R2R - A Grand Time
That treadmill became my mistress and after training 5-6 days a week for a few months I spent most of the of the day in airports and flying, arriving in Phoenix on Thursday, May 13th. Upon stepping out of the terminal to catch the rental car shuttle I questioned whether we had landed in Phoenix or on the surface of the sun...It was HOT (there was still frost in the mornings at home). After a 20 minute shuttle ride I procured the rental and waited for the rest of the crew to arrive from Atlanta. Quick hellos and we loaded up the minivan off in search of tacos then north to the Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde, AZ for our first night's stay.
We left the casino Friday and continued north toward Sedona where Mallory, Kyle and myself hiked to Devil's Bridge while Bryan and Michael hiked Capitol Bute before we all headed to Flagstaff for pizza and groceries. After buying more groceries than we needed we rolled on to the South Rim where we had rooms reserved at the Yavapai Lodge. We checked in and set off to scout the trailheads and routes for Saturday's hike. After scoping out the trailheads we grabbed burgers from the lodge and then went to prep for tomorrow's big adventure and try to go to bed early and get some sleep.
Up at 2:45 AM we did our last minute preparations for our hike. We would drop Bryan and Kyle off at the South Kaibab trailhead at about 3:45 AM and then head to the Bright Angel trailhead to try to be on trail by 4:00 AM and headed for the North Rim.
There are a few different routes to complete a Rim to Rim hike of the Grand Canyon. Our route would be to take the Bright Angel trail down about 4,500' to the Colorado River where we would pick up the North Kaibab trail back up about 5,900' to the North Rim. Depending upon what resource you refer to this is about a 23.5 mile route. The National Park Service discourages attempting a R2R traverse in a single day because of the distance, elevation change and grueling heat. Most people complete the route in 2-3 days stopping at campgrounds and/or the Phantom Ranch (all which require entering to get a permit). According to rimtorim.org less than 1% of the 6 million annual visitors embark on this hike.
What was just around the corner was the trail to Ribbon Falls. I would have liked to have went to the falls but the thought of extra steps and time removed it from consideration. I marched on to Cottonwood campground where I chugged water and refilled my flasks. At this point I think I was getting dehydrated and it was tough to get food down. Any fuel I tried to take in felt like it just grew in my mouth and had to be choked down. Which meant I also started getting behind on calories.
Kyle and Bryan were coming back down for their R2R2R hike. They seemed surprisingly fresh - everyone coming down seemed much more chipper than those going up. But, I know they had been putting in the work to prepare. They asked what I was going to do about the shuttle; my reply was something along the lines of figure it out. There was nothing I was going to do that would get me there in time. So, I figured I would work the problem when I got there.
It's only supposed to be about 3.7 miles from Manzanita to the Supai Tunnel and the next water source. After inching forward for what seemed like plenty of time to be nearing the tunnel I stopped for a break in the shade and asked some southbound runners coming down the trail about how much farther it was to the tunnel. I was dealt the harsh reality that I had only climbed a few tenths of mile and had already consumed about one liter of water. They offered me another liter since they were near their next water source. They also offered food but I had plenty of food and politely declined. Then she mentioned that she had a tangerine and my face must have lit up. I sat perched on that rock in the shade along the edge of the trail and enjoyed the refreshing taste of fresh fruit and the feeling of fuel reviving my body. This was the first thing I'd consumed in a while that I did not have to choke down. One of the cool things about an endeavor like this is the support of the community doing it.
When I got to the tunnel there was a guy there that said Michael and Mallory were there about 40 minutes ago and had asked that he relay the message that they were there. Apparently I'm easy to describe and easy to recognize. It was oddly comforting that they too had missed the shuttle.
Another gentlemen there heard me say something about missing the shuttle and he said he could give me a ride when his daughter got there if I didn't mind riding on the floor of a van. I emphatically replied that I would not turn it down if I was still there when they made it up.
One last water refill and about two more miles of switchbacks to complete my R2R hike! This was the longest two miles I've ever walked. But, after starting a little over fourteen hours prior I made it out of the pain cave and to the North Rim! The North Rim was like race finish line with cheers for each person making the steps of the trailhead.
Eventually, the guy I had the brief conversation with at the tunnel came up with his daughter who had also started at the South Rim that morning. I was relieved that he was still gracious enough to offer a stranger a ride. So, we made a pit stop at the lodge for a sandwich, chips and soda before making the four plus hour drive back to the South Rim. My new friends dropped me outside a room that I wasn't completely confident was our room. I gently slipped my room key into the slot and was relieved the light turned green and the door opened to Michael celebrating my arrival. Following a long car ride of cramps and increasing stiffness I arrived back at our room around 12:30 AM after waking up at 2:45 AM the previous morning.
What I Learned:
Distances in the canyon are deceiving. You see a certain mileage and begin to do calculations in your head based upon past experiences. You know what it should take you to do a certain distance and you mentally and physically begin to prepare for that. You also think that a particular amount of water should be sufficient to cover that distance. However, a distance that may normally take you thirty minutes now takes you a hour and a half which in turn means you need more water.
As expected, I needed more training, especially more training focused on leg strengthening. You need a good running base for the cardio and time on feet is critical but my legs gave out way before my cardio. I also need to figure out hydration and nutrition for that distance and effort. I got lulled into not taking in fuel and water as frequently as I had planned in the beginning because of the lower perceived effort. By Cottonwood campground I think I was behind on hydration which caused be to not want to eat and dig a hole for energy. Things I'd change:
- Use my additional water capacity (total of 1.6 L)
- Keep one water bottle without supplements - I found I couldn't quench my thirst with the aftertaste of supplements
- Use electrolyte pills more than powder supplements in water - much easier to track
- Fruit - the tangerine was a lifesaver and the only palatable food when I was in a hole
- Trekking poles - I think they would have been a help on the long climb up to the North Rim
- Track my hydration - I had an alarm on my watch to eat every 30 min
- Don't use a watch for mileage - I had a cheat sheet with mileages between known points but focused on my watch which was not accurate because of the lack of GPS at time in the canyon
Logistically, if I had it to do over I would leave a car at the the South Rim and take a shuttle to the North Rim on Friday. Stay Friday night at the North Rim and hike back to the South Rim on Saturday where I would have a room booked for Saturday night. Then I would hang around the the South Rim Sunday before driving to Flagstaff for another room Sunday night and fly out on Monday.
Gear Used
- Drymax socks
- Saucony Peregrine 10
- Dirty Girls trail gaiters
- Skins compression sleeves
- Salomon trail shorts
- North Face Better Than Naked shirt
- Neleus hooded long sleeve dri-fit running shirt
- Salomon Advanced Skin 12 running vest
- Cooling buff/neck gaiter
- Under Armour bucket hat
- Tifosi sunglasses