Hiking in the Grand Canyon Taught Me About Life, the Planet, and Myself

“The Earth is what we all have in common.”

The locals warned us not to attempt it in one day; to get to the river, camp out, and make it a two-day trip.

Even the national park website warned against it. But as stubborn 20 something year-olds, we set out to prove them wrong.

This past week my backpacking buddy and I hiked the South Kaibab to Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. At 16.5 miles with almost a mile of elevation loss and gain, it was the most strenuous hike I’ve ever done and one I will not soon forget.

Below are the map and elevation of the trails we took. The South Kaibab Trail is highlighted with red while the Bright Angel Trail is highlighted with blue. The Colorado River runs through the two trails intersection point.

The entire loop lasted almost 12 hours including the walk to and from the car to the trailhead. With just an apple each, some coconut cookies, and 2 liters of water in our packs, we set out cheerfully around 9 AM on a clear sunny day. We’d be back before sunset so we thought. Little did we know we’d be hiking the last 3 miles in the dark on snow-covered switchbacks overlooking a black abyss. A tiny slip and we would have fallen off the sheer cliff thousands of feet to our deaths. What a journey it was indeed.

I’m an experienced hiker with many peaks under my belt. My legs have been seasoned mostly in the beautiful Catskill mountain range of New York, but I have hiked all over the United States; The Hellroaring Mountain in Yellowstone, Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks, Angels Landing in Zion, and Northern Traveler in Baxter State Park just a few I have done.

There is an indescribable joy to hiking that you can only experience being there. From the exciting energy setting forth, to pushing your way through the middle and the sense of accomplishment at the end, it is a rewarding process as well as a metaphor for life.

Hiking in the Grand Canyon taught me indelible lessons that will aid me in all aspects of life. I hope these lessons will help guide your journey and inspire you to conquer whichever mountain in life you choose to climb.

Humans are products of nature and cannot live without it.

In the depths of the canyon, with a perpetual silence, I wasn’t myself. I was just a human being basking in nature’s bountiful presence. The walls blocked out any thoughts, my mind was silent. There was only total presence; a connection to something much greater and ancient than me. It was at this moment that I realized how self-consumed humans normally are; how the majority of the time we only think about ourselves without considering the ramifications of our actions.

Humans have a way of thinking the world revolves around them. Each one thinks that their individual problems are more important than others. As Marcus Aurelius said, we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinions than our own. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, as we are fundamentally our own caretakers, but it can be problematic when that’s all we think about.

The trouble with our selfish tendencies is that we never stop to contemplate the complex network of the universe that we are a part of; how damaging one ecosystem will only harm ours. We all have seemingly significant problems that we are dealing with, but these are minuscule in comparison to the severity of the major disasters at hand. Disasters such as global warming, deforestation, and pollution are wreaking havoc on nature and these are the consequences of our actions.

As Joaquin Pheonix stated, “We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources.” In our fast-paced lives, we rarely stop to think about how plastic bottles are littering the ocean, driving a car is destroying coral reefs or how eating beef and buying hardwood furniture is destroying the rainforests. Realize the destruction of nature will only lead to our demise.

“Every year, about 18 million hectares of forest — an area the size of England and Wales — is cleared.”

(World Resources Institute)

Ever focused on our bank accounts, we forget our origins, that we are mammals, born of nature. It is therefore our responsibility to protect the forests and creatures that inhabit the earth with our choices. Choosing to eat more vegetables in place of meat, buying sustainable, fair-trade coffee, and using reusable bottles are just a few ways we can do our part to preserve the earth for many generations to come.

Hopefully, more people will realize our interconnectedness with nature and be willing to share their affluence with groups that are fighting for conservation. I encourage you to spread your love of nature by inviting friends who have yet to experience her beauty for a hike in the park.

For now, we can be mindful of our actions, make small changes to our lifestyle that are sustainable, and support the preservation of nature by visiting and donating to national and state parks.

“The Earth is what we all have in common.”

— Wendell Berry

Ups and downs are a part of life but it’s your choice regarding how to handle them.

Did I mention the hike descended 4780 feet down to the Colorado River and then 4380 feet back up to the canyon’s rim? The way down was smooth sailing. The sun was shining, the sky was clear and our pace was moving. We made it to the Colorado River, took a dip in the freezing yet invigorating water, and bathed in the sun on its sandy shore. Everything was good.

I had no idea the climb up would be such an arduous trek.

Only a mile in from the river, my buddy’s stomach started to burn from the acidic morning coffee combined with the lack of provisions. We had brought just a few apples and some coconut cookies for sustenance. His face turned ghastly pale, you could easily tell how sick he was. In his abysmal condition, I wondered if we would have to pause the hike and find shelter.

Amazingly, with a little ingenuity and a background in biochemistry, he was able to treat the issue by ingesting liquid chalk composed of magnesium carbonate that he carried in his pack for climbing. It didn’t solve the issue altogether, but it made the hike more bearable and so we were able to keep pressing forward.

Watching my friend experience this immense pain reminded me that hardships are equally a part of life. There is no escaping them and they come often when least expected. It is up to you to tackle them with a mindset of steel. I used to get angry when problems arose.

I’d ask myself, “Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?” But throughout my journeys in the mountains, I realized that for every low there is a high and vice versa. The good news is that when you hit rock bottom there is only one way to go. So if you’re in the midst of hardship right now be assured there is light that will soon breach the horizon.

“If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgement about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgement now.”

— Marcus Aurelius

Small steps lead to monumental improvements.

I don’t know how many steps we took throughout the entire trip. My friend's phone shut off at 30000 and 400 flights of stairs. Regardless, it was a lot. The last mile and a half felt like forever. Even as a seasoned hiker, it was extremely difficult.

I had to give everything I had near the end to keep going when my body begged me to stop.

Giving up was not an option. We naively packed lightly for speed and were lacking the supplies needed to camp. Our food was gone and we didn’t have any additional layers to throw on under our windbreakers when the temperature dropped 40 degrees at night. Our only warmth was the heat produced through movement. We had to keep going.

It’s in these moments of excruciating pain and resistance that mental fortitude is so important. Like Jesus tempted by the devil in the desert, the snow enticed me to lie down to cool my aching body. My quads ached with lactic acid buildup, begging me to give in to rest. Had I let my mind get the best of me, I would have laid down, fallen asleep, and became hypothermic or worse. Instead, I told myself repeatedly, “one more step” until one more step became the last step and the trail was finished. By breaking the task into baby steps I was able to defy temptation and accomplish a great feat.

The reason most people give up when facing a great endeavor is that they are intimidated by the big picture. They look at Jimi Page playing guitar and think, “there's no way I could ever do this.” These limiting beliefs are what keep people stagnant. While not everyone will be able to rip a guitar solo like Hendrix, with a growth mindset, you can learn scales, chords, and progressions that will eventually allow you to play along. Remember that all masters were once beginners.

Kaizen translated from Japanese, means improvement. It is the habit of devoting time to something each day that leads to substantial results. Jordan Arbuckle describes in his book that “Your entire life is made up of small choices.” These choices are what define us in the long run. Anyone who’s very successful lives by the rules of Kaizen. All great musicians, writers, and athletes practice Kaizen. Their craft is a way of life and they diligently do it every day.

When attempting to conquer a mountain or any tall feat, use the Kaizen mentality. All it takes is one step forward each day. The step doesn’t have to be large, just consistent. This is the path to greatness. See where you want to go, what you want to do, then break it down into steps. Put one foot in front of the other day in and day out and go to sleep with a smile on your face knowing your one step closer to your vision. There is no limit to what you can accomplish with consistency.

“Day by day, what you do is who you become.”

— Heraclitus

Ending Notes

I had been on many hikes before, but nothing was as sensational as the Grand Canyon. The ancient walls instilled wisdom that I will carry all my life.

• I realized it is detrimental to others and nature to constantly dwell on yourself and that conscious action must be taken to preserve our planet.
• I found out I need to accept not only the joys of life but also the hardships as each experience carries a valuable lesson. You can either choose to let adversity conquer you or you can own and defeat it.
• Finally, I know that with a clear goal and consistency anything is possible. By implementing Kaizen habits, you can take control of your life and accomplish anything you endeavor to do, one step at a time.

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