Conquering the Grand Canyon A Journey of Determination and Gratitude

On April 21st, I embarked on one of the most challenging physical adventures of my life: hiking the Grand Canyon with my husband Ryan. We covered 19 miles in a single day, descending 5000 feet and then climbing back up 5,000 feet in elevation. The entire journey took us 12 hours, filled with breathtaking views that no camera could truly capture. This experience tested my body. It felt brutal at times. But I loved it! And I'm so thankful I got to do it! I want to share this story with you to inspire you to recognize your own strength.

Starting out at 5:15 with our lights! We didn't wear our layers long.

Getting a grip on what we were up against. See the bits of the trail?

We started with headlamps at 5:15am. 🕔

Made it to Ooh Aah Point by sunrise. 🏜️

By 9:15am, we were at the bottom of the Canyon - 5000 ft down! ↘️

It took us 4 hours to get down, then EIGHT to get back up! ↗️ Imagine 8 hours on a Stair Master, that's about what it felt like.

I was pretty darn sore the next day, wobbling my way to the airport.

But such an incredible day was worth it!

Want to see the 2-3 minute VLOG I made of the day? Go here.

We made it to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon.

Climbing back up! Last views of the River.

Proof I was here!

Preparing for the Challenge

This hike was NOT a spontaneous decision. I had planned for it over a couple of years, knowing it would demand a lot of me. My body is 44 years old, and part of me wanted the challenge to prove to myself I can still do hard things. And for the views - I'm a sucker for a good view!

Planning: Training

To prepare, I was intentional about working out very consistently, long-distance walking and doing a few hikes (we don't have a lot of close by hiking around me). I really focused on my lower body and core strength - and just NOT getting injured before the hike! Stretching and mobility exercises to prevent injury and to nurse a knee that flares up sometimes (and it did great on the hike).

The pain, the sweat, the dirt. All worth it...

for this!!

Planning: Food

We had to start out by eating and hydrating well before the trip. We got a nice big dinner the night before too!

Then I carefully planned the food for hike day. See it all pictured here.

• Oatmeal and hard boiled eggs before we headed out.

• More than 2000 calories each in lightweight, calorie-dense food. (Didn't end up using it all but I wanted to have enough for emergencies.)

• 3 Liters of water each (that we would refill as we could) and lots of electrolytes.

• And we got back in time for burgers at the Grand Canyon Tavern.

  
  

I can tell that having the right food and hydration made a big impact on us.

I don't recommend doing this hike in summer or without being prepared. You don't have to plan two years like I did! But you do need to plan if you go. It can be dangerous.

Getting ready to finish. Thankful. Tired. Thankful.

"You are stronger than you think you are."

These are the words I repeated to myself the last few miles. My legs were so tired. But I didn't want to pay for a $$$$$ for a rescue. 😆

So, with more prayer and determination to say, "we did it!", we finally climbed out. Ryan was gracious enough not to leave me behind.

We all have hard things going on on our lives.

Maybe it's hard to get back into a workout routine.

Maybe it's hard to break ties with toxic people.

Maybe it's hard to parent well right now.

You are stronger than you think you are!

And when your strength runs out, God can strengthen you. You can do hard things.

Wishing you abundant health (and lots of fun adventures)! - Melisha