Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim: The Complete Write-up Part II. North to South

How did we get to this point?  Read Part I

North Rim to Phantom Ranch

Despite my little bonk on the way up, I was feeling good right away as we headed down.  The trail was steep, but largely runnable and we were back at Supai Tunnel in no time.  At this point Wendy wasn’t feeling tops so we decided to split up.  Artie, Mike, and I pushed ahead in hopes of reaching Phantom ranch by 3:30pm.  Tressa had hiked down and was going to hike back up with us if we got there by 3:30.  Else, she was going to head up on her own. 

After topping off with water and hitting a quick bathroom stop, we began running down to Cottonwood.  Again, the trail was steep in parts, but almost entirely runnable.  The three of us strung out a bit, but reached the campground within minutes of each other.  But everything was taking a bit longer than we had expected and it was going to be a stretch to reach Phantom by 3:30.  We topped off the water again and then Artie took off with plans to push the pace, but I set my sights on 4:00pm to try to buy a lemonade at the canteen before it closed.

We were over 30 miles into the day at this point—longer than I’d ever run before—fatigue was setting in.  I didn’t rest long enough at Cottonwood and knew almost immediately that I would not be running hard through this section.  We ran though the dessert-like area as I watched Artie then Mike pull away and we were strung out again.  I needed to slow down as the heat began to overwhelm me—it was well into the ’90s at this point.  Then I was walking.  The idea of reaching Phantom by 4:00 became laughable as I was averaging 20 minute miles.

As a general observation, I was surprised by the large numbers of people on the trail all day.  Except for this section at this time of day.  Over the 7+ miles, I saw only a half-dozen other people.

I arrived at Phantom Ranch pretty wrecked—nearly exhausted.  Artie had already been there for over 30 minutes (Mike only a little less) but had missed both Tressa and the canteen.  I asked for 15 minutes to sit and rest.  After that, I was feeling much better and as we were deciding whether or not to wait for Dave and Wendy for the remaining (and likely hardest) 10 miles of the day, they came into camp.  We decided to head up Bright Angel as a group so we took a little extra time to let them rest.  I wasn’t complaining.

Dave suffering from an acute case of overcompensation

Phantom Ranch to South Rim

Some of us were fresher than others, but make no mistake that we were all in some state of exhaustion by this point—38 miles and approaching 14 hours into our day.  As we jogged out of camp and toward the river, I was laughing through the pain as I watched from the back of the line as everyone tried to run.  Ha-ha—look them!  That looks slow and miserable!  I’m glad I don’t look like that!  Wait, why am I falling behind…?

From the bottom of Bright Angel to Indian Garden, the trail climbs “gradually” (only 400 feet per mile) for about 3 miles.  From there, it’s 4 and a half miles and 3,000 vertical feet of often steep climbing to the rim.  The sun was setting—we’d go up the way we came in: in the dark. 

There would be no more running for the day.  We hiked at a fair pace considering our fatigue.  Mike was still feeling good and pushed ahead.  The rest of us stuck together in the dark.  My tummy was finally starting to rebel against the 14 hours of sports nutrition I’d been pouring into it.  I kept drinking my Infinit because I knew I needed the hydration and calories, but I was starting to feel queasy.
 

When we reached Indian Garden, my gut was still a problem but everything else was actually feeling better and stronger than an hour or so before at the river.  I dumped out what was left of my Camelbak bladder of Infinit and refilled with plain water.  It was, in a word, delicious. We sat and rested briefly before heading out to the next stop—3 Mile Resthouse about 1,000 feet up over a mile and a half.  Mike again pushed ahead and we didn’t see him again until we made the rim.  Dave was beginning to crack at this point.  The four of us stayed relatively close, but Wendy and I pushed ahead at times with Artie hanging back with Dave as we yo-yo’d to the next stop.

The Garmins ran out of batteries as we approached the 17 hour mark.  When we stopped at the resthouse, we were all pretty tired but the very steepest section was behind us.  We still had to climb 2,000 feet over the last 3 miles and it was easy to see at this point how people get into real trouble attempting this one-day double crossing at this point—so close to the finish.  We could see from the headlamps that there were still several other groups out on the trail, most of them finishing up rim-to-rim-to-rim just as we were.  We talked to a few folks from those groups as we met up on the trail or at rest stops.  Many had run into trouble during the day.  One guy (a manager at a Trader Joes near my hometown who let me know that Colorado is on the expansion plan, maybe as soon as 2013.  Was this the most important info we learned on the day?!) had to split with his partner on the north rim because of medical issues.  He headed back across the canyon while his buddy caught a shuttle for the 200+ mile drive back to the south rim.  The failure rate seemed to be in the 10% range for initial members of the groups that were still out with us.  But everyone in our group was going to make it—not a small deal.  With everything that could go wrong when five people attempt this together, it’s really a testament to the quality of our preparation both as individual athletes and as a group.

But we still had to get out.  Wendy was still physically strong but borderline delirious—laughing hysterically at every word that came out of her mouth.  Dave was moving into pretty rough shape—moving forward more on sheer will than physical strength.  Artie and Wendy moved forward and I stayed with Dave as we moved up to the 1.5 Mile Resthouse.  With my tummy finally flushed out, I was feeling pretty good at the pace.  I know I could have pushed faster, but there was no way I’d leave Dave at this point.  He was making good progress, but seemed a bit unsteady.  I made sure he stayed on the inside of the trail and fed him from my stash of glucose tablets every 10 or so minutes.

When we arrived at the 1.5 Mile Resthouse, Wendy and Artie were waiting for us.  They looked exhausted.  I was feeling better and better by this point, but I’m sure my face was showing a different story.  We moved out again as Wendy and Artie gapped us—we’d next see them at the rim.  Dave and I made slow steady progress on this last push.  Shortly before the top, Dave stopped and asked whether I’d seen a cat cross the trail right in front of us.  I hadn’t, but I looked where he said it went and didn’t see anything.  I didn't see any pawprints on the dusty trail.  We needed to get out of the canyon. 

All smiles at the end of the day

It wasn’t long before we reached the rim roughly 18 hours and 45 minutes after we started.  Tressa snapped a few pictures of us and then we headed back to the campground to eat the dinners she had bought for us when it became evident that we wouldn’t be up in time to get to a restaurant (most of which closed at 10pm)—salmon, rice, and veggies with corn bread and roasted red pepper soup.  It was an unbelievable feast after our day.  (Mike and I also grabbed a couple slices of pepperoni pizza at the one open restaurant between the rim and the campsite.)


Post-run

Only one blister (and not nearly as bad as it looks in this pic)

We mowed down our late dinner and then headed straight for bed in a wave of stink—the campsite showers had closed at 9pm.  I fell right to sleep but my legs were twitchy and my body thermostat was completely out of whack—first I was warm, then cold, then a sweaty mess.  I awoke at dawn feeling reasonably recovered but not well-rested.  I was achy and sore, but in pretty good shape, all things considered.  Aside from a blister on the side of one of my toes (which I had successfully treated with duct tape on the trail around mile 30), I had no injuries or even any substantial chafing.  Walking and moving around helped loosen things up and the hot shower ($2 for 8 minutes) was absolute heaven.

We had a fancy breakfast at El Tovar before breaking down the campsite and beginning the long drive home.  The weekend had been a success for all of us.  We had each hit and broken through a wall or two during various times of the day, but accomplished something enormous.  For me, this was a one-and-done situation.  There is no chance I’ll do it again, nor will you see me running ultras again.  I’m really, really glad I did it but now it’s done and I have no desire to do it again. 
Would I recommend it to someone else?  Sure—if this is the sort of thing that moves you.  Despite all of the things that could have gone wrong, I was surprised by how safe it felt.  The main trails we packed were full of people almost all day.  The planning and training take some work for sure, but it was all attainable.  I had thought I was well-prepared with my training—turns out I had probably done the minimum necessary.  But it was enough.

Thanks for following along on the SPOT map (if you did) and for reading about the day here.   Many, many thanks to my friend Sharon for hooking me up with the SPOT (and for being my reliable weekday running partner).  And of course, a shout out to our little Grand Canyon R2R2R crew—Mike, Dave, Wendy, Artie, and Tressa.  We made some big memories this weekend.  I’m grateful for your friendship, patience, compassion, and humor.  I’m awed by what we accomplished.


(Complete photo set: http://photobucket.com/r2r2r)

Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim: The Complete Write-up Part I. South to North

An epic blog post (in two parts) to match our epic adventure.  As always thanks for reading!

Pre-run

Looking at the north rim from the Bright Angel trailhead on the south rim.

Mike, Artie, Tressa (Artie’s wife), and I drove all day and arrived at the Grand Canyon after dark on Thursday.  We caught a few glimpses of it in the moonlight as we arrived at the park, but the plan for the night was to get to bed for a good night’s sleep as soon as possible.  Mike and I split a hotel room this night to give us a better shot at quality sleep.

Our crew: Arte, me, Mike, Wendy, Dave

Friday was mostly about relaxing, checking out the canyon, setting up the campsite, and getting Saturday’s logistics nailed down.  The day was easy with a little walking around and seeing the sights—the canyon was beautiful and big.  Dave and Wendy arrived mid-day and we all ate a nice dinner in the Arizona Room overlooking the canyon.  After a short campfire, we hit the sack—at 8:30pm. 

Dave and Wendy sorting out nutrition

I managed some nice sleep…for a few hours, then tossed and turned with anticipation until the alarms went off at 2:30am. 

Tressa and Mike

South Rim to Phantom Ranch

Moments before taking the first step into the canyon.

We arrived at the South Rim at 3:15 and, after some bathroom trips and posed photos, we stepped into the canyon at 3:30am.  Within 3 minutes, the temperature became noticeably warmer.  I peeled off my jacket right away.  We took the descent very easy—no running.  We were concerned about blowing out our quads on the way down and ruining the day.  We got passed by two groups of runners heading out on the same challenge.  Even though it took nearly three hours, it felt like we reached the Colorado River in no time.  The sun was just coming up as we ran the mile along the river to the Bright Angel bridge.  We reached Phantom ranch in a little over three hours after we started where we filled up with water, used the bathroom, and rested for just a minute or two.  Everyone was feeling good and just getting down there felt like an accomplishment (even though it would be the easiest thing we did all day). 

The mighty Colorado River at sunrise

About to cross the river.  All smiles--getting to the river is easy...

We hadn’t set a time goal for the day, but thought 15-17 hours total was reasonable.  Our conservative estimate had us reaching Phantom in 3 hours so we were off that number, but completely unconcerned.    My fear with setting a time goal was that doing so could lead to bad decisions in the canyon.  So the day would take shape as it took shape and we’d make adjustments as necessary.

Moon setting (tough to see) over Phantom Ranch

Phantom Ranch to North Rim

A relatively wide section of "The Box" heading toward Cottonwood

We began the long run up the hill at a very easy pace.  Each area of the canyon was beautiful in its own way.  Through “The Box”—a high-walled red canyon within the canyon—and then into a more dessert-like area and past Ribbon Falls as we came to the Cottonwood Campground.  Although we gained about 1,500 feet over the nearly 7 miles, we really hadn’t begun to climb.  At Cottonwood, my fluids looked good so I didn’t top off to try to save a little weight.  It was only 2 miles (but 1,100 vertical feet) to Roaring Spring. 

This section was our first taste of serious climbing.  Not the steepest we’d face, but there was no question that we were going up in a big way.  Running quickly turned to hiking as we managed to go (unintentionally) right past Roaring Springs without refilling water.  From Roaring Springs, the next water stop is the Supai Tunnel 2.7 miles (and 1,800 vertical feet) later with the rim almost two miles (and another 1,500 vertical feet) beyond.  The water at the rim was set to be turned off for the season at noon (our estimated arrival time at that point).  We had been told the seasonal water would remain on in the canyon all day, but there were some conflicting opinions about that depending on which ranger we spoke with.  As far as mistakes go, this could have been a big one.  We all ran very low or completely out of water before reaching Supai.  The trail includes a flat-ish section here, but the climbing portions are very steep.  We passed over trails carved into the solid rock of the canyon walls and saw some beautiful fall colors.

The last half-mile to Supai was very tough mentally and physically.  Our limited water and the uncertainty of being able to refill wore me down until we passed someone coming down who told us that the water was indeed on.  At the tunnel, I was tired and climbing the steep sections is not my strong suit.  We were at about the same elevation as the South Rim.  The North Rim is 1,500 feet higher.  This last section to the rim is probably the steepest sustained section of climbing on the north side.  I quickly started falling back from the group.  I had the energy and the will, but my hip flexors were shot and each step was hard work.  Artie waited for me and then walked with me most of the way.  By the time I reached the rim, I was looking forward to heading back down not because down is easier, but just so I could use a slightly different muscle group.

Supai Tunnel

We arrived at the rim at exactly noon and found out the water had been turned off an hour before.  This wasn’t a big deal since we were still pretty full and knew it would be quick back to Supai.  It had taken us 8 and a half hours to cross which would put us at 17 hours if we came back at the same rate.  We have read about some people coming back the same or faster because the North Kaibab trail is longer (so more downhill), the Bright Angel  trail (on the south side) isn’t as steep, and the south rim is lower.  We spent about 10 minutes resting, taking pictures, and eating and then stepped back into the canyon for the return trip—all of us feeling pretty good, considering that we had just run and hiked across the Grand Canyon.

The last few steps up to the North Rim

North Rim

Find out what happened next! Read Part II


(Complete photo set: http://photobucket.com/r2r2r)

Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim FAQ

Next Saturday (10/15), I’ll be attempting a rim-to-rim-to-rim run/hike at the Grand Canyon.  This is a big undertaking and definitely not a “slam dunk.”  Thought I’d share a little FAQ—the questions folks have been asking me about the run and my thoughts.

Q. What is rim-to-rim-to-rim?

A. We’ll be starting at the South Rim, running down the Bright Angel Trail across the Colorado River (over a bridge) and up to the North Rim via the North Kaibab Trail.  When we get to the top, we’ll turn right around and retrace our steps.  It should be about 48 miles.  There are a couple of options for getting across and back.  This option is a little longer than others, but the descent/ascent from the South Rim is a bit more gradual and the trail has year-round water sources.  We felt that even though it was longer, it was the safer choice.

Q. How long with this take?

A. We’ll be doing it as a continuous run/hike in a single day.  We’ll leave around 4am (in the dark but with headlamps and handheld lights) in order to get on the trail ahead of the mule trains and give ourselves the best chance of completing the crossings and getting out at a reasonable hour.  I’m guessing we’ll be in the Canyon for 15-17 hours including stops.

Q. Are you crazy?!  Why are you doing this?

A. I’m probably at least a little bit crazy.  It’s a bit difficult to express what motivates me to take on this sort of challenge.  The simplified version is: it’s out there and I’m capable of it—so why not?  Few people attempt something this big.  I like being the type of person who is willing to try.  Life is a series of experiences to be collected.  They don’t always come to you—sometimes you have to go get them.  Why not take on something that scares you every once in a while?


Q. Is this safe?

A. We’ve made it as safe as we possibly can.  This is NOT an organized event—there will be no aid stations, no medical staff, no support of any kind aside from what we provide to one another (and, for thousands of dollars after the fact, the National Park Service Search and Rescue squad is our “backup”).  We’re a group of 5 friends—strong endurance athletes (Ironmen, marathoners, etc.) but none of us do adventure racing or ultra-running for a living.  The National Park Service strongly discourages people from hiking down to the river and back in a single day.  Attempting to go all the way across and back is not a great idea.  But my training has been very solid and I’m comfortable with my preparation from both a physical and mental standpoint.  We’ll have food and water (and water filters), first aid supplies (including some basic equipment if something goes wrong and we have to spend the night down there), proper clothing, and a SPOT device (satellite-based emergency tracking/distress device).  I should be able to set up a webpage this week that will show our progress if anyone’s interested in checking in.  We picked this weekend because the weather should be decent—not too cold on the rims and not too hot at the bottom.  I’ve done a ton of training (40-60+ miles per week), have read books, visited websites, etc.  I’m absolutely committed to turning around at any point in the day if things aren’t going as planned and we’ve selected the most well-traveled trails in the canyon.  So while this really isn’t all that safe, with the right preparation we’ve made it substantially less risky.  To be fair, I’ll bet that statistics would show that driving from Colorado to Arizona and back is arguably the riskiest part of the trip.

 
Q. What will you eat and drink?

A. While there is a small canteen at Phantom Ranch (on the floor, just north of the river), I’ll be pretty much self-contained with food.  I’ll get the bulk of my calories with my hydration via a calorie rich Infinit mix that includes electrolytes and other critical nutrients.  I’ll also carry some “product” type food like Clif Bars and PowerBar Chews as well as a little real food like PB&J sandwiches.  There are year-round piped-in water sources along the trail for refilling my CamelBak.  (I’ll carry enough Infinit to make a mix each time I refill).

Q. Do you have life insurance?

A. Yes.  I’m worth substantially more dead than alive. ;-)  In all seriousness, there are a lot of ways this can go wrong (and I don’t write that to be flip).  I respect the magnitude of this undertaking and know that nature (and the Grand Canyon in particular) is not to be trifled with.  This was not undertaken on a whim.  We’ve done a lot of research and have done everything we can to make this successful and safe.  I’m very thankful for the support of my family and friends.  I love the adventure and the unthinkable size of this challenge, but I really don’t want to die and wouldn’t be attempting it if I thought that was a likely outcome.  All that said, in the words of my friend Mike (who will be taking this on with me), “you’d be a fool to attempt it.”