Back from the Edge

It has been a couple of weeks since I returned from hiking the Grand Canyon's famous Rim-to-Rim trail: a real bucket list item, a defining feature of this year, and now, in the rearview mirror, one of the most fun experiences. Having finally had some time to process the enormity of what I saw, felt and experienced, I wanted to share a little recap from this side of the adventure (and in case you're wondering, this culminates with my highly recommending you do this hike! It was superb.)

I choose an adventure like this – something physical, something challenging – to give focus and direction to my year, outside of the daily bustle of entrepreneurship. Last year, it was climbing the equivalent of Mt Everest - or 30000ft in 36 hours, also known as "Everesting" (and I'm already thinking about 2025)!

Training for an excursion like this helps me to be present and to focus on something outside of my everyday "normal", especially when that normal is so business-driven. This was the first time in three years I was off my computer for more than two days (!!), and the first real vacation I'd taken in close to 18 months. It proved to be a much-needed reset for the mind – just amazing. (BTW, I'm not bragging about the lack of time away - in fact, there's an entirely different blog post that will talk about major owner burn-out). Most importantly, I choose to tackle these excursions with others: is there anything better than doing an extraordinary experience with extraordinary people?

For the Rim to Rim, I went with four amazing ladies who – unsurprisingly – were a joy to spend this time with. Three of us hiked the canyon due to an injury. Strong, energetic, full of great perspective and just the most uplifting of humans to be around. I am grateful for these friends, sharing experiences like this - we even shared beds in our rustic quarters and it was fun and easy - creating an even closer bond (you have a new perspective seeing your friend's quirks like talking with a lisp from the Invisalign, erratic moving while sleeping, those who sleep in and those who don't (i'm in the latter camp!) and all the fun girly things in-between. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon - it's otherworldly. It is exceedingly vast and you just feel so very small standing at its edge. Looking down at the expanse, the prospect of crossing it is pretty daunting. I was excited to begin, trepidatious, tingly, and mostly awash with awe. Would we do it successfully, without issue? I felt confident, but with a healthy amount of respectful reverence for the terrain: you can never know for sure! 

We set out at 4:00am to get a jump on the heat awaiting us later in the day. There can be a 20-degree difference in temperature from the rim to the Box (the bottom of the Canyon); the latter can exceed 100F easily (tough, because it's so exposed), and we wanted to get as much pleasant temperature time as possible. Luckily, the weather was on our side and we were gifted an entirely BEautiful day (that temperature difference was 60F to 80F, instead of 100F+).

Armed with our backpacks, nourishing fuel, water, and headlamps, we trekked down the initial decline in the pitch darkness. There is something so serene and just a tiny bit unsettling about venturing into the unseen in this way, but you (literally) move through it. The sun peeked over the horizon around 6:30, and BEaties, when I tell you it was the most magical surprise, I am not exaggerating. Getting to peek at the vastness of what we were in was insane. Even this early in the hike, I knew that all of hours of training, of working through a foot injury, of pivoting and adapting to bring BE here, had been worth it.

We saw very few others on the trail for the first 16 miles. All of the water sources were running (fantastic), and by the time we reached the famous Phantom Ranch for Phantom Lemonade and cold brew (IYKYK), we were in great spirits. We drank the lemonade, snacked, tended to our blisters and sent post cards from the canyone! We reset for the final leg of the climb out of the Canyon.

Around Mile 20, the final ascent begins, along with the arrival of other hikers coming down from the South Rim. The climb is sneaky steep (then gets gnarly), but not technical. It felt good to be pushed in this way: I felt strong, prepared, and able to take on this challenge, which is a big piece of this kind of physical adventuring for me. Feeling tested and rising to the occasion feels so good. I am strong. I can do tough stuff. Oh, I bitched a bit about climbing in the hottest part of the day in the exposed sun, but I shook it pretty fast. I stopped and took videos and pics of where I was on the climb. It definitely wasn't the hardest climb I've ever done but I also didn't kill myself on the way up.  Perhaps what was most surprising was the variety of terrain we encountered: it is not all sand and rocks, as one might expect (I did). There is different track, vast swatches of lush green intermingled with patches of barren desert, sand in every color imaginable, and more flora and fauna than the average tourist photo of the Grand Canyon might suggest. The Canyon is teeming with life, and it was exceptional to see it up close. Having climbed up and out, standing on the opposite rim from where we began, looking down on what we'd just crossed… ridiculous. Just ridiculous. This ginormous swimming pool of God's creation offered an overwhelming sense of presence. We had somehow become one with this challenging, gorgeous, forgiving-and-unforgiving place. This vastness was beyond anything I could have expected, and will remain one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

I remain so grateful for the strength to take this on, for the time train and for the support and encouragement of my intrepid team of trekking pals. I cannot recommend experiencing the Rim to Rim enough. Now… back to planning the next adventure…any suggestions?