would warm up fast. We watched the sunrise at 5:15am and by 7am we were in a good rhythm. 

At about 11am we reached Phantom Ranch. It is a lodge down at the bottom of the canyon so we stopped for lunch, bought the lemonade and rested for about an hour. 

Once we felt rested we headed on for last half of the trek. We crossed over the Colorado river and the iconic silver bridge. The heat was about 104 now and we lost all shade. 

We found an oasis at the River Rest house and soaked everything piece of clothing we had to try to cool off. 

Next was the Devils Corkscrew and we didn’t take one picture because we were too hot and it was all uphill in full sun and we were definitely wondering why we decided to do this! 😂 But all of a sudden we looked up and saw the mule train!!! I was hoping to see the mule train!! 

But we finally made it to Indian Garden where the temp was 120 degrees but there was shade and water so we rested and ate again. 

The last 4.7 miles was slow and methodical as we were tired and hurting, yet also realizing it was coming to an end. We turned on the worship music, stopped a lot to rest and take it all in and enjoy a view we may never see again. We came through the last tunnel and ended right about 7:15pm. Praise Jesus! Thank you to all who prayed for us during this trip. We felt your prayers the whole way!!

This was an epic hike and through all the scenery, wildlife, and, of course, purple flowers I could hear God speaking. It’s always nice to change my position because when I do He can change my perspective! 

Grand Canyon Day 3

Today we started with a quick trip to Desert View Tower. It gave some great panoramic views and we got another stamp for our park passport. 

Then it was time to load our packs and catch the 1pm shuttle to the north rim. It was an hour late so we were a little upset, but the owner herself picked us up in her SUV and gave us so much great history of the land on the 4 hour drive over. Plus, since we were on a bus we were able to go a bit faster and got there the same time as the bus did! AND the other 2 in the SUV with us were willing to share a shuttle to the trailhead at 4am giving us all an earlier start time. Thank you, Jesus! It worked out perfect! We got checked into Sam’s cabin which was adorable and ate dinner at the lodge. Then is was off to bed! We have a big day ahead! 

Grand Canyon Day 2

Today we made it to the canyon!! We spent the day doing all the touristy things. We started at the visitors center. We listened to a history presentation, got our park passport stamped and then walked to Mather Point to the most amazing views I’ve ever seen. We took pictures and saw some wild life. The elk are just walking around and the squirrels want to try to get in your lap. 

The we went further into Canyon Village where we shopped and ate at the historic El Tovar restaurant. We also decided to see what the end of Bight Angel Trail looked like so we would know our finishing point for Tuesday so we hike down that trail a bit. We met several groups of hikers coming up from doing exactly what we will be doing so we talked with them and encouraged them along. 

Last, we caught a shuttle up to Hopi Point to watch the sunset. It’s hard for pictures to really do it justice and there is no way to capture how big it is in one shot. God’s handiwork is truly amazing! On the way back we happened to see the moon eclipse that was breathtaking, as well.