Tag: national-parks

Hiking down from the Grand Canyon South Rim to the River (R2R) at the 3-mile rest house, you come across a sign that warns hikers to stop, think, and reassess their plans and gear readiness. The cautionary message reads: “Down is Optional, Up is Mandatory!”

For six months, we had trained for this hike. However, the Grand Canyon flash floods forced us to change our plans. Instead of hiking down from the North Rim, crossing the Colorado River, and heading up the South Rim, we subjected ourselves to the steep hike down from the South Rim to the river—and all the way back up.

The Numbers

The Mental Challenge

I strained my left calf during a run session just five days prior to our hike. I had been training hard for this trip alongside my traditional Naperville half-marathon. Those five days were mental torture. Constantly questioning why I overtrained, worried if I would end up bailing on my hiking buddies, or feared I would mess up their experience by becoming a liability. Unrelenting business travels till a day before our flight to Phoenix only added to the stress.

The Physical Challenge

We had trained adequately for the elevation (predominantly using the StairMaster and outdoor hills), but subjecting our bodies to a steep, constant 4,975-foot descent over 9 miles with fully loaded backpacks took a toll on my legs. A side-step strategy on the way down—thanks to Krishnan’s coaching—helped reduce the impact on my left calf. On the way up, however, I overcompensated heavily with my right leg.

Our Guardian Angel at the 4.5-Mile Rest House

The 4.5-mile rest house is an oasis called Havasupai Gardens. As the name suggests, this area feels like heaven inside the Grand Canyon. The sound of a rushing creek, green pastures shaded by trees, and a steady cool breeze offer every hiker a welcome break. As we sat on a bench resting our legs, a short, lean person walked over to us. Her face was hidden behind a balaclava, and her gear looked perfectly tailored for her. She spoke calmly and with absolute confidence, as if this rugged terrain were her backyard.

She cautioned us about how much time it would take to reach the river and return. She offered an alternative: take the Plateau Trail, which would eliminate further descent and shorten our round-trip time back to the Gardens. She spoke to us twice before heading out on her way. As soon as she left, I joked, “How drained do we look for her to suggest we skip the river and take the Plateau trail instead?!”

Five minutes later, she returned to clarify that the timeline she shared was based on her own pace, not a guarantee of how long we would take. She also advised us to repeatedly wet our hats, balaclavas, and shirts at every creek crossing to cool down our heads and upper bodies. I want to emphasize that her tone and choice of words were never discouraging or intimidating; it felt more like a mother’s protective warning to her child.

That conversation gave Krishnan, Shrikant, and me some serious food for thought. It forced us to recalibrate and refocus. Honestly, it set off a spike of nervous energy that made me even more determined to reach the river. When we finally arrived at the river, we saw her again and engaged her a bit more. We soon learned she had been a Grand Canyon ranger for 20 years and was now volunteering her time. Residing at the Havasupai Gardens ranger station, she patrolled the trails to guide hikers with her deep well of experience. She was truly our guardian angel, and her advice was invaluable. Not able to recall her name!

The Colorado River

The delight of reaching the river is difficult to put into words. However, the sight wasn’t exactly what I had envisaged. This was a flowing river of mud— brown, and heavily impacted by the flash floods from two months prior. Having seen videos of those flash floods, I could easily imagine the horror of being caught or swept up in one. I wish more people could experience this firsthand; it would motivate more humans to protect our planet. I walked to the bank, dropped to my knee, and dipped my hand into the Colorado River. It was cold, but I felt a warm, watching energy. I first visited the Grand Canyon in 2010. Since then, an itch to do this hike had stayed with me, turning it into a major bucket list item. Some invisible force had drawn me to this point over all these years, and touching the water was deeply fulfilling.

The Half-Mile Goal

On our way back up, Krishnan experienced a higher-than-normal heart rate, making it challenging to maintain a steady pace under the intense sun exposure. It was incredible to watch how his mind adapted by focusing entirely on a half-mile goal. We decided to take breaks after every single half-mile, which quickly got us into a manageable rhythm. At one point, he stopped us and spoke seriously: if his speech began to slur, we needed to use his satellite watch to send an SOS message. Our “young buck” and resident encyclopedia also shared a few casual nuggets on the physiological causes of slurring under extreme exertion. I was deeply impressed by his mental strength to zone into that half-mile target and keep moving under immense physical strain. Hats off, young buck!

The Tortoise Was Unwavering

Throughout our months of training, we joked that Shrikant was the tortoise among us—the one who would steadily, slowly, and reliably cross the finish line first. That certainly came to fruition. He was completely unwavering through the entire hike, exhibiting zero mental or physical strain. Maybe we should have given him a real challenge by asking him to carry our backpacks! His only real apprehension was ensuring he consumed his calories every hour and kept enough water for a potential second hike to the river. He made sure we used our filtration pump to refill from the creek, which we found hilarious because he is incredibly averse to drinking bottled spring water, preferring distilled or purified water instead.

The Finish

Nightfall caught up to us with two miles left to reach the top of the South Rim. We switched on our headlamps, and Krishnan gave us multiple mini-lectures on the stars at every half-mile break. I have to admit, I had never truly experienced stargazing like this before. The stillness of the night and the absolute darkness blanketing us for miles. Looking deep down into the canyon, we could spot the tiny glowing dots of two or three headlamps from hikers still making their slow way back to the rim.

As we walked through the two arches close to the top, a sudden sense of urgency surged into my legs. I was entirely ready to finish, shed my backpack, sink into the comfort of our rental car, and drive to a restaurant for dinner. We finally stepped over the rim, crossing our finish line together in just under 15 hours!

My Thanks to Krishnan and Shrikant

I first met these younglings through our yoga class. During these training months, they had to listen to an old man preach about the mind, body, society, life, finance, philosophy, culture, and life experiences. I am certain there were days they were glad when I didn’t show up. For bearing with me for all these months and encouraging me at literally every step, I want to thank you both from the bottom of my heart. You are good souls, and it has been a true pleasure getting to know you. So what if you both snore like a freight train and a Metra commuter rail line respectively!!

Conclusion

I pay homage to the Colorado River, the creeks that cooled our bodies, the Havasupai Gardens that provided shade, and the Canyon walls that exhibited stunning colors and shades at dawn, noon, and in the dark of night. May we all experience nature’s beauty and make our own small contribution to preserving our planet.

Additional 6 Miles on the Rim

The next morning, to hit our goal of 24 miles, we decided to hike another 6 miles on the South Rim. This was supposed to be a simple hike, but our legs were weary, and exhaustion creeped in. The silver lining was that we could spot some of the rest areas, Havasupai Gardens, the Plateau Trail, and the river below, allowing us to marvel at our accomplishment. It was time to thank our minds and bodies—good job!

Related data points:

Our training routine 120-days prior to our hike (https://shantatman.com/2026/07/06/the-indian-yoga-guys-grand-canyon-diary/)

More about Grand Canyon National Park (https://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm)

About Havasupai Gardens (https://www.grandcanyontrust.org/hikes/camp-cpe-indian-garden-campground/)

Grand Canyon flash flood (https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/01/us/grand-canyon-flash-flooding-hnk)

Donate & Support National Forest Foundation (https://www.nationalforests.org/donate-support/)

Krishnan and Shrikant also contributed to the pictures in this post…thank you guys

Swipe left to view more pictures