My first Grand Canyon experience was going to be a "loop hike". The South Kaibab trail was the first part. A 6.3 mile thigh-crunching hike downward to Phantom Ranch, an oasis at the bottom of the canyon awaiting each exhausted hiker. Phanptom Ranch sits alongside the edge of the powerful Colorado River. After a night of laying on the ground (camping), my back aches in pain as we head 9.5 miles back up the Bright Angel Trail. While this trip was torture to my body, by experiencing it firsthand, I could truly see why this park is called a Grand Canyon.