A rim-to-rim (r2r) is about 21 miles or so, depending on which South Rim trail you use. In 2017, a Flagstaff runner set the record with a time of 2 hours 39 minutes. That’s a good time for that distance on a flat course. But doing it in the Grand Canyon means either going up to about 7,000 feet to the South Rim or to about 8,000 feet to the North Rim.
I had a more modest goal–to beat 10 hours. Ever since my first r2r with my brother-in-law Tim, it became my personal challenge to do it under 10 hours. Since then, I had come so close–a 10:15, a 10:20, a 10:30, another 10:20, and a 10:45. Now cam my sixth attempt.
I arrived on the South Rim on a Friday afternoon after driving over from Taos Ski Valley where I had hiked up Wheeler Peak, the high point in New Mexico. (That’s another story.) I really enjoy just hanging out at the Canyon–and that’s what I did that evening.
The next day, Saturday, I stretched my legs by hiking along the rim towards Hermits Rest. I remember thinking how unusually hot it was. This was July, so I expected it to be hot, but this was hotter than normal. What I didn’t know until after I got home, was that a 24-year-old woman died in the Canyon that day.
Three months earlier, Margaret Bradley had finished the Boston Marathon in just slightly more than 3 hours. She was spending the summer in Flagstaff to train at altitude. Margaret and a friend had decided to do a 27-mile run down to Phantom Ranch. With very little in the way of water, and temperatures over 100 degrees, they headed down the Grandview Trail with the intent of intersecting with the Tonto Trail, going over to the South Kaibab Trail, and then going down to the bottom. I’ve hiked on the Grandview Trail. It’s not maintained–meaning it has lots rocks and pebbles under foot. It wasn’t an easy cruise like hiking on the Bright Angel Trail or South Kaibab Trail. Mistake number one was they took not nearly enough water. Mistake number two was they got separated from each other.
Rangers found Margaret’s body a couple of days later. It looked like she had tried to shortcut down to the river. Apparently, she had down climbed several dropoffs until she reached a point where it was too difficult to climb down and she was too exhausted to climb back up. She died of heat exhaustion.
On Sunday, I took the Transcanyon Shuttle around to the North Rim. I had my usual steak dinner at the lodge dining room. (Well recommended.) Monday morning, I took the Hikers Shuttle to the North Kaibab trailhead.
I got my usual late start at 7:30am. However, it ended up not really making a difference. It’s five miles downhill from the trailhead to the Pumphouse. By the time I reached it, I knew it wasn’t going to be my day to break 10 hours. I was already unusually hot. And the next 12 miles or so was always hotter since the trail didn’t have any shade until a few miles before Phantom Ranch. At this point I told myself not to do anything stupid. Just maintain a steady pace and don’t try to push it.
I get a nice, comfortable rhythm going. As I’m cruising along, I hear a rustling noise on the hillside. All of a sudden a snake, a thin, long black snake with a white stripe down its back, goes flying through the air across the trail about ten feet in front of me. Whoa! That gave me a jolt of adrenaline! Now I’m thinking, not only do I have to deal with the ungodly heat, I have to watch out for flying snakes!
Up until now, I’m not seen anyone else on the trail. After about an hour or so, though, I come across a family of three. The husband and wife are huddled in the shade of a large boulder, while their son, who looked 11-12 years old, throwing rocks in the creek. They looked pretty beat. I stopped and chatted for a bit. This was their first time visiting the Grand Canyon. They had started out earlier in the morning from the North Rim–an hour or so before I did. They had not expected the heat. I tried to talk them in to hiking along with me, explaining that Phantom Ranch was about 20 minutes away. But, no, they wanted to rest longer. So I continued on.
The air conditioned canteen at Phantom Ranch has the best ice-cold lemonade in the world! I was so happy to make it there. Normally, I would just refill my water bottles, rest for maybe 10-15 minutes, and then continue on. But on this day, I sat in the canteen for a couple of hours and drank 5 or 6 glasses of lemonade. Eventually, though, I reminded myself that the South Rim wasn’t getting any closer. So I filled up my water bottles and set off again
Leaving the canteen, I noticed the thermometer hanging on the tree. It reads 115 degrees. Yikes! Next, I pass the corral where the mules are kept, Bright Angel campground, and some storage buildings before reaching the river. There are two foot bridges crossing the Colorado River. One is called the “Black Bridge”. It has a solid floor and is used by not only hikers but mule trains. Typically, you use that bridge if you’re using the South Kaibab Trail. The South Kaibab is a shorter trail, but steeper than the Bright Angel Trail. It also follows ridge lines, which means it’s out in the sun most of the time. It’s better to go down it than go up. (I can testify to that. On one of my earlier r2r hikes, the Bright Angel Trail was washed out and I was forced to go up the South Kaibab.) Since I was going up the Bright Angel Trail, I’d take the other silver bridge further downstream. That bridge has a grated floor. It always gets my heart rate up. The grates are anchored but still move up and down a little. Plus, you can look straight down to the river below.
After surviving crossing the bridge, I hiked along the river for about a half mile. Then you turn and head up. What I consider the hardest part of the hike comes next–the Devil’s Corkscrew. It’s steep and winds its way up. And, it always seems to be in the sun. Adding to it this day, it’s even harder when you’re already tired.
As I’m slowly making my way up, I start having doubts that I can make it to the top. A couple miles further up is Indian Garden, where there’s a campground, water, and a Ranger station. Maybe I’ll hang out there for a few hours before the final push. (Indian Garden is 5 miles from the top.) To stay overnight you need a permit. But if I felt too wiped out perhaps I could convince the Ranger to let me just sit there.
It felt so good to sit down and drink some cold water. I soaked my hat in it, too. While I’m resting, a guy was just returning from Plateau Point. He was overweight and looked pretty tired. (People forget that going down is the easy part.) We started chatting. He had hiked down from the South Rim earlier in the day and intended to hike back up. I asked if he minded that I tag along. (He said fine.) I thought that he would force me to go at a slower pace.
Our next milestone would be 3-mile Resthouse. It took us two hours to go those two miles. By the time we got there it was getting dark–and I discovered that I hadn’t packed my flashlight. (Though the guy had a flashlight.) At this point the guy said he was going to rest and probably take a nap at the Resthouse, maybe even wait till morning. That meant I had a decision to make: hang with the guy with the flashlight or make my way three more miles to the top–in the dark–where I had a comfy bed waiting for me. I decided to go on.
Of course, it just had to be a moonless night. It was pitch black. I could just barely see my feet. But I felt my way using my hiking poles. And I tell myself that if I start having a problem I can just sit down on the trail and wait until first light. But then I remember that scorpions come out at night. Sitting down would be a bad idea. I push on.
Over the next three miles, I only stumble a couple of times but never fall. Around the last mile or so, I start hearing noises in the darkness. Most likely it’s deer or elk, I tell myself. But there are a couple of mountain lions in the Park. That was incentive to keep moving.
The lights on the rim are now visible and the trail a lot easier. Finally, after three hours, I complete the last three miles. Woohoo! It’s now 10 minutes after midnight. (I started at 7:30am.) Of course, it’s another half-mile to my room, and a shower, some aspirin, and a comfy bed. But I did it! Perseverance.