Rim to rim to rim—we finally did it! It was an idea conceived quite awhile ago,
probably 5 years or so, not long after both Michelle and I had gotten into
ultrarunning. We discussed this trip on
many long runs… but life, injuries, and babies got in the way of planning it. In early 2012, with a few clicks on the
internet, rooms were booked and we were on for our September run. The plan was set: start on the South Rim, run down South Kaibab
Trail and up North Kaibab, sleep over at the North Rim and return via North Kaibab
and Bright Angel Trails. There are a ton of details I'm leaving out of this report--perhaps some of the others will write up their perspectives too.
 |
| Sun rising as we head down the S. Kaibab Trail |
We arrived in Phoenix on September 12, ready to run on
September 13-14. Katie, Amanda, Michelle
and I set out from the South Rim at 5:30 AM, with a can’t-get-any-better
weather forecast. It was in the 50s at
the start and wasn’t to heat up past 90 at the bottom, and we’d be through the
lower elevations by then anyhow. Lorrin (who had decided she wasn’t a fan of the
heights and exposure at the Canyon), Cathy (getting over an injury), and Megan,
served as our awesome crew who drove around to the North Rim to meet us.
 |
| South Kaibab Trail |
Day 1: We enjoyed
seeing the sun come up over the canyon walls, and made good time down the steep
Kaibab trail, admittedly with a lot of stops for pictures and gawking at the
amazing scenery. We cruised right
through Phantom Ranch (the canteen wasn’t open yet) and started the fairly
runnable climb to Cottonwood Campground.
It was a gorgeous bright-blue-sky
day and it had warmed up by the time we got to Cottonwood. The thermometer read about 85 so it felt warm
(though not humid!) as we started the real climb, with 14 miles already behind
us. There were a few sections of trail that
were the scariest of the trip- not too wide and very steep drop-offs. We
plowed on, hiking at this point, and made it to the Supai Tunnel (1.7 miles from
the top). We then encountered three mule
trains we had to stop for (side note: we all have a great dislike for the mules
and how they tear up the trail, not to mention mule rides seem incredibly
unenjoyable!). We pushed through the
final climb and happily finished in 8 hrs, 16 minutes after a 6000’ climb and
about 21 miles. We were all pretty beat
and very happy to see our crew pull up to meet us! The evening was spent drinking a few beers,
using the foam roller, eating at the North Rim Lodge, and organizing for the
next day’s run.
 |
| Climbing the N. Kaibab Trail |
 |
| Ribbon Falls |
Day 2: We dragged
ourselves out of bed before sunrise to find out that Michelle had a rough night
with calf cramping and was not going to run the return trip. Amanda, Katie, and I were ready to go, and
tried not to think about our sore legs as we were dropped off at the
trailhead. We started slowly since it
was still dark but picked up the pace as the sun came up. We made good time heading down the North
Kaibab Trail and took a detour to visit the gorgeous Ribbon Falls. We were running a pretty good clip on the
slightly downhill 7 mile section after Ribbon Falls to Phantom Ranch. After an extended stop for some snacks and
lemonade at the Ranch, we started our climb up Bright Angel. Amanda set a great pace for us as the day
warmed up. We had some nice views back towards
the Colorado River before the trail started its many switchbacks to the
top. We again stopped for a lot of
pictures but still made good time, finishing in about 8 hours, 45 minutes. We clocked about 26 miles and 5000’ of
climbing. We finished up our trip
visiting at Cathy’s house, getting massages, and enjoying some hard-earned beer
and great food.
 |
| Looking back down the Bright Angel Trail |
Words can’t really explain the beauty of the Grand Canyon run. The views are breathtaking and running rim to
rim is challenging but very achievable. We
got lucky with the weather but we were also really well-prepared and
trained for it, which is part of the reason the run went so smoothly. It was definitely the trip of a lifetime, and
I’m so happy to have such great friends to share such an adventure with.
1 comment:
Awesome! Very proud of you all :) I am IN next time you do it lol!
Jeff
Post a Comment