The Grand Mission & Challenge
Hiking from the Grand Canyon’s north to south rim in under 15 hours is a challenging feat. AllTrails rates this hike as ‘hard,’ and many hikers describe their experience as extremely strenuous. The point-to-point distance is 24 miles, beginning with an initial descent of 5,700 feet via the North Kaibab Trail in pitch darkness, crossing the Colorado River, and concluding with an ascent of 4,400 feet up the Bright Angel Trail. In October, temperatures at the start of the hike range from 35°F to 42°F, reaching highs of 83°F to 95°F at the midpoint and cooling down to 45°F to 55°F at the finish.
Introduction to the Guys
Indian Yoga Guy 1: Suresh Menon, 50-year old, always running towards a physical and mental challenge. This will be my first proper hike and a bucket list item.
Indian Yoga Guy 2: Krishnan Raghavan, 35-year-old young buck, who is the professional hiker in this group. He talks and laughs louder than me, which has been a great blessing.
Indian Yoga Guy 3: Shrikant Kamble, 42-year-old “tortoise” of the group. While the other two behave like hares/rabbits, he is the one with a detailed Excel file planning everything (clothes, training, calorie intake, gear, etc.) and the one to cross the finish line first.
How we met?
Apart from being Indian in origin, we had little in common. Attending our Saturday morning yoga class at Eola Fitness Center with our great yoga guru, Chitra Menon (trying hard to score brownie points with her), was the intersection for us to meet.
Why Indian Yoga Guy?
This name sticks because of our dear yoga buddy Bob David, with whom I have exchanged multiple text messages over the years. A couple of months back, he was unable to locate me on his phone. Jokingly, I suggested it would be easier to remember me in his contacts as “Indian Yoga Guy.” Krishnan caught on to this and added that he could be “Indian Yoga Guy 2,” and by association, Shrikant is now “Indian Yoga Guy 3.”
Why the diary?
During our post-yoga class catch-up talks, I spoke of someday hiking from the North to South Rim. Krishnan, in his enthusiasm, immediately offered to join and also spoke of his hiking prowess. This was discussed a few times, and Shrikant, who is the silent one, expressed interest in joining this adventure. We spoke about it some more, and then made a social announcement to our fellow yoga students. That announcement put the necessary pressure on us to book airline tickets, hotels/lodges, and get serious about our preparations. With this diary, we will capture our weekly training pursuits and share regular updates of our experience. Hope novice hikers and other Indian Yoga Guys can take inspiration!
Our Plan
| Thursday – Oct 1, 2026 | 1) Fly ORD to PHX landing around noon 2) Rental car from PHX to Grand Canyon south rim 3) Stay the night at Kachina Lodge south rim |
| Friday – Oct 2, 2026 | 1) 1pm shuttle towards north rim 2) Reach around 7pm 3) Stay the night at Kaibab Lodge close to south rim |
| Saturday – Oct 3, 2026 | 1) Start hike from North rim around 4am 2) Plan to reach south rim before 6pm 3) Stay the night at Kachina Lodge south rim |
| Sunday – Oct 4, 2026 | 1) Relax and recover 2) Leave for PHX around 3) Fly back to ORD |
Gear I purchased
| Hiking Bag-pack | Osprey Stratos 34L | $225.00 |
| Trekking Poles | Black Diamond Trail Back | $100.00 |
| Trekking Boots | Keen Targhee Iv Mid Waterproof | $190 |
| Trekking Pants | TBD | TBD |
Weekly training plan
We are all doing some version of cardio, strength training and yoga. Personally I attempt to do two sessions of strength training, one short run (4 to 6 miles), Friday hikes with the boys and Sunday long run (9 to 12 miles).
Training Log: 120 days to hike
| Location | Distance in Miles | Elevation in Feet | Time in Hours & Mins |
| Waterfall Glen Trails, Lemont, IL, USA | 9.15 | 508 | 3:32 |
- Our first hike as a trio.
- Got to see Krishnan’s office from outside a barbed fence.
- Both Krishnan and I get motivated to cross people walking ahead of us!
Training Log: 113 days to hike
| Location | Distance in Miles | Elevation in Feet | Time in Hours & Mins |
| Mount Hoy, Warrenville, IL, USA | 4.77 | 1,491 | 2:30 |
- My first hike with my Osprey backpack loading 20 pounds…worked like a charm
- Mount Hoy is great for folks living in Naperville and Aurora to train for elevation
- Krishnan subtly exhibited his hiking chops!
Training Log: 106 days to hike
| Location | Distance in Miles | Elevation in Feet | Time in Hours & Mins |
| Mount Hoy, Warrenville, IL, USA | 7.07 | 2,045 | 2:57 |
- Krishnan is at a boondoggle
- Srikanth and I conversed about life, finance and family
- We both maintained a good pace
Training Log: 99 days to hike
| Location | Distance in Miles | Elevation in Feet | Time in Hours & Mins |
| Mount Hoy, Warrenville, IL, USA | 6.42 | 2,045 | 2:30 |
- I was traveling all week with little sleep and my energy levels prior to this session was low
- Krishnan continues to be at his boondoggle and we have not troubled him on WhatsApp or text
- We broke our uphill climbs into loops of 5 x 4. The first 5 was tough and moments when we both thought getting to two miles would be tough. By the time we got to the third set of 5, we were on a high and our mood had shifted from “can we” to “let’s up the pace”! Loved the finish…thank you Srikanth.
Training Log: 92 days to hike
| Location | Distance in Miles | Elevation in Feet | Time in Hours & Mins |
| Maple Lake East – Bike and Hike Trails, Willow Springs, IL, USA | 13.11 | 1,337 | 6:11 |
- Our pro hiker buddy, Krishnan is back and suggested trails at Palos Hills/Willow Springs. These are rugged, offer decent elevation and give us the option of doing long miles, without crossing many roads
- Three takeaways, mosquitoes, humidity and heat. We are under a heat wave advisory so started early but it were the mosquitoes that made it the most challenging for me. Copious amounts of bug spray nor my half sleeve (!) t-shirt helped. We also experienced torrential downpour for the last mile which felt better brought a smile and much relief to Krishnan, who was struggling the most due to the heat.
- A challenging training session!
Diary Still in Progress
Related Data Points
SHANT ATMAN 