I successfully completed the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim adventure! Barely... From the South Rim to the North Rim is 21 miles. Starting with a 4,700 ft. descent down to the Colorado River and then a 5,740 ft. ascent up to the North Rim. That's over 10,000 ft. of elevation change!
What gave me the crazy idea to do this in the first place? I figured this was the best way to see Grand Canyon, immerse myself in it. I've been known to go all in if I'm going to do something. It all started by a video my fiancée, Norissa, had sent me on Instagram. It started to eat at me and continually popped in my mind, plus it looked like a gorgeous adventure and nice challenge. I also remember one of my co-workers had done the Rim to Rim a few years back. So, I made a commitment to do it.
Norissa and I planned to make a little vacation out of it. She was to pick me up at the North Rim when I finished. We flew into Phoenix Thursday morning and made our way up to the Flagstaff area where we would spend the night and make an hour and a half drive up to the South Rim early Friday morning. We had a bit of a rough start after we blew a tire and had to get towed 15 minutes from the airport car rental place. The rest of the trip overshadowed that negative experience. After doing some sightseeing and "standing on the corner of Winslow, Arizona", we retired back to our hotel and called it an early night.
Before we went to bed, I made sure I was organized and ready for the next morning laying out my clothes, going through my CamelBak hydration backpack, and nutrition for the trail. The one thing I decided not bring was my trekking poles. We did not check any bags and they were not TSA approved for a carry on. I figured they would be extra weight and get in the way on my descent. This decision not to bring them would bite me in the ass on my ascent back up to the North Rim.
We woke up nice and early at 3:00 am Friday morning, I shoved some breakfast down, filled my CamelBak with 3 liters of water, and we were on the road by 4:00. As we made our way towards Grand Canyon National Park, my body was feeling great. I had put a compression sleeve on my right knee to help with bursitis that sometimes flares up on long endurance events such as this. I had an anxiousness to get there. I was hardly nervous for the hike itself, but more so finding the correct shuttle bus to get on. After that, it was game on. We made it to the park by 5:30, found a parking spot and made out way to the the shuttle pickup area. On our way walking there, we ran into a couple guys from New York who joined us in our walk from the parking lot to the shuttle pickup area as we all walked around a little confused until we found out where we needed to go.
The weather was absolutely perfect as we anxiously waited for the bus. The sun started to rise above the skyline. The temperature was in the low 50s and winds were calm. The forecasted temp for the day at the bottom of the canyon was 79 degrees, which is very comfortable. This time of year the temp at the bottom can push towards 100 degrees. The shuttle was right on time at 6:00 and we made the short trek to the trailhead with a packed bus of eager hikers. And Norissa.
On our way there, I got my first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. I could feel the excitement starting to overwhelm me. It was absolutely breathtaking! When we finally made it, our first order of business was to make our way to the edge of the canyon and take it in for a few minutes. The sun was glistening on the walls of the canyon, highlighting the millions of years of layers of rock. After a couple quick pictures and saying our goodbyes, I was off! Norissa would be making a roughly 4.5 hour trek around to the North Rim to pick me up after a little sightseeing of her own.
As I started the decent, I found myself stopping frequently for a few seconds to snap pictures. The views were unexplainably amazing! There is no picture or video that can do the beauty and expansiveness of the Grand Canyon justice! I let gravity do its thing as I started to run down nimbly Parkouring my way down the packed rocky and log terraced terrain that was continually changing. I shed my long sleeve shirt within 10 minutes on the trail. My moral was high and my body was feeling great! I ended up passing everyone I was on the bus over to the trailhead, with some of them giving me words of encouragement.
There were many people on the trail, I continued to pass many who must have started earlier than me. A few were making the trek up the South Rim. During the whole hike, I bet I passed by over 100 people. I'll have to say everyone I ran into was very kind and encouraging. It was a great feeling. Everyone out there seemed to be on the same wavelength enjoying this gorgeous park we're lucky enough to have in this country.
As I continued my traverse down, I was delighted to catch my first glimpse of the iconic Colorado River, brown and full of sediment. I finally saw bridge over over the Colorado where I would cross, the Black Bridge as it's called. There was brief tunnel through part of the bottom of the canyon before it opened up to the long wooden bridge stretching it's way across river. I made it down! After I made it across the bridge I slowed my pace to walk and took a brief rest to take in the scenery. I flew down the first 7 miles to the bottom! I believe it only took me about an hour and a half. I knew it was going to start to become more difficult. Man, was I right about that...
As I made my way towards Phantom Ranch, I stopped at the first water station and saw and filled up my half empty CamelBak and the empty water bottle I brought. I emptied some Liquid I.V. in my water bottle and munched on a Cinnamon Honey Stinger Waffle and a Gu Energy gel. After refueling, I made my way through the fine sand shore to the Colorado. I symbolically soaked my small quick drying cloth I brought and cooled off my head and neck before continuing on.
The trail turned to the right and started along Bright Angel Creek, which I would follow for a few miles along the bottom of the canyon. I quickly made my way out of Phantom Ranch and continued on. The temp was very comfortable, as it was still morning and the sun was for the most part blocked by the towering canyon walls. It was a pretty hike along the creek, occasionally crossing back and forth across some small bridges. Along the creek, it was scattered with brush, cactus, and some flowers. The flow of the creek gently cascading over the rocks added to the peacefulness of the area. My pace switched between a slow jog and a fast walk. There were some uphill sections that my legs were starting feel.
The bottom seemed to go on forever. There were some occasional small uphill and downhill sections and random little lizards that would run across the path. As the sun made its way higher in the sky, the canyon started to open up a little more. The sun felt good and the temp was comfortable. I continued to suck down water and randomly wetted down my small towel along some cool springs along the trail to keep my neck and head cool.
The further I went, the more my legs started to feel the fatigue. The lower inside of my quads started cramping a little, along with my calves. The good part was my right knee was holding up! I couldn't say the same for the outside of my left knee that was starting hurt. My pace slowed and I took some random breaks to rest. I finally made it to the Cottonwood campsite, where I again filled up my water bottle and CamelBak and took in some more food. After a nice little rest, I was back on my way. The elevation started to increase and my legs started to cramp and get more fatigued. I could feel my left knee become more painful. I was still in good spirits as I was in one of the most beautiful places in the country.
Another mile and a half down the trail, I made it to Manzanita Resthouse. 5.1 miles left, but this is where the serious climbing began. 3,840 ft. in 5.1 miles. I pushed on. My knee started to throb with a shooting pain and the leg cramping continued with every step. There was some brief relief with some flat sections and brief downhill sections.
My pace was slowing considerably and breaks became more frequent. I had waves of nauseousness and light headedness. All I could do is push on and keep drinking water. The sun was out, but the breeze and cooler temps with the rise in elevation felt good. I kept telling myself one step at a time. There was no quitting. The only way out was to suck it up and keep hiking out.
My knee felt best when I was walking. When I would stop and start back up, it would be in the most pain, but I had to frequently rest. There were a few hikers that I was able to keep pace with and we would trade off passing each other, giving each other encouragement. I started to give myself many pep talks along the way. Mainly, telling myself "you fucking got this!", "No stopping now!" A couple times I had some hikers ask if I was doing okay. I was so exhausted I could barely talk. My body was giving me me the middle finger and I had to dig deep. This is where the trekking poles would have come in handy, as I talked about during a brief stop with another hiker, who was smart enough to bring hers. With a mile or two to go, I can't remember because I was in so much fucking pain, I found a branch of Ponderosa Pine along the trail that was going to be my makeshift hiking stick. I pulled myself up and up at an embarrassingly slow pace. One lady was kind enough to offer me one of her trekking poles, which I kindly declined.
With every switchback going up, it was so hard to tell where the top was. It just kept winding. As I trudged towards the top, I kept getting words of encouragement and how long until the top. As I got higher, I had to pull off to the side of the trail for a couple different mule trains headed down the canyon. It did provide me a much needed rest. In my state of exhaustion, the smell of fresh mule shit on the trail did not help. I passed a park ranger coming down and she asked if I needed anything and let me know that I was less than a mile to the end. I made a brief stop at the Coconino Overlook to take in the breathtaking view of the North Rim and pushed on. I slowly paced behind an older gentleman that must have been in his 70's, with two trekking poles by the way... I could barely keep up. Finally the trail started to widen and I could see the top and hear people at the end. With a 100 feet or so to go, there were some people cheering my up to the top.
I made it! There were other groups of hikers at the top in various stages of excitement and exhaustion. I found a kind of grassy spot and collapsed to the ground and just took it in and rested for a few. This was the hardest physical event I have ever done! It was not only physically taxing, but mentally as well. At least I was in a gorgeous place with amazing weather. I kept reminding myself of that!
I had a couple hour wait for Norissa to pick me up. Even with the slow pace coming up the North Rim, I still made it quicker than expected. 7 hours and 45 minutes. From what I hear, that's a very respectable time. I went as hard as I could. Could I have trained a little more before the hike? Sure. Making sure you drink enough water, eat enough, and drink enough electrolytes is no joke. It was a challenge getting off the ground and even just walking. I am fortunate and thankful to be able to accomplish this hike. It was an amazing experience I will never forget!
Norissa finally made it to the North Rim trail head to pick me up. I was so happy to see her and very thankful she puts up with my crazy adventures and drove 4.5 hours to come pick me up! That evening we made our way out of the park to Cliff Dwellers Lodge and I had a burger and a beer before crashing for the night. The next day we had an amazing time stopping at Horseshoe Bend and heading to Caduceus Cellars (Owned by and wines made by Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle), in Jerome before heading back down to Phoenix for the night and leaving early the next morning. I love this area and can't wait to make it back!
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