The Grand Canyon Marathon

 

WanderWest – Day 13: The Grand Canyon Marathon

Today, July11th, was not for the faint of heart—or the weak of knee. This was The Day of the Grand Canyon. Two trails, 6 miles, 3 wipeouts, several goat sightings, sibling squabbles, heat-induced delirium, and one epic sunset to remind us it was all worth it.

🍳 Breakfast of Champions
We kicked off the morning with our now-signature camp breakfast: eggs in a bag and fluffy pancakes. Honestly, we’ve mastered the art of trailhead cuisine. Fueled up and sun-screened, we rolled out of camp a little later than planned (classic Puryear move), starting our descent into the Grand Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail around 8:45 AM. 

🥾 Down, Down, Down We Go
The hike started strong—beautiful morning light, a cool breeze, and nothing but downhill trail. At about 0.7 miles in, we were greeted by a whole herd of mountain goats just chilling on the rocks like canyon royalty. Cameras out. Spirits high. We made it down to the Mile-and-a-Half Resthouse, snapped some photos of the insane views and our dust-covered legs, and took a well-earned breather.







😵 Then… the canyon humbled us- Cue the Chaos
Then… reality set in. The climb out of the canyon? Not so breezy. The sun was higher, the trail steeper, and the snacks long gone. Tensions flared. The girls, exhausted and hot, started getting on each other's nerves. Maddie tripped and landed hard on her knees—scraped, bruised, and not amused. The vibe went from National Geographic to emotional survivor mode real fast. 

🌮 Recovery mode at Bright Angel Lodge
We regrouped with a much-needed lunch in the AC and icy drinks in hand. Some retail therapy followed—because nothing soothes trail trauma like souvenir shopping.



After browsing through postcards and patches, we somehow convinced the girls to hike another trail: South Kaibab. We might’ve downplayed the heat and elevation and might’ve oversold how “quick and easy” the 1.8-mile round trip to Ooh Aah Point would be. Spoiler alert: it was neither. It was 100 degrees, the sun was brutal, Olivia slipped on loose gravel, and I took a nice dramatic fall of my own. BUT—the views. Unreal. The name “Ooh Aah Point” actually delivered. We felt like tiny ants in a giant red rock masterpiece.

🧼 Back to camp to rinse off the canyon’s dust and drama

We limped back to camp, covered in sweat, and canyon dust. We drove straight into the pay showers, each of us peeling off a layer of dirt, frustration, and pride. 


🌅 Sunset over the rim
The day ended on the perfect note: a glowing desert sunset that reminded us why we’re here—together, adventuring through the highs, lows, and everything in between.

 

 

 

One canyon, two trails, three spills, and a whole lot of memories. 💛 

📸 🔗Check out all the images from the marathon day! 

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