Category Archives: National Park Ultra Runs

A collection of my reports documenting my project to map out and run an ultra distance route in every single US National Park that highlights the best of what that park is.

House of the Sun: Haleakala Ultra Run

1 Reply

I grew up vacationing on the garden isle of Maui, splashing in the waves, building sand castles and occasionally fearfully snorkeling. As I grew older our vacation adventures grew a bit bolder, several times taking us to the summit of the mighty Haleakala to watch sunrise from 10000ft before screaming down the road on bicycles. That was when I first learned that some people rode bicycles UP the mountain!?!? Little did I know that the seed was planted for my own epic adventure on this island volcano.

Epic sunsets from Napili beach on Maui.

An unexpected turn in my travels brought me to the Hawaiian islands as a stop over between Asia and South America, starting my journey on Maui. Last year I set in motion a long term project to map out and run ultra distance routes in each of America’s National Parks. As of December 2016 I had completed four such runs; Grand Canyon R2R2R, Zion Traverse, Yosemite Valley circumnavigation and the Grand Tetons loop. This layover was going to be a perfect chance to explore two more National Parks; Haleakala and Volcanos. On December 20th with very little training under my belt I set out from Napili on the 2h drive to Kaupo for the start of the ‘Sea to Summit’ route of Haleakala.

The jungle slowly absorbing the road to the Kaupo ranch.

Sunrise from the Kaupo ranch trailhead

Just after passing the Kaupo store I turned left up an overgrown ‘paved’ road and headed up the mountain. After 1.5mi of driving through the tall grass and bumping along (2wd) I reached the ranch gate and parked on the side of the road at 1500ft above sea level. One can start at sea level and run 2.5mi of road to the TH, but I opted not to. I hopped the fence and followed the Kaupo ‘trail’ signs to a dense field of grass where I promptly lost the trail in the heavily bulldozed brush. I bushwhacked up random ranch roads finally stumbling across more trail signs leading up the maze of Kaupo ranch dirt roads. I lost the ‘trail’ several more times on the overgrown dirt roads before finally popping out in a large grassy cow pasture where I was able to easily follow the marked path all the way to the National Park boundary. The route had been brushy and muddy to this point, but my hopes of better trail inside the National Park were quickly dashed when I looked into the waist deep grass with only faint evidence of where the trail might be, ah shit. It had already taken me 1:30 to cover a supposed 3mi (more like >4mi w detours), and things weren’t about to speed up. I thrashed my way up the overgrown Kaupo trail, occasionally stumbling on hidden rocks or tripping on a root, unable to run.

The trail at the National Park boundary, not really maintained.

So that’s the trail? Looks like a grassy field to me.

As I passed the 5000ft mark the terrain finally became more volcanic and the grass receded. My pace quickened and I finally reached the turn off for the Paliku shelter at 7mi and 6500ft (2:55). I was entering the crater and the terrain was fully volcanic, a mix of gravel and small volcanic rock. I was finally able to run, and made good time over to the Kapaloa shelter (10.1mi, 3:45). The trail was beautifully smooth packed gravel and I kept jogging all the way to the bottom of the Sliding Sands trail where the steep climb to the summit began. I passed several of Haleakala’s iconic silverswords and the crowd of tourist descending from the summit road slowly began to grow.

The brush clears and the trail opens as I entered the crater.

Running through volcanic lava fields, something a bit different.

I chugged my way up the Sliding Sands trail finally reaching the summit road determined to finish off the final 0.5mi of road quickly. At 12:20p (5:35) I topped out at the Haleakala shelter at 10023ft above sea level after gaining almost 9000ft over 16miles (+2mi of detours). It was a clear and warm day, multicolored cinder cones dotted the crater and Paliku was barely visible at the far edge of the crater. Central Maui, the West Maui mountains and the ocean were all visible far below. After a few quick photos I jogged back down the road to the visitors center to refill water the went bombing down the smooth gravel of the Sliding Sands trail.

Entering the crater the scene is from another planet.

Silversword along the Sliding Sands trail.

The long smooth climb up the sliding sands trail.

The trail was fantastically fast and soon I was back in the heart of the crater slowly shuffling across. I was really starting to feel my lack of training now as the fatigue set in, but I still had 12mi to go, so go I did. The sun was relentless as it beat down on the black lava rock, finally back at the Kapaloa shelter I sat down for a short break (7:00, 22mi). It was dead quiet in the heart of the crater and I hadn’t seen another person for 3mi (and wouldn’t for the rest of the day). I took it easy across the rocky lava fields to Paliku (7:45, 25.1mi). Then back down the grass covered brushy trail to the Kaupo ranch boundary (8:50, 29mi). This time I managed to locate the proper route through the ranch roads (follow signs and blue flags), if you don’t see blue flags once you reach the brush you’re probably on the wrong route. 9h 15min after leaving my vehicle, I again hopped the fence and stopped my watch. It had been an exhaustingly beautiful day (32mi +>2mi of detours, 9000ft gain/loss) and for about 80% of the route I had the trail to myself.

On the summit of Haleakala at 10023ft.

Descending back into the crater from the summit road.

When there is no snow a volcanic sand angel is an acceptable alternative.

Found the ranch trail on the way down. Follow the blue flags for smooth sailing.

So went my fifth National Park ultra distance run. It was definitely the most trying to date, lots of bushwacking and route finding on unmaintained trails/roads. But it offered a unique glimpse into the variety of ecosystems 10,000ft of pacific island volcano creates. From dense forest to waist deep grasslands, rocky lava beds to weathered gravel and cinder of all different colors. This is definitely not a route for those looking for smooth trail (though the upper crater loop is beautifully runnable), but better suited for those looking for a unique adventure in a one of a kind environment. For the extra ambitious you can start from the road and run east and down to the beach before ascending a full 10,000ft to the summit.

As my National Parks project moves forward I am looking forward to more unique adventures in our amazingly diverse Park system. Coming soon to a blog near you a recount of my gnarly Volcano National Park run. Thanks to VFuel for powering my adventures and to all the hard working folks of our National Parks who make this project possible. To continued exploration into new and beautiful worlds.

Ultrarunning the National Parks

The Long Way Around: Yosemite Valley Circumnavigation

9 Replies

Run Stats

Route	Yosemite Valley Rim Circumnavigation
Time on Feet	17h 55min
Distance	64.5mi
Elevation	15,750ft Gain/Loss ea
Calories Consumed	3400 kcal; 12 Vfuel, 3 Clif Bars, 2 chewy bars, 6oz trail mix, 1 Justin’s Almond Butter, 2oz M&Ms, 2 fruit snacks, 1oz turkey jerky.
Water Consumed	13-15 20oz bottles (9L)
Salt Consumed	19 capsules/9000mg, approx 400-500mg ea
Calories Burned	Approx 8,000 kcal
TemperatureRange	65-85°F

Gear: UD UltraVest, 2x 20oz bottles, BD Z-poles, Tikka XP headlamp, Fenix ED10 light, Foretrex 301 GPS, Canon S110 camera, SPOT locator, inhaler, First-aid kit, Emergency blanket, Aqua Mira.

Clothing: iNov8 X-talon 212, Smartwool PhD crew socks, Champion synthetic boxer briefs, TNF Better-than-naked shorts, RMR Patagonia shirt, Moeben sleeves, $1 Walmart gloves, Drymax hat, bandana, OR Helium 2 Jacket.

The actual GPS track from my loop around the Yosemite Valley.

Motivation comes in many forms, and all too often I hear people say, “I need to sign up for a race to keep me motivated in training”. I’d argue you don’t need a race, just a goal to work towards. In recent years I’ve come to realize that racing and competition don’t really excite me like it does other, there’s no adventure, there’s no mystery, and the unknown/uncertainty is minimized by the structure. So when I decided to postpone my original big project earlier this year I went searching in California for something fun to do. This is when I noticed a series of trails that seemed to loop around the rim of the Yosemite Valley. I began searching for additional information about the trails, distances and routes, and found very little, and nothing on people completing the full loop. Really? Could it be that no one has completed (and recorded publicly) hiking or running the loop? The closest I’ve found are runs/hikes of the North Rim and Leor Pantilat’s Tenaya Canyon Loop.

4500kcal is a lot to carry around. Prerun packing.

Early morning light at the Tunnel View overlook, here goes nothing.

Tuesday 6/30 I flew back into CA, picked up a car, and drove to the boundary of Yosemite to catch a few hours of rest before an early AM wake up. On Wednesday AM as I descended into the Yosemite Valley before dawn the temperatures were already in the 70s, as the forecast predicted it was going to be a hot one (90s in the Valley). I packed up my gear, threw 4500calories in my backpack, 40oz of water, and slathered on some sun screen. At 4:53am I started up the Glacier Point Rd, opting for this easier start than trying to find the connector trail in the dark. I quickly reached Tunnel View and struck on up the trail toward Inspiration Point. As I ascended toward the valley rim the temperature finally began to cool and the views began to open up. I quickly passed by Inspiration Point and found myself at Dewey Point (6:37am, mm6.5). The Yosemite Valley sprawled out below me, with El Capitan’s massive face dominating the Valley wall directly across from me. It was going to be a LONG way until I stood atop El Capitan probably less than 2miles as the crow flies from where I stood.

Sun shining on the Yosemite Valley from Dewey Point, this place is awesome.

Between the view points the trails weren’t so bad. Even in a drought year the flowers bloom.

I snapped a few photos and jogged off along the South Rim’s rolling forest and meadow laden trails. A quick stop at Taft Point (7:39am, mm11) to take in a few more views up Valley and off to Glacier Point and Sentinel Dome I went. A light cloud cover kept things from heating up too much, but also led to some hazy views from the top of Sentinel Dome (8:15am, mm13.9). Sentinel Dome is a highly underrated short hike, with views of the Yosemite Valley, Half Dome and into the Yosemite High Country as well, all achieved in under a mile each way from the Glacier Point Rd. I blew past the Glacier Point Rd and opened up the pace a bit as I headed down the smooth switchbacks toward Illouette Falls. Illouette Falls is one of the hidden gems of the Yosemite Valley, dropping 370ft sideways into a narrow rocky valley after starting as a narrow band before being broken into a nice fan. It can only be seen from several view points just below Glacier Point or by hiking up the valley to its base.

Looking down into the Valley and at the Nose of El Cap from Taft Point.

View from the top of Sentinel Dome toward Half Dome, Cloudsrest and Tenaya Canyon.

On the trail to Illouette Falls just below Glacier Point. Half Dome, Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls.

Often overlooked Illouette Falls.

Another quick water refill and I hiked my way over the Panorama Cliffs and soon rejoined the crowds, briefly, for the run from Nevada Falls to the Half Dome cutoff. As I cruised past the roaring Nevada Falls (9:48am, mm20.9) and up the Merced the constant stream of people reminded me I was still so close to the Yosemite Valley. I again refilled water, soaked my bandana, and sponged off near the bottom of Sunrise Creek then began the long hot, dry ascent up Cloudsrest. The sun was out in full force and the cumulative effects of the warm dry air were starting to take their toll, but when you’re running around unsupported you just have to deal with it and keep moving. I chugged water as I slowly climbed, but desperately needed too cool off. As luck would have it I found a trickling spring popping out of the hillside at 8200ft, what a little miracle that was amongst the barren dry slopes of Cloudsrest. My pace had still slowed quite a bit in the heat of the day, but I kept plodding along up up up. I reached the summit of Cloudsrest at 12:32pm (mm27.6), fairly tired/fatigued from the heat, but my legs felt alright. I ate some jerky and M&Ms and took a short nap as the cool breeze blew across the summit, waking 10min later feeling fairly refreshed. The panoramic view from Cloudsrest’s rocky summit includes a close-up profile of Half Dome, the giant granite lined bowl that is Tenaya Canyon, and a glimpse of the granitic peaks and spires that make up the Yosemite High Country.

Nearing the rocky summit of Cloudsrest, its hot.

View down the Yosemite Valley from Cloudsrest.

I trotted off down the North side of Cloudsrest toward Tenaya Lake and the long haul around Tenaya Canyon. As I descended the incredibly rocky trail towards Tenaya Lake the all too familiar boom of thunder echoed high overhead in the clouds. As the rain began I was glad I was back below treeline, far from the exposed summit of Cloudsrest. The rain felt wonderfully soothing, and was a welcome change from the relentless heat and sun of the rest of the day, but would be short lived. I settled into a nice jog/hike mixture on the rolling terrain past Tenaya Lake (2:08pm, mm33.6) and around past the tourist crowded Olmstead Point toward Snow Creek. My mind began to become a bit foggy and I was worried the general fatigue was going to shut me down. Another thunderstorm rolled overhead as I crossed an exposed section of trail high above Tenaya Canyon, unfortunately the sun was soon back out heating things back up. My legs still had some decent pep as I cruised down the soft single track toward the Snow Creek crossing.

A quick peak into the Yosemite High Country at Tenaya Lake, halfway home.

Romping through the forest along Snow Creek.

I plopped on down next to Snow Creek, wet my bandana and munched on my trail mix, staring blankly at the map trying to decide my next move. I was moving slower, but my legs still felt alright, so I pushed onward, deciding to forgo the spur to North Dome, opting for the more direct line down Lehamite Creek instead. I put on some music, put my head down and chugged my way up the climb to the Indian Ridge saddle. As the sun dropped lower in the sky, the trees began to filter out a lot of the sunlight, cooling things down a bit and softening the light. Before I knew it I popped out at Yosemite Point (6:00pm, mm47.3); the Valley floor was 3000ft below my feet while Half Dome loomed large with the Clark Range dominating the skyline. As I sat enjoying the view I realized this moment was why I’d decided do to this insanely long linkup in the first place. To experience the awesome immenseness of Yosemite in a fashion and at times of day that few others would ever experience.

Cooling off in the upper reaches of Snow Creek, a regular occurrence, and a necessity.

This place is alright. Relaxing and taking it all in at Yosemite Point.

As I made my way through Eagle Peak Meadow I did some calculations and realized I’d be coming back into the Valley after dark, not something I’d wanted to do on the overgrown and unmaintained Old Big Oakflat Rd, but not completely unanticipated either. I pushed my legs a little on the flats and downhills, but the ups were a labor, as the fatigue from the long day was really taking its toll. I finally strolled my way across the top of El Capitan’s broad summit and sat down on a rock pile atop the immense hunk of granite (7:38pm, mm52.5). The sun was hidden behind some clouds bathing the Valley in a soft glow. El Capitan may not have the best view of the Valley and surroundings, but it’s a cool feeling to sit atop the monolith, something surprisingly few people do.

On the homestretch, 15 long miles to go.

Sunset on top of El Capitan.

The sun fades away to the West and back into darkness I go.

Then began the long trudge back to the car. From the top of El Capitan it was roughly 11.8miles of rolling downhill forested single track and unmaintained access road (dirt) back to my car at Bridal Veil. No more views, just closing out the loop…in the dark. As I crested the final small hill near Ribbon Meadow the last remnants of the sun lit the sky up in an array of yellows, oranges, reds and pinks, then into the darkness I descended. My legs were very happy on the somewhat rough downhill single track, and soon I found myself at the unsigned turn off for the Old Big Oakflat Rd, an unmaintained access road that the park service had ‘let go’ of and is now know as the ‘Rock slide’ trail for good reason. As I started jogging down the old road grade I found out what 50years without maintenance can do, hundreds of downed trees, tree branches growing right into the track, manzanita narrowing the path to 1-2ft wide, and finally the rock slides. Just after an old view point known as Rainbow View (it was dark, no views) the old road had been ravaged by dozens of large rocks slides, some that have completely wiped out the old road grade. Ever tried navigating sideways through a large talus field in the dark? It’s not easy, and was very frustrating. In all the descent down the Old Big Oakflat Rd was mentally the most painful and frustrating part of the day, because my legs felt good and wanted to run, but I could never get a rhythm going because of the overgrowth and rock slides. Finally after much rock hoping and thrashing I popped out on the maintained service road at the bottom and hopped on the Valley trail that would take me back to the Pohono bridge and the Bridal Veil parking area. I jogged my way across the valley, finally reaching the Bridal Veil parking lot at 10:48pm (mm64.5), completing the whole loop in 17h55min, not blazing fast by any means, but I’d gotten it done.

And there were hundreds of these on the Old Big Oakflat Rd, ick.

El Cap in the moonlight with a solitary headlamp bivied on the wall.

I was exhausted, but very happy with the long day. After a quick rinse off in the Merced River (I was filthy) I threw all my gear into the back of the car and drove just outside the park boundaries to a logging road I’d found the previous night and was out within minutes, the rest of the drive to meet my family at the Lair of the Bear where we’d be camping until Saturday would have to wait until morning.

Closing Thoughts:

When I first conceived of the idea of running a loop around the entire rim of the Yosemite Valley, the main intention was to experience as many of the iconic view points as possible, while never returning to the hustle and bustle of the Valley. Except for my one detour off the North Dome loop it was a success, the views were amazing and varied all day long, I saw surprisingly few people, even at major junctions like Glacier Point, Nevada Falls and Yosemite Falls. What I hadn’t expected were all the wildflower laden meadows (even in a drought year), the beautifully soft forest single track and the immense fur and pine forests that encompassed all the sections in between the labeled view points. I’d gotten a little unlucky with the weather; being an abnormally low snow year leading to rivers drying up early and a hotter than usual day, which baked me pretty good from 11a-5p. The only part that I really did not enjoy was the final descent down the Old Big Oakflat Rd in the dark, some of that may have been due to fatigue, but I was definitely frustrated by the rough and unrunnable nature of the ‘trail’.

I would love to do the run again someday, but I think the CW direction would be better for several reasons, and placing some self-supported drops at the Tenaya Lake and Glacier Point bear boxes would be a great help. I also think that during a normal snowpack year the flowers could be 10x better than what I saw and water much more plentiful (trail could be muddy in places though). This route would also make a fantastic 3-5day backpacking trip for those less inclined to run, or it could be split into two segments for runners using the free shuttle bus service to/from Tenaya Lake. There are unlimited possibilities for loops of varying distances and difficulties depending what you want to see, many of which have been done before, but putting the whole thing together in one day was an awesome experience, and truly a unique way to get to know the Yosemite Valley Rim.

Special thanks to Vfuel for keeping my energized during this crazy adventures, Cindy Stonesmith at Ultrarunner Training for keeping me in line (physically), Adam Engel at Waldron’s Peak PT for helping fix me earlier this year and all my running/climbing/scrambling/skiing partners for being equally crazy and adventurous. Run fast, run healthy, but mostly run happy.

Here is a link to my Strava GPX from the day.

Here is a link to the video/slideshow of the entire run (approx 10min)

Trans Zion Traverse

Hard Lessons Learned on the Rim to Rim to Rim (R2R2R)

Rim2Rim2Rim Planning and Preparation

Date: May 12th, 2007
What: One day R2R2R Run across the Grand Canyon and back
Where: Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Weather: 50-113F, sweltering with a hot breeze
Distance: 51 miles
Elevation gain: 11,300′
Technical Difficulty: Grade V, Class 1
Physical Difficulty: 10 out of 10
Time: 20hrs 38min trailhead to trailhead
Other’s Albums:
Chris G’s Photos
Charles’ TR and Photos
Michael/Smudge’s Trip Report

The Grand Canyon “Rim to Rim to Rim” is one of the premier and ultra runs/hikes, and something I’ve been dreaming of doing for several years now. So when my buddy Chris proposed the idea I couldn’t say no. Planning went in motion and soon our group had grown to a dozen people; runners, hikers, climbers, and cyclist from all over the Colorado Front Range. The date was set, May 12th, 2007, with half of us shooting for the “Rim to Rim to Rim”, the other half for the “Rim to River to Rim”. On Thursday May 10th 2 carloads took off at the crack of dawn, myself and 3 others were going to wait until the evening, as we needed to get some work done.

At 630p I met Chris, Joy, and Kari in Genesee, we loaded up my Forester and were on the road by 7p. We made the long haul to Moab, where we camped just outside Arches for the night. The morning greated with a lovely sunrise, then we spent the rest of the morning touring Arches before heading to the “Big Ditch”. Our car arrived at the Mather Campground at 2p Arizona time, finding the others already holding beers and relaxing after they spent the morning wandering the Rim. They gave us the bad news, “temps were over 100 today at Phantom Ranch”. Not a good sign, though we remained optimistic that we could endure the heat. After gorging ourselves and arranging some gear it was off to bed. The Rim2Rim2Rim group(Myself, Chris G, Chris F, Charles, Michael, Joy, and Kari) was planning to get up at 230a with a planned departure from the Bright Angel Trailhead of 330a. The Rim2River2Rim group(Andy, Jim, Todd, Amy, Seth, and Sara) was planning on waiting until first light to take off, so around 5a.

Off and Running

At 215am the first alarm sounded waking Chris F and I, it was promptly reset for 230a, ahhhh another 15min of sleep. At 230a I finally rolled out of bed, changed clothes and grabbed my pack. I wandered over to the picnic table where the others were assembling gear, at this time temps were cool(50s), some hope for the day. As we were packing up Sara and Seth arrived in camp, they had driven all night from Boulder with the intent of doing a Rim2River2Rim. It was 3am, so they grabbed a tent and slept for an hour or 2(true troopers).After a quick breakfast we hopped in the cars and headed for the trailhead. Somehow Chris F and I ended up alone in my car(5 in the other car), so without hesitation we put on some Guns n’ Roses “Welcome to the Jungle”, no better way to start a 50mile death march. We were excited and the adrenaline was flowing in full force. Our proposed route for the day was; to start at the Bright Angel Trailhead and run over to the South Kaibab Trailhead(Chris G’s idea), then down the South Kaibab trail, up the North Kaibab, back down the North Kaibab, then finally up the Bright Angel trail back to our cars. Simple enough right, just two climbs and two descents, though these were -4500ft, +5500ft, -5500ft, +4300ft of elevation. Throw in some small ups and downs along the way and you have an 11000ft+/- 50mile day.

The group running the rim trail.

We started off from the Bright Angel TH at 330a, in high spirits, chatting the whole way. The jog to South Kaibab was a nice warm-up in the cool morning air, a mellow 5miles alongside a big black abyss. We headed down South Kaibab into the darkness at 430a, the trail dropped abruptly next to us into the canyon below. We started out slow, as the darkness limited visibility, but the sun soon lit up the morning sky, allowing us to cruise down the trail to the river below. The warm twilight bathed the colorful canyon walls, this was by far the most beautiful part of the run. After numerous picture stops, a bathroom break, and passing two mule trains the 7 of us crossed the mighty Colorado River just after 6am. The water was a brilliant green color, and the first glimpses of sunlight where beginning to reflect off the upper canyon onto its surface. The entire group reached Phantom Ranch by 630a(water stop), feeling great and loving the hike/run. Joy, Chris F, and I took off ahead up , a narrow section of Bright Angel Canyon that slowly climbs up to Cottonwood Campground. The rolling terrain of “The Box” was very scenic and great for running. By 8a the entire group had gathered at the Cottonwood campground, after this the trail begins to climb much more rapidly. The temperature had been mild all morning(50-70s), giving us hope for the afternoon passage through the inner canyon.

Running down the South Kaibab trail.

Chris running through the Box Canyon outside of Phantom Ranch.

The North Kaibab

After a snack and water refill at Cottonwood Joy, Chris F, and I again took off ahead, jogging/walking up the North Kaibab. By the time we hit Roaring Springs the sun was out in full force and the temperature had begun to climb, already in the mid 80s. The climb from Roaring Springs to the Supai Tunnel traverses some impressive cliff bands and climbs up many a dry hot switchback. Every bit of shade was our friend along this section. At 10a I finally passed through the tunnel to the oasis that is the Supai Tunnel faucet. I drenched myself, and filled my water for the final climb to the North Rim. Chris F had fallen a little behind, so Joy and I took off ahead, topping out on the North Rim at 1050a, 6:20 South to North, not bad. We grabbed a snack, snapped a few pictures, then took off jogging downhill, something we hadn’t done in quite sometime(5h to be exact). We passed Chris F about 10min from the top, and met up with the others(Chris G, Charles, Michael, and Kari) at the Supai Tunnel faucet. The heat was starting to get to everybody, as temps were pushing into the 90s.

Trail winding its way up the North Kaibab.

Chris trying to cool off in the 113F heat in Bright Angel Creek.

I took a break to chat with the others, wash my feet, and change socks at the Supai Tunnel. At this point I was still feeling good, but had a long way to go. Chris G, Charles, and Michael continued up, while Kari had opted to turn around. I continued my jog down the hot dry switchbacks. At some point between the Supai Tunnel and Roaring Springs I strained an abdominal muscle, which soon turned into a permanent cramp that I would harbor for the remainder of the day. I slowed down, mixing walking and jogging much more frequently, finally reaching the faucet just above the Cottonwood Campground. The temperature was now pushing 100F, and the heat was taking its toll. Joy and I drenched ourselves in the pump house’s icy water, took some salt caps, and tried to eat some food. By this point most food didn’t taste very good, so it was a struggle to get something past the perma-cottonmouth I had developed. I tried to jog down to Cottonwood, but the combination of the heat and the ab strain were hurting me pretty bad.

Sufferfest; Sun, Heat, and Exposure

After once again resting and dousing myself with water Joy and I continued down into “The Box”, where we hoped to find shade among its narrow walls, no such luck. The sun was beating down straight overhead(1-3p), giving us no reprieve, and the black walls served to amplify the heat. At one point my watch read 113F in “The Box”. About half way down “The Box” Joy took off ahead, as she was handling the heat much better than I(or anyone else for that matter). I started jogging again, then walking to let the pain subside, then back to jogging. I realized that I need to get down to Phantom to cool off, and walking wasn’t going to get me there any faster. I finally arrived at Phantom Ranch at 3pm, finding Joy inside drinking lemonade and trying to cool off. I was dehydrated and in need of sustenance and made the mistake of drinking a glass of lemonade before addressing the hydration issue. The acidic drink instantly put my stomach into knots and I quickly realized my mistake, but it was too late, as chasing with water and eating crackers did no good. I had a tums and tried to settle my stomach, but it wasn’t working. I told Joy to go on ahead letting her know I would wait for Chris F to arrive.

Chris F arrived around 330p, and found me hunched over on a bench trying to calm my stomach. We grabbed some ice water and started walking down toward the river, at that moment I knew my stomach just needed to be evacuated. I pulled over to the side and out came all the lemonade, water, and crackers from 20min ago. I instantly felt better, but knew I needed to rehydrate. Chris and I went and laid in the river while we ate and drank, knowing the climb out was going to be brutal. We left Phantom Ranch at 4pm headed for the Bright Angel trail and the homestretch, 9miles of climbing in relentless heat.

Trudging our way up the Bright Angel trail in a miserable state of suffering.

While Chris F and I struggled up Bright Angel, the other 4 were having their own problems back in “The Box”. All were dealing with fatigue and heat exhaustion to some degree, but Charles had started hallucinating and emptying the contents of his stomach all over the canyon. The others did their best to keep him wet and cool, but the temps just weren’t cooperating. When they reached Phantom Ranch they opted to wait for the sun to set, hoping for cooler temperatures. Meanwhile on the South Rim the Rim2River2Rim group was back in civilization(5pm) after suffering through the hot climb up Bright Angel. Joy would return only an hour or two after them, as she handled the heat very well and made good time out of the canyon(South Rim around 7pm).

Chris and I slowly trudged uphill, the heat had really zapped our energy(still mid 90s), but we were still moving along. The hike to Indian Gardens was slow, taking nearly 3h to cover 4.5 miles. Our mouths had long ago dried up so we sat at the Indian Garden’s faucet and tried to force a granola bar down with lots of water. Chris’s stomach was not feeling great, so we laid on the benches at Indian Garden until 730p. We had hoped that with the departure of the sun the temperature would start to drop, but it still hung in the high 80s. While we laid on the benches the top did not get any closer, so we pushed on, but Chris’s stomach only got worse, preventing him from keeping anything down. We took it slow uphill, resting as needed, lying down as needed. By now darkness had fully set in and we were back to headlamps. As we plodded along we passed numerous deer, they seemed to understand the world of hurt we were going through, staring and pitying our every step. We finally reached the 3mile resthouse, where I refilled my water. While I was able to keep down minimal food and plain water, Chris was still struggling to hold anything in. Nothing tasted good to us anymore. By this point I was tired, but was well past my illness and low point at Phantom Ranch.

Pushing Through the Pain

We continued alternating walking and resting, slowly progressing up the steep switchbacks of the Bright Angel trail. At the 1.5mile resthouse we decided that the long rests weren’t netting us any extra energy and it would benefit us to push on and get out of the canyon. We went through 3 more cycles of resting and hiking, finally coming upon the lights of the South Rim at 1210p. When we saw the parking lot a wave or relief spread over us, we congratulated each other on surviving and thanked the other for sticking by throughout the ordeal. 20h40min after leaving my car we had successfully completed the Rim2Rim2Rim, no speed record, but a true test of our fortitude. We joked about laying down in the car and sleeping right there, but knew we just needed to get back to the camp and sleep. We hopped in my car and headed straight back to camp where everyone else was sound asleep. We drank some fresh water, then Chris went straight to bed. I opted to sponge off my arms and legs, change clothes, and eat some pretzels before bedding down. Both of us were too exhausted to do much else. Around 1pm I heard a car roll in and heard the other 4 climb out, everyone was back safe and sound. Charles, in his exhausted state, came running over to our tent to make sure Chris and I were back(neglecting to see our car sitting next to the tent).

Charles sleeping with the frogs to stave off hypothermia.

Breakfast after our miserable 20h sufferfest in the Grand Canyon.

The sun lit up the sky at 530a the next morning and I could sleep no more, I needed food and drink, something to replace the massive deficit I had built up the previous day. Chris and I downed some noodle soup and drank 1L of water each. The others began to wake up and we swapped war stories, filling the others in on our late night adventures in the canyon. Todd’s photo of the rattlesnake v squirrel matchup, Charles hallucinating and sleeping in the creek with frogs, the hurling trio(myself, Chris F, and Charles), the night nearly spent at Indian Gardens, and the irony of us laughing at the signs warning of extreme heat. After a shower we made our way over to the Bright Angel lodge to stuff as much food as humanly possible into our empty stomachs. In the end it took between us between 15-22h to finish the Rim2Rim2Rim, temps maxed out at 113F around 1-2p, and the return crossing took over 6h longer than the initial crossing. Things had not proceeded as planned and for the first time ever I had been brought to the true limits of my energy. Not only had we learned how far we could push ourselves, but we learned what good friends we had. Through all the pain, heat, and suffering no one had been left behind, we had pushed, supported, and cared for the person next to us as if we’d known them our whole lives. I can say without hesitation that I would put my life in the hands of any of those people, I don’t think there is a better way to put it. Planning has already begun for a return trip, hopefully not on the hottest day of the year(May 12th was the hottest to date for 2007).

MtnRunner_ELee

"Adventure is out there"