How hiking the Grand Canyon in a day transformed Bobbi’s marriage.

In 2016, I had the opportunity to serve on the Rim to Him hospitality team with Revelation Wellness. 

I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I thought I was going to be serving by hiking the Grand Canyon with participants, but little did I know that I would be washing feet and carrying bags. I loved every minute of it! 

God did some deep work in me that year as I served and got the opportunity to hear hikers’ transformational stories. 

After serving, I told myself I had to do Rim to Him. But I didn’t want to do it until God said GO. I also wanted my husband to agree to do it with me. 

This could only be done in God’s timing.

Serving and Learning

Year after year, I got to serve in hospitality, and I learned a lot about things one needs to know before committing to do Rim to Him. 

The 23.5-mile hike isn’t just an event you can show up for and muscle through. It takes months of training to prepare your body for the physical stress of hiking with a pack, in the heat, and at altitude. 

Showing up for the physical training is one thing, but showing up for the spiritual training is a must.

Hiking across the Grand Canyon requires mental and spiritual strength. Many hikers told me that the more they had trained their minds to stay connected with God’s truth, the more fuel they had to get through the Canyon with determination and joy. 

They also told me some practical tips for the day of the hike. They said that when you stop for lunch in Indian Garden, you have to eat something hearty and that you have to stick your feet in the cold creek. I made sure to keep these ideas in my back pocket for the day that I would get the chance to hike Rim to Him.

Many hikers told me that the more they had trained their minds to stay connected with God’s truth, the more fuel they had to get through the Canyon with determination and joy. 

Bobbi McCormick

God Said Go

In 2022, I tragically lost my father. He traded his earthly body for his heavenly one. He was only 59, healthy, and had so much life to live, but God had other plans for him. My dad was my biggest cheerleader and always taught me to never take a single breath or day for granted. 

I knew the minute my dad was gone, I had to sign up for Rim to Him. 

Little did I know that my husband knew he wanted to do it with me. We were coming up on our 15th wedding anniversary and wanted to do something big. Our options were an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Rim to Him Grand Canyon Hike with Revelation Wellness. 

We chose to do the harder thing – hike the Grand Cayon. 

The Grand Canyon would not only be a beautiful place to celebrate our anniversary, but it would also be something we could experience God in together. We needed healing. We needed transformation. 

 We signed up and started training in July 2022. 

We live in Arizona, so we had to rise super early to train and beat the heat. 

For eight weeks, we spent so many amazing hours hiking together. We never knew how much the training time together would strengthen our marriage and grow our faith. It was better than any marriage retreat we had ever been to. 

When I was weak on the hikes, I watched my husband rise up out of his pain and encourage me. It was beautiful. I fell in love with him all over again. 

When my husband was weak, God gave me the strength to help keep us going. On one particular hike, I fell pretty bad. 

When I looked down, I noticed a big hole in my pants. I cried. The pants that I was wearing were the last thing my dad had given me. My husband held my hand and picked me up, and we finished that hike together with tears in our eyes. 

I knew this was exactly why I needed to get in the Canyon; I needed to spend some time with the Lord in my grief, and I needed my husband right beside me.

Better Than a Marriage Retreat

On October 7, 2022, my husband and I hiked Rim to Him with an amazing group of hikers. It was one of the best things we have ever done together in our marriage. 

We both had moments in the Canyon where we stood in awe of God’s magnificent beauty. We couldn’t help but feel God’s presence in every single step of our hike. 

The hikers were right. I brought a cheeseburger for my lunch in Indian Garden, and it tasted like heaven. We also dipped our feet in the creek, and it was just what our bodies needed to keep going. 

When things got hard, the Lord was so kind to bring laughter and joy to our group. We were so thankful for our shepherd, Chuck, who led us so gently. We had support from the first step to the last step of our hike. 

At the end of the hike, we got separated from the group; God knew we needed that time to just be the two of us. We took our time. We rested when we needed to. We let God lead us. It was humbling and life-changing. 

When we climbed out of that Canyon, it was as though we had left what we didn’t need to carry anymore, and we were walking out one hundred pounds lighter. We were completely transformed and changed forever! 

God’s timing was perfect, and I am so thankful we had this opportunity to hike Rim2Him. Our marriage has been forever changed.