<![CDATA[Kelsey Scott - Adventure]]>

<![CDATA[Kelsey Scott - Adventure]]>Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:58:55 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[The 1%]]>Thu, 03 Nov 2016 02:50:58 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/the-1

Four days.

Three campgrounds.

Two sisters.

One canyon.

5.52 million people visited the Grand Canyon in 2015.

According to our (amazing) guide Brian, less than 5% of the Canyon's visitors venture below the rim.
And less than 1% of visitors stay below the rim overnight.

(I'm not going to even to try to break that down along gender and racial lines.)

But I think it's safe to say...

We're Superwomen!!

*** Pre-hike fresh. Tracey (l), Me and Robin (r) ***

There's too much to share about this excursion to try to fit it all into one post.

So this is the 'we did it' declaration:)

Details will follow. With photos. Even a few videos.

As well as some of the contemplation inspired by this magnificent display of nature. It was one the most memorable gifts of this journey.

Until then, here's to 'the edge' and making a habit of living on it!

]]><![CDATA[It's Here.]]>Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:57:16 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/its-hereSeconds after posting this entry, I'll board a shuttle and head for the north rim of the Grand Canyon. It's really happening. I'm really going.

I've been vascillating between elation and trepidation for the past 48 hours.

We loaded our backpacks yesterday and mine is heavy and awkward and I have no idea how I'm going to haul it across multiple terrains and altitudes.

But I'll figure it out. And I'll make it happen.

Our guide has already done the Rim2Rim ten times this year.

Ten. This year.

So... I will figure it out.

A good friend of mine sent me this beautiful article about reverence and it's direct relationship to the beauty and magnitude of the Grand Canyon. It's a lovely and succinct read. Give it a gander... http://www.spiritualtravels.info/ens-columns/on-the-rim-of-the-canyon/

And I'll see you good folks on the other side of personal accomplishment...

]]><![CDATA[Duct Tape and Jewelry]]>Thu, 06 Oct 2016 00:50:43 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/duct-tape-and-jewelry

The trepidation is back.

I think that’s why I’ve had pizza, nachos, chocolate and Chipotle for the past four days.

Side Note: I wrote this blog entry two weeks ago. But posting it, got lost in my To Do list:(

Moving on...

Part of me says, you’re in good shape and everything will be fine. Stop stressing and get excited about this adventure. The other part of me says you’re less than 30 days out, last week’s 33-mile bike ride was more difficult than it should have been, and I’m crazy for signing up for this hike.

So… I had some nachos. And maybe a hard cider or two.

Last Side Note: I'm now less than three weeks out. Aaaagh!

But I got back on track yesterday. Did the stairs at the gym to the tune of the Hamilton soundtrack and got a good sweat on. Yes, I'm the gal at LA Fitness doing the Stairmaster in hiking boots while dancing. Don't judge me. It felt right.

That’s all it takes sometimes. A reminder of how good I feel, post-workout. Plus, I had the Hamilton soundtrack?

Hello.

AMAZING.

The good folks at Wildland Trekking suggest starting out with hour-long hikes, three days per week, with a light day pack. Working up to 6-8 hour hikes with heavy weights. And lots of stairs. Up and down (the ‘negative’ training builds strength as well) with heavy weights.

I haven’t tackled an 8-hour hike yet. And as challenging as the stairs at the Hollywood Bowl were, I did them sans weights. So I’m going hard, these next few weeks.

My friend Deb, the wonderful jewelry designer behind Twisted Silver, did the Rim2Rim in a single day. She cautioned me to begin hydrating several days in advance, pack duct tape and moleskin for imminent blisters and choose trail mix over candy for an energy boost.

Got it.

I'll pack the Hamilton soundtrack, as well.

]]><![CDATA[From Coffee to Canyon...]]>Tue, 06 Sep 2016 19:49:19 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/from-coffee-to-canyonI was sharing the logistics of my Rim 2 Rim trip over coffee with a friend a couple of weeks ago. She was taken aback by how complex the process can be. I suppose, because I’ve been in the thick of it for a couple of years now, it didn’t hit me that many people might not know what it takes to make this whole thing happen. So I'll share:)

First, some background…

Hiking from the North to South rim of the Grand Canyon (one of the most popular routes) is a 24-mile journey. 14.3 miles down and 9.6 miles back out. Daily elevation changes can top 4,800 feet (nearly 3 Sears Towers in height) and temperatures fluctuate seasonally with roughly a 20-degree Fahrenheit difference from the bottom of the Canyon to the Rim.

Ready to pack your bags yet?

Depending on the number of days in which you choose to complete the hike (there are some crazy, wonderful, super-fit people who do the entire thing in a day) adventurers generally average 8 to 9 hours of hiking per day, over steep, loose, rocky, and/or exposed terrain.

Backpacking trips require you to carry anywhere from 25-40 pounds of gear and all overnight stays in the Canyon require backcountry permits.

Our first attempt…

My sister, Tracey, has had this hike on her mind for a few years now. And 2016 has always been the target date. We initially planned to make the hike as a trio (Tracey’s friend Robin is our third amiga). We all consider ourselves above average fitness gals. Tracey is a runner, I’m a workout fanatic and Robin has hiked the canyon before. So we figured we’d pick a date, get a permit and make it happen.

Well, permits are doled out based on a number of elements… including the number of requests, the group’s itinerary and the size of the group. The best and earliest time a permit can be requested is four months prior to the month of your start date. Factor in personal schedules, work/vacation days, flight availability and accommodations for three people, and the tangled web of trip coordination begins early.

We also wanted to spend one of our nights at the Phantom Ranch Lodge. Located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, it is easily one of the most difficult-to-book lodges in the country. Reservation requests begin 13 months out - yes, thirteen - and are only taken by telephone. "Phantom is the only lodging below the canyon rim, and can only be reached by mule, on foot or by rafting the Colorado River."

So, basically, 13 months ahead of your trip, you and every other person in the world who wants to stay there, blows up the phone line of this single lodge. It’s like the love-child of a radio contest call-in and the lottery.

And we tried. We called in from three different states, for three months in a row.

Long story short? We didn’t get reservations.

But we got the permits!

Hold off on that celebration, though.

The permit fairy came through for June of this year. That’s one of the hottest months to hike the Canyon. How hot is it? The Park Ranger sent us an email that basically said, don’t do this, you could die.

No. Seriously…

Dear Tracey,

At your request we have temporarily reserved a trip for you. However, before we accept a $58 non-refundable payment from you, we want to make sure you understand what you requested. Experience has shown that trips such as the one you requested all too often result in off-itinerary camping, injury, and occasionally even death.

Please do not accept this itinerary merely because it is available. Make sure it is what you really want and well within the capability of all group members... Consider canceling or making a different request.

Note: Your proposed hike from the North Rim to Bright Angel Campground is considered to be a very strenuous hike and is not recommended by our office. That day of your trip would involve hiking 14 miles in one day with 6,000 feet of elevation change. We rate this as excessive and encourage you to revisit your plans.

Your hike will be taking place during a very hot time of the year. There is often no to little shade on our trails, and temperatures in the bottom of the canyon at this time of year reach 95-125 degrees. Instead and for your comfort and safety, we suggest considering a spring or fall hike.

Plan B…

An outfitter company. These one-stop-shops have eons of experience in various Canyon adventures (R2R, whitewater rafting, day hikes, dory excursions and helicopter/hiking combos, to name a few). We chose The Wildland Trekking Company and they take care of securing permits, provide a good portion of the gear (although you’re welcome to use your own) and they even have a standing block of rooms reserved at the Phantom Lodge. Groups are also kept to a maximum of six people.

We so scored:)

It’s a pricier option. But it cuts out a lot of the legwork and red tape and you don’t have to invest in equipment you might never use again. I say, you have to know when to ask for help:)

Now that we've finally dotted all our i's and crossed those pesky t's, here’s our new itinerary:

Day 1
Drive four hours from Flagstaff to the North Rim. Then descend 7 miles and 4,161 feet to Cottonwood Campground, where we'll set up camp for the night.

Day 2
Descend another 1,600 feet and 7.2 miles to Bright Angel Campground (by way of the Ribbon Falls waterfall) and get a night’s rest at the Phantom Ranch. (Yay!!)

Day 3
Take the Bright Angel Trail along the Colorado River and begin our ascent - 4.5 miles and 1,500 feet - to the Indian Garden Campground.

Day 4
Tackle the last 3,000 feet (and 4.8 miles) up to the South Rim. Then finish off the day with and hour and a half drive back to Flagstaff.

We've yet to put boot to gravel and this has already been an adventure.
My initial panic has lessened and my excitement grows with each day nearer to our start date:)

For your trivia enjoyment, here are some fun facts about the Grand Canyon.
Courtesy of The Wildland Trekking Company brochure…

It’s famous - it’s a World Heritage Site and one of the 7 natural Wonders of the World.
It’s big - approximately 1.2 million acres, 277 miles long, 10 miles across and 1 mile deep.
It’s old - at least according to the geologists. The Vishnu Schist rock type at the bottom is 1.4 - 1.7 billion years old.
With each step below the rim, you travel back approximately 60,000 years in the earth’s history.
5 of the 7 life zones and 3 of the 4 desert types in North America are present.
Over 1,500 plant, 355 bird, 89 mammal, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and 17 fish species make the park their home.

]]><![CDATA[The Boots Are Here!]]>Fri, 19 Aug 2016 18:33:22 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/the-boots-are-here

The Hanwag Alaska Lady GTX. Specially designed for multi-day backpacking with heavy loads though deep backpacking country. There might also be a little halo around them.

I’ve been salivating for their arrival, for weeks. Forgive me for not exaggerating there. Now, I can officially begin breaking them in and prepping them for the rim to rim.

Because I chose my boots online, I snagged a couple of sizes, to ensure the proper fit. The winner gets to experience the beautiful outdoors. The other pair gets a second date with FedEx.

According to REI’s very helpful hiking boot guide (https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/breaking-in-hiking-boots.html) the boots should be ‘snug everywhere and tight nowhere’. And you’re supposed to wear them indoors for a while before giving them a public debut.

That leaves me clunking around on hardwood floors (the boots are lots-o-rigid right now) to help bend these babies to my will. Literally. Oh, yeah. My downstairs neighbors are LOVING me.

Hoping to get them dirty by next week. They might get a few odd stares among some of the Runyon Canyon fashionistas. Or maybe not. I’ve seen much odder things at Runyon than appropriate footwear.

Like, venti lattes.

]]><![CDATA[It's Getting Real]]>Sun, 14 Aug 2016 11:08:49 GMThttps://www.kelseyscott.com/adventure/its-getting-realIt was two, possibly three, years ago when my sister initially asked me to hike the Grand Canyon with her. Aside from the camping aspect of the journey (I require few things in this life - but indoor plumbing is usually a deal breaker) it seemed like one of the things I enjoy most... a challenge. As the years passed (acquiring permits and arranging schedules proved more complicated than we anticipated) it still felt very theoretical.

Until now.

I've learned quite a few things about the Canyon and about extreme hiking this year. One such nugget is that you should break in your hiking shoes for at least three months before embarking on the Rim to Rim. And I do my best work on deadlines. I've even been known to procrastinate a bit to heighten the stakes. But those stakes have never been life or death (maybe I've learned too much about the Canyon and about extreme hiking this year). So when I looked up and realized I'm two weeks late for the start of the 'break-in' process, I panicked a bit.

I mean, we're really doing this. In a couple of months. Backpacking 24 miles through multiple ecosystems and acute elevations, amid drastic temperature changes and weather conditions, while carrying around 35 pounds of equipment. One website had the nerve to say the choppers don't do rescue, just recovery.

So, yeah, it's getting real.

But I'm the gal who takes dare over truth, tries (almost) anything once and considers the word 'no' a hurled gauntlet. In other words, let's do this.

My days of consistent journaling are memories of a bygone era. And I'm a much more private person than I might appear to be on social media. But this seems like an ideal opportunity to defy my comfort zone, get back to the 'page' and share this journey.

My entries will be neither 'just the facts' nor solely an exercise in verbal yoga. I'm striving for a hybrid:) While I'm certain I'll experience reflective moments as I confront my physical endurance, I'll also share the nuts and bolts of preparing for this adventure.

If you find it interesting, I hope you'll stay for the duration of the 'trip' (I could use the company). If nothing else, it's sure to be entertaining:) Here we go . . . !]]>