Rim to Rim to Rim
May 31, 2019
Hiking into the Grand Canyon is something every avid hiker should experience. It is a truly iconic landmark with dramatic drop-offs and spectacular scenery. I had been contemplating a rim to rim to rim hike/run for many years, but it never seemed to come together. So when work and other commitments prevented me from taking the week off to to accompany Justin and his friends to Mount Shasta, I decided to make the most of the time that I could take and see if I could make it happen. With only two weeks to plan, I was super stoked when I found a single campsite available for the nights we would need at the Mather campground on the South Rim. Things were looking good. Unfortunately, I wouldn't have time to train and I am not in the shape I used to be. I would have to rely on my prior ultra experience and stubborn determination to pull me through, but I was still going for it!
Big Momma dropped me off at Pipecreek Vista, the closest spot you can drive to the South Kaibab trailhead at 3:15AM. It was already 50 degrees; I was hoping for nice weather but not too hot. I jogged the 1 mile to the South Kaibab trailhead and started down in the dark. I couldn't see much, but I knew I must have been right on the edge. When I would try to look around, my headlight couldn't pierce the darkness; there was nothing beyond the trail; all I could see was black.
I was surprised to find the trail extremely muddy with hundreds of puddles for the first few miles. Every step was a puddle. Not wanting wet feet all day, I was trying to avoid stepping in the puddles. Within the first half hour I had already slipped on the mud and fallen down and scrapped my knee. That scared me a bit since I was right on the edge; I decided not to run after that until I could see better. I still made decent time and arrived at Tip Off right as it was getting light enough to see. My first views of the river were unforgettable. There was even some sort of creature hanging out on the sandy river beach. I probably spent half hour to 45 minutes just looking around, reading the signs and taking pictures of the bridges, the river, Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel campground.
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| Ribbon Falls |
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| Roaring Springs |
As I got closer to the top, I ran into more and more people all headed down just for short day hikes. It was nice to have people to chat with and see all the families with kids laughing and goofing off. I had to laugh myself at how concerned everyone was about my bloody knee; I couldn't even feel it at this point and it was certainly the least of my concerns.
Topping out at North Kaibab at 11:30am; I was about an hour behind what I had planned. I hung out at the rim for about half an hour eating and drinking, texting Mom and Justin and talking to folks from all over the world. Many of them were collecting there waiting for their guides to get everyone organized. Naively, I didn't realize how many people took guides for this type of thing. Heading back down felt good. I took it easy and tried to stay cool. I made it back to Manzanita and then Cottonwood in no time where I refilled my camel back and pored water on my shorts and back for the long flat stretch to Phantom Ranch. The rangers had warned me that I would be in the narrow portion of the canyon at the hottest part of the day. They were right; it was hot. There was hardly anyone else out there. I caught up with only one group during that 7 miles and it was a group of gentlemen from south Georgia. They were suffering quite a bit with heavy packs and wanted to know how much further they had. I encouraged them along and tried to keep my pace up through the heat.
Arriving back to the river around 5pm, I refilled my water once more and started the hike up the Bright Angel trail. It was cooling down a little bit due to some cloud cover and I was able to make steady progress up to Indian Garden. Although there were no other people, I did encounter two rattlesnakes on this section of trail which kept me alert. |
| The remaining trail out |
With only 4.5 miles left, I was optimistic I could still make it before dark. I honestly felt pretty good; better coming up this side than the north side, likely due to the cooler temps. It seemed like I was completely surrounded by cliffs and there was no way out, but once I started looking closer, I could barely make out dozens of switchbacks straight up the cliffs right in front of me; I knew this wouldn't be an easy stretch. It was about the 3 mile rest house where I started catching up to people that had either hiked from the north rim or else just gone further than they should have for a day hike. Group after group of people struggling to get back out kept me entertained and I was especially happy there were other people around when I saw the very distinct outline of a cat. It didn't seem quite big enough to be a mountain lion, but it clearly had a tail so it wasn't a bobcat. I also passed a few scorpions and other rodents; lots of activity right at dust. I knew I was close when I started coming across groups of spectators and family members of the hikers that had not yet returned. One group even gave me a beer when they heard I was completing the R2R2R. I was happy when I finally came over the edge at Bright Angel trail head just after 9pm. I wandered around the rim for just a few minutes before catching the bus back to the campground where Big Momma and Leia were excited to see me. After talking about this for so many years, it's good to have finally completed it. Special thanks to Big Momma for being willing to drive down and camp with me on virtually no notice.
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