Welcome, adventurer!
We're so happy to have you on the team. This page is your home base for everything you need to know before we gather live on Zoom as a group — who's guiding, where we're going, what you're responsible for between now and October, and answers to the questions past teams have asked most.
The mission: one day, 23 miles, 11,700 feet of elevation change, and $10,000 raised as a team to create scholarships that get more women and girls outside. This hike is exclusively for women 50 and older — and we can't wait for you to adventure as a team!
At a Glance
Meeting location: North Kaibab Trailhead, Grand Canyon North Rim, AZ. We hike down the North Kaibab Trail and up the Bright Angel Trail, finishing at Bright Angel Trailhead on the South Rim.
Closest airports: Las Vegas, NV (~4 hrs 20 min to the North Rim) or Phoenix, AZ (~5 hrs 30 min). Most of the team drives or carpools — more in Logistics.
Meet Your Guides
Sunny Stroeer
Professional endurance athlete, guide, and founder of the Summit Scholarship Foundation and AWExpeditions; co-owner of Kanab-based Dreamland Safari Tours. Sunny has completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim more times than she can count — including about half a dozen Rim-to-Rim-to-Rims in a day and two speed records. When she's not guiding, she's working to make the outdoors more inclusive through scholarships, mentorship, and trailblazing events like this one.
Angie Lake
Trailblazer Community Manager at The Cairn Project — the nonprofit initiative you're supporting through this adventure. Angie has hiked Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim and floated 300+ miles of the Grand Canyon on a 21-day rafting trip, finding awe in every canyon corner. She's a storytelling mentor who's excited to help you share your adventure with the world.
In Their Words
You'll be the third Cairn Project team to cross the Big Ditch. Here's what women from our first two Grand Canyon teams told us afterward:
"Even though I was tired and nervous, I felt strong and empowered. I sincerely believe that the beauty of the Grand Canyon and the badass women I hiked with carried me through the hike and made all the difference."
— Cyndee Llanos
"I never felt rushed or shamed for my pace and I know that was a part of my success and enjoyment."
— Aubrey Van Parys
"Women and girls deserve, not just to know, but to never have to question the fact that we are capable and deserving of all types of outdoor adventure."
— Erin Rush
The Route: North to South
This is a true Rim-to-Rim crossing — a point-to-point hike through the entire Grand Canyon in a single day. We start high on the cool, forested North Rim, drop about 6,550 feet to the Colorado River, and climb 5,150 feet back out to the South Rim.
- North Kaibab Trailhead (8,240 ft) — We start pre-dawn in the dark, headlamps on, descending the North Kaibab Trail. The biggest descent of the day comes first: it's the downhill that turns quads into jello, so we start conservatively to protect knees and set pacing for a long day.
- Down the North Kaibab Trail (14.1 miles) — Through Supai Tunnel, past Roaring Springs, Cottonwood Campground, and into "The Box," the dramatic inner gorge along Bright Angel Creek.
- Phantom Ranch & the Colorado River (~2,500 ft) — The bottom of the Big Ditch! We cross the river and begin the climb.
- Up the Bright Angel Trail (8.7 miles) — Past Havasupai Gardens, up the famous switchbacks. The steepest uphill comes at the end of the day — this is what we train for.
- Bright Angel Trailhead, South Rim (6,860 ft) — We pop out right in Grand Canyon Village. Celebrate! Sunset is around 6 pm in October, so plan on finishing by headlamp if we're moving at a relaxed pace.
Water on the trail
2 liters of capacity is enough, plus purification (a personal filter or Aquatabs). Bring 3 if you know you're a heavy drinker.
Here's why 2 is sufficient even with the North Rim water sources currently switched off: 2 liters comfortably gets us down to Manzanita, where Sunny found the water physically running as recently as this month even though it was listed as off. And when a spigot is dry, we still have creek access to filter from. Refill points are Manzanita, Phantom Ranch (through The Box) and Havasupai Gardens on the climb out, so we're never going more than about 5 miles without water access. Your guides carry backup purification, and we'll confirm the current status in the final days before the hike.
Weather: two climates in one day
Rule of thumb: the rim feels like Flagstaff, the bottom feels like Phoenix. In October, expect lows in the 30s°F at the rims (it will be cold and dark at the start!) and highs around 80°F+ in the inner canyon. Sun protection is mandatory; layers are your friend.
Come ready for all weather. October should be the sweet spot, but the canyon does what it wants: past teams have hit unexpected heat at the bottom and then gotten genuinely cold on the climb out as conditions flipped in the same day. Pack the layers you might not end up using.
Your To-Dos
These are your responsibilities as a team member. Your progress saves on this device, so check things off as you go. The first four matter now — lodging and shuttles around the Grand Canyon sell out months in advance.
Do these ASAP
Between now and October
How the Weekend Will Flow
Exact times and meeting spots will be confirmed in your final arrival-instructions email about three days before the hike. Based on our past trips, here's the shape of it:
- Friday, Oct 9Travel day. Welcome dinner in Kanab — early Friday afternoon, exact time TBD. We're moving it earlier than a normal dinner hour so the folks camping at the North Rim can make the drive and set up in daylight (there are a lot of deer on that road after dark). Restaurant and time to come. Afterward, some of the team heads up to camp at the North Rim, and others sleep in Kanab and drive up very early Saturday morning.
- Saturday, Oct 10The Big Day. Likely starting at 4 or 5 am — your guides will choose, and the exact meet time comes in the arrival email. Arrive at North Kaibab Trailhead packed and ready. Hike north to south, 10–16 hours. We exit at Bright Angel Trailhead in Grand Canyon Village — restaurants may be closed when we finish, so stash food (ramen, pizza, a sandwich) at your South Rim lodging.
- Sunday, Oct 11Trans-Canyon Shuttle back to North Rim vehicles (~4.5 hrs), or travel onward from the South Rim. Bask in the afterglow.
Training
Hiking across the Grand Canyon in a single day is HARD, and first-timers frequently underestimate it. What makes the canyon unique is the order of operations: a massive downhill first (hello, jello quads), then a 5,150-foot climb out at the end of the day when all you want is a cold beverage, a shower, and bed.
The good news: this is a hiking challenge, not a running one, and steady training gets you there. Our 12-week plan is below. Counted back from October 10, week 1 is the week of July 20, 2026 — and it's completely okay if you're starting a couple of weeks in. Jump in at whatever volume feels honest and build from where you are.
| Week | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Easy 3 mi walk | Hill/stairs with 10 lb pack (45 min) | 4 miles brisk walk | Strength (lunges, squats, step-ups) | Recovery walk (easy 2–3 miles) | Endurance hike 5→8 miles | Rest or yoga |
| 3–4 | 4 miles easy | 45 min of stairs with 15 lbs | 5 miles brisk | Strength circuit | Active recovery: stretch, yoga | 8→10 miles hilly hike | Rest |
| 5–6 | 5 miles easy | Intervals: hill (or stair) sprints + stairs descent drill (google it!) | 6–7 miles brisk | Strength + core, increased intensity | Recovery walk (easy 2–3 miles) | 10→12 miles hilly hike | Rest |
| 7–8 | 6 miles easy | Mixed intervals (stairs + lunges) | 8 miles brisk | Strength circuit, increased intensity | Active recovery: stretch, yoga | 12→14 miles, 1,500 ft+ of vert | Rest |
| 9–10 | 6 miles easy | 1-hr stair climbs + weighted step-ups | 10 miles brisk | Strength + core | Recovery walk (easy 2–3 miles) | 15+ miles, 2,500+ ft of vert | Rest |
| 11 | 6 miles easy | 4 miles easy | 6 miles easy | Light strength circuit | Rest | 10 miles hike | Rest |
| 12 | Rest | Active recovery: stretch, yoga | 4 mi easy | Rest | Travel | THE BIG DAY! | 🎉 |
The strength circuit is fully customizable — home, gym, weights, machines, or bodyweight only. If circuits are new to you, search "no equipment lower body workout" for easy-to-follow options. Prioritize downhill training (stairs, descents) and time on your feet over speed.
Gear List
You don't need fancy gear to cross the Grand Canyon — you need a carefully curated set of clothing, nutrition, and safety items. Conditions run the gamut from below freezing to hot, so plan to have every item below; once we can see the near-term forecast, some items (like the rain shell) may get cut. All in, your pack should weigh no more than about 10 lbs.
👕 Attire
- Long-sleeve hooded sun shirt
- Lightweight insulated (puffy) jacket
- Lightweight rain shell or poncho
- Lightweight trekking pants or tights
- Brimmed hat
- Light gloves
- Beanie
- Underwear
- Lightweight hiking socks
🎒 Gear
- Your preferred trail shoes — trail runners or lightweight hiking boots (broken in!)
- Running pack or small day pack (<20 liters)
- Hiking poles — not optional. Train with them so they're second nature by October, especially on descents
- Headlamp with spare batteries (we start and may finish in the dark)
- 2 liters of water capacity
- Water purification (personal filter or Aquatabs)
- Small personal med kit: blister care, ibuprofen, anti-chafe
- Sunglasses & sunscreen
- ID & credit card
- Phone or camera!
🍫 Nutrition
- 2,000–3,000 calories (2–3 lbs) of your preferred snacks: bars, gels, nuts, dried fruit, etc.
- Electrolyte tablets
- Pro tip from past teams: pack foods that will still sound appetizing when you're tired, hot, or cold — variety wins.
🧭 Guides carry
- GPS satellite communication
- Group medical kit
- Emergency shelter
Logistics
This fundraising adventure covers the guiding; travel, lodging, food, and park entry are on you — but we make it easy to plan. Four questions to answer:
1. How will you get to the North Rim?
By car — there are no practical public transport options to the North Kaibab Trailhead. Fly into Las Vegas (~4 hrs 20 min) or Phoenix (~5 hrs 30 min), rent a car, or carpool with a teammate (ask in the WhatsApp — past teams have loved sharing the drive).
2. Where will you sleep Friday night (Oct 9)?
Book now — options near the North Kaibab Trailhead are limited:
- The Inn at Jacob Lake — about 55 minutes from the trailhead.
- Kanab, Utah — about 1 hr 40 min away; the closest town with a real selection of hotels, restaurants, and grocery stores. This is also where we'll gather for the welcome dinner on Friday.
- North Rim Campground — open and taking reservations, and closest of all to the trailhead. Several teammates are camping here. (The Grand Canyon Lodge on the rim burned in the 2025 fire, so there are no hotel rooms or services up top, but the campground is running.)
Teammates are already sorting out campsites, rooms and rides in the WhatsApp group — post there to find someone to share with rather than booking blind.
3. Where will you sleep Saturday night (Oct 10)?
On the South Rim, where we finish. Grand Canyon Village hotels are steps from the trailhead but pricey and quick to sell out; Tusayan (5 miles south, short taxi) has more options; Mather Campground is the in-park camping option. Whatever you choose, book now — and stash easy food there for your return (restaurants may be closed when we finish).
4. How will you get back to your car?
If you'd rather book independently, the Trans-Canyon Shuttle morning run picks up at Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan (~6:30 am) and the in-park lodges (~7 am), a midday run boards inside the park, and the ride takes 4–5.5 hours: trans-canyonshuttle.com or 928-638-2820. Several teammates have rides sorted already, and some are staying an extra night and heading back Monday instead.
Fundraising: Why We Hike
This is a fundraising adventure produced by The Cairn Project, an initiative of the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure. The funds you raise create scholarships for women and girls to access transformative outdoor opportunities — a first night under the stars, a summit reached, a backpacking trip that builds confidence for a lifetime.
How it works
- Each hiker commits to raising a minimum of $1,000. Your $100 registration fee counts toward it, and donations are tax-deductible.
- Our team goal is $10,000 — and past teams have blown past their goals, so dream bigger (one teammate set hers at a fun $2,026!).
- Our internal fundraising deadline is Friday, October 2. If you haven't reached $1,000 by then, the card you authorized at signup is charged the balance — and if you need an extension, just talk to us and we'll make a plan together.
- Funds support the Alliance for Gender Equity in Outdoor Adventure so that other girls and women can experience the transformative power of time in nature.
What actually works (from our past teams)
- Direct asks beat social media. Email, text, and DM your people personally. Then post on social too — and tag @thecairnproject so we can amplify you.
- Seed the pot before you launch. A few early donations from family or friends create social proof that gets strangers to give.
- Make it personal. Put your face and your story on your page — people give to people. Short 1–3 week pushes work great, so don't worry if you start late.
- Check for employer matching. Free doubling!
- Celebrate milestones. First $100, halfway, every donor — shout them out.
Not sure what to say? Story prompts:
- Why did you sign up for this adventure — and why now?
- Who helped you fall in love with the outdoors?
- What's one moment that made you feel like you belong outside?
- What would you tell your younger self about being outside?
- Who are you dedicating your hike to?
FAQ
Real questions from our past two Grand Canyon teams (October 2025 and March 2026) — answered so you don't have to wonder.
I can't make a Zoom call live — will I miss out?
Nope! Every team call is recorded and the link (with passcode) is emailed to the whole team afterward. Watch on your own time, then drop any questions in the WhatsApp group.
How hard is this, really?
Honestly: it's a near-marathon day on foot, and the demands are frequently underestimated by first-timers. You may not avoid all pain or discomfort — but you can absolutely prepare for it. We start conservatively to protect knees, pace as a team, and plan for 10–16 hours so nobody has to rush. Hundreds of everyday hikers cross the canyon every fall weekend; with the training plan and a strong team around you, you've got this.
I'm not an athlete. Is this for me?
This event is designed for hikers, not racers — and this team is exclusively women 50+. The 12-week plan is built to take a regularly active person to canyon-ready. If you can commit to the Saturday endurance hikes and stay consistent during the week, you belong here.
What happens if I don't hit $1,000 by the deadline?
When you signed up, you authorized your card to be charged the balance if your fundraiser is short at the internal deadline (Friday, October 2). If you need an extension or a fundraising pep talk, reach out to Angie before the deadline — we've made plans with teammates before and we're happy to help. Also remember your $100 registration fee already counts toward your total.
Do I pay anything for the guiding?
No — your guides volunteer their time so that every dollar raised goes to the mission. You're responsible for your own travel, lodging, food, and park entry.
What's the weather going to be like?
Two climates in one day. Rims in October: freezing-to-chilly mornings (30s°F) — you'll want your puffy, beanie, and gloves at the pre-dawn start. Inner canyon: highs around 80°F+ in full sun. Rule of thumb: the rim feels like Flagstaff, the bottom feels like Phoenix. We'll watch the forecast together on the final call, and your guides will tell you if anything on the gear list can be left behind.
Where do we get water? Where are the bathrooms?
Corridor trails have seasonal water stations and toilets at regular intervals (spots like Cottonwood, Phantom Ranch, and Havasupai Gardens), but pipeline outages are common enough that we never count on them — that's why everyone carries 2L capacity plus purification. Your guides will brief the team on current water status and pit-stop plan in the final days before the hike. There are restrooms at both trailheads.
Will I have phone service?
Assume no service from rim to rim. Your guides carry GPS satellite communicators for emergencies, and you can tell your people you'll resurface by evening. Consider downloading offline maps and podcasts/music before you leave wifi — and keep your phone in airplane mode to save battery for photos.
What if I get hurt or can't finish?
We hike as a team with two experienced guides, a group med kit, satellite communication, and emergency shelter — and we talk through contingency plans together on the final Zoom. The honest truth about the canyon is that there's no easy exit from the middle, which is exactly why we train, start conservatively, and take pacing seriously. Small stuff (blisters, hot spots, tweaky knees) we handle on the move; taping and trekking poles are your friends for the descents.
Do I need a National Park pass?
Yes — bring your America the Beautiful annual pass if you have one, or buy entry when you drive into the park (one entrance fee covers both rims for consecutive days).
I won't have a car. Can we get shuttled to a hotel outside the park?
Yes! The free park shuttle to Tusayan stops running in mid-September, but there's a 24-hour taxi that runs between Grand Canyon Village and Tusayan — save this number in your phone: 928-638-2822. When we finish at Bright Angel Trailhead (likely after dark), it's a quick cab ride to your hotel. Trans-Canyon Shuttle also runs an on-demand South Rim taxi (928-638-2820, reserve ahead). Worth calling a day or two before the hike to ask about late-evening pickup so you're not figuring it out trail-tired.
I'm staying in Tusayan. Can the Trans-Canyon Shuttle pick us up from a hotel?
Their Sunday morning northbound run starts in Tusayan: pickup at Red Feather Lodge around 6:30am, then the in-park lodges around 7am, arriving back at North Kaibab Trailhead around noon. So book your seat with the Red Feather Lodge pickup; if you're staying at a different Tusayan hotel, everything is a short walk along the same strip. (Their midday run only boards inside the park.) It sells out — book now at trans-canyonshuttle.com or 928-638-2820.
How do we get overnight clothes and food to our South Rim lodging?
Trans-Canyon Shuttle runs a hiker duffel service: you drop a bag (22 lb max) at the Kaibab Lodge front desk, and they deliver it to the Bright Angel Lodge bellman desk on the South Rim, where you pick it up when we finish. (Kaibab Lodge is the little lodge on Highway 67 outside the park, on your drive in — it survived the fire and is open. It's the Grand Canyon Lodge on the rim that burned.) Reservations are required and space is limited, so call early: 928-638-2820. One timing note: bags must be dropped by 10am on the day they ride, and we'll be on the trail before dawn Saturday — so plan for your bag to ride Friday (dropped by 10am Friday), or call them about dropping Friday evening for the Saturday run.
Should I bring poles? Should I tape my knees?
Poles: yes, and Sunny treats them as mandatory rather than optional. They take real load off your knees on 6,550 feet of descent, and she uses them on every hike with elevation change for exactly that reason: staying able to do this into her 70s and 80s. If you don't already hike with poles, get a pair now and use them on your training hikes so the rhythm is automatic by October. Sunny brings demo pairs for anyone who'd rather not fly with them (poles can't be carried on, so flying means checking a bag).
Knee taping: worth it before a descent this long. Sunny now tapes before a downhill canyon day herself. Here's the how-to video — practice on a training hike rather than the morning of. If you already wear a knee brace for workouts, bring it; if you've never worn one, race day is not the time to start.
What food should I bring?
2,000–3,000 calories of snacks you genuinely like — bars, gels, nuts, dried fruit, chips, candy. Variety matters: pack things that will still sound good when you're tired, hot, or cold, plus electrolyte tablets for your water. Test everything on training hikes. And leave real food (ramen, pizza, a sandwich) at your South Rim lodging for the finish, since restaurants may be closed by the time we're out.
Can I raise more than $1,000?
Please do! Overflow means more scholarships. Past teammates have set fun stretch goals (like $2,026 for 2026) and crushed them. The team that crosses together fundraises together — we'll cheer every milestone in the WhatsApp.
What about the night before — will I meet everyone?
Yes! We'll gather for a welcome dinner in Kanab on Friday, October 9. It's an early afternoon dinner (exact time TBD) so that teammates camping at the North Rim can drive up and pitch camp in daylight rather than in the dark. Restaurant and final time come in the arrival email. It's a lovely way to put faces to WhatsApp names before the alpine start.
Questions?
Email Angie anytime at [email protected], or drop your question in the team WhatsApp once you're in — if you're wondering something, a teammate probably is too.
Want a feel for why we do this? Listen to the See Her Outside Podcast.