Grand Canyon DIAD (done in a day)

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mtwarden

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Sep 27, 2009
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this is something I've been training for since November, I was hoping this was going to be the full Rim2Rim2Rim (42 miles), but I had a few too many setbacks in my training, so I went to plan B- 33 miles total, 14,000' of elevation gain/loss- from South Kaibab to the Roaring Springs on the North Kaibab and return, 10 hours 50 minutes

Started out at 5:00 am (w/ a headlamp) in a blinding snowstorm @ 28 F, if I wasn't fully awake I certainly was then. The trail was slippery (and steep) w/ the snow so the going was rather slow to begin with. After two miles or so, the snow petered out and the footing was better

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O'Neil Butte through the precip

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first view of the Colorado below the Tip Off

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how you get across the Colorado, Black Bridge

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I made decent time down (15 minute delay as I had to take advantage of the outhouse at the Tip Off :)) and was at Phantom Ranch in two hours. 7 miles and a 5000' decent had my quads burning like they never burnt before! Ate a Clif bar, filled my two handhelds and started up Bright Angel Ck.

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the weather didn't look all that rosy towards the North Rim

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Ribbon Falls

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made Cottonwood Campground in decent time (about two hours) and took a short break, ate a little, filled bottles and headed up the trail for Roaring Springs

the water was turned on at the pump house @ Roaring Springs, topped off my bottles and headed back down the trail

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for anyone familiar with the Grand Canyon, pictures don't do it justice- absolutely amazing

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looking towards the South Rim, weather not looking overly grand there

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headed back into Phantom Ranch

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took another break, ate a little and filled bottles (including a 1 liter platy I held in reserve for the long slug up the S Kaibab)

when I re-crossed the bridge I was into it 26 miles and eight hours, while tired I wasn't actually feeling too bad- that was about to change in a hurry. The 5000' drop that burnt my quads to toast was now going to kick my ass on the way up. I started feeling very nauseous and I knew that was going to be problematic, I didn't feel like eating (or even drinking), but knew if I didn't I was screwed. If you get behind on the hydration or calories on a long run, you're in for a very rough time. Even in as bad as shape as I was, I couldn't help but be awed by the views

couple of views from Panorama Point

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the slug up S Kaibab was as rough as a march as I've been on, the nausea didn't make it any easier. There are a few short stretches where a guy could run, but I was done running that day

in between Skeleton Point and Cedar Ridge, I hit the weather again- full out snow blizzard with gusts in the 30-40 mph range, nausea still hanging tough- this wasn't going to be easy

finally, in what seemed like eons, I topped the rim

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got to the vehicle, started it up and immediately starting shivering out of control- put on the extra layers I had and even w/ the heat full on it was about an hour before I would quit shivering, slowly the nausea subsided as well- looks I'm going to make it :)

I did a pretty good Tin Man imitation for a couple of days and the burn eventually went out of my quads; I'll be back another day and w/ more training under my belt I'll get the full R2R2R (God willing of course) :)
 
Awesome! I did the Canyon back in 1998 and loved it. Not as fast as you though (down to Cottonwood, spent the night. Then to Phantom Ranch for a few days and then out in a day). But man would I love to do it again when my son is old enough.

Nice photos, really took me back.
 
Wow, sounds like a good day, and a lot of work. Thanks for sharing it with us. Definitely on the bucket list, the Grand Canyon.
 
thanks gents :) I put a lot of training in to pull this off, but the rewards were well worth it (put it this way-I'd do it again :D)

I want to bring my wife back (she has no interest in running or long distances), my plan is to get reservations at Phantom Ranch- hike from the South Rim via South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch, spend the night- get a good day hike in on day 2- probably to Ribbon Falls, spend second night at Phantom Ranch and the hike back out to the South Rim via Bright Angel (it's a couple of miles longer than S Kaibab, but less steep and you get to see new country)- they have a great shuttle service on the South Rim so doesn't matter where you start or end

as many can attest, pictures do no justice to the Grand Canyon- definitely good cause for it to be one of the Seven Wonders of the World :)
 
Awesome vicious dayhike/run!
Wanted to go to the North Rim with my dad a few weeks ago, but figured it was too early. 'Course I was gonna look at it, not rim hop!
 
I was admiring your godlike fitness levels in the Beckerhead chat last night, mtwarden :D I did a Rim2Rim2Rim at the end of 2010, but in two days. I was dogged at the end of day 1 but walking on clouds the whole time day 2. I've done lots of down 'n ups on Bright Angel (a few weeks ago, in fact) and South Kaibab... never gets old. One time I was coming back up Bright Angel in a rainstorm after spending all night camping at Phantom Ranch, and sat at Indian Gardens chatting with this old fella... he had to be late 60's, or even 70. Thin hoodie, 20 oz bike bottle, laid back attitude, black and red flame skullcap. Completely at east about the remaining 4.3 miles up, which was going to be in the snow.

I want to be that guy!!
 
OwenM said:
Awesome vicious dayhike/run!
Wanted to go to the North Rim with my dad a few weeks ago, but figured it was too early. 'Course I was gonna look at it, not rim hop!
Click to expand...

the day we ran there was ~ 8-10" of snow on the North Rim (and still snowing) :)

you're going to like our next run that we're in the preliminary stages of putting together- shooting for late Sept/early October doing the Trans Zion route- (47 miles) :D
 
Must have been a great day at the Grand Canyon. I need definitelly go and visit the US and all of its beautiful places... that one is definitelly on the list :)

Kind regards
 
BRL said:
I was admiring your godlike fitness levels in the Beckerhead chat last night, mtwarden :D I did a Rim2Rim2Rim at the end of 2010, but in two days. I was dogged at the end of day 1 but walking on clouds the whole time day 2. I've done lots of down 'n ups on Bright Angel (a few weeks ago, in fact) and South Kaibab... never gets old. One time I was coming back up Bright Angel in a rainstorm after spending all night camping at Phantom Ranch, and sat at Indian Gardens chatting with this old fella... he had to be late 60's, or even 70. Thin hoodie, 20 oz bike bottle, laid back attitude, black and red flame skullcap. Completely at east about the remaining 4.3 miles up, which was going to be in the snow.

I want to be that guy!!
Click to expand...

not hardly godlike :) I was originally thinking (this is before I ran it) that my wife might enjoy the same trip except in two days- start at the South Rim, spend the night at the lodge on the North Rim and return the next day. after experiencing it for myself, I've nixed that plan altogether- even in two days it would be too grueling for my wife- she loves to hike, but in moderation :) thus my thought of breaking it up w/ a couple of nights at Phantom Ranch

I want to be that guy too! :D
 
for those interested in gear here's what I took (you can see my knife is a little on the small side :D)- my clothing and gear performed flawlessly, not a single complaint

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mtwarden said:
you're going to like our next run that we're in the preliminary stages of putting together- shooting for late Sept/early October doing the Trans Zion route- (47 miles) :D
Click to expand...
That would be a good one. It was beautiful the last week of October and first week of November. I was going to do it as an overnighter while we were there last month, but twisted my ankle again two days before leaving. Ended up doing a quickie to Cable Mountain as my only getaway.
Since I'm just walking, I had to figure on a 3-4am start, and 13.5 hours of hiking on day 1, then 7 hours to finish the next morning. Some guy ran it in 8 hours a couple of years ago, though. I haven't done the Hop Valley/Connector/Wildcat Canyon sections, but almost all of the rest is gorgeous.
I'm going other places this fall and next spring, so it will be awhile before I get another chance to do the whole Trek. Hopefully you'll have some great pics with the fall colors to remember it by!
 
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Very cool, I was reading about that a little bit over on BPL. I'd love to go to the grand canyon, but I'd be there with a different goal than yours was :). Very impressive :thumbup:
 
yeah there was a guy that ran it (Zion) in 7:58, maybe even more impressive was there was a guy that ran the rim2rim2rim in 6:59!! :eek:

evidently part cheetah :)

^ I'm definitely going back with my wife which will be at a much more relaxed past :D
 
That is an amazing story. I can feel the pain because I've been there.

I've been to the canyon 6 times- hiked in the canyon on 2 trips and bicycled around the north rim on one trip. We attended a ranger talk on one visit and they had all of the statistics of how long it took various people to do rim to rim and so forth.

On my second visit we backpacked down into the canyon, followed the Tonto trail a couple of days, and came back out on the Bright Angel Trail. On that trip I stopped at a rest house on the way up and saw a group of 3 or 4 guys running down. They were wearing running shoes, shorts, and wearing gloves to protect their hands if they fell. I don't remember if they carried water or not but on the Bright Angel trail there are water stops. They were probably going down to the river and back up that trail. I was carrying a 50 pound pack and up the Bright Angel Trail was a good amount of work. We saw a few other people on the Tonto trail but not many. Halfway along our trip we realized that either way we went, forwards or backwards, it was basically 2-3 days to get out of the canyon. We also discovered that it is considerably hotter down in the inner canyon than it is even on the south rim.

On my fourth trip I went down the S. Kaibab trail to the river, visited Phantom Ranch, and then back up the Bright Angel Trail. This was strictly a day trip so I was traveling much lighter. I think it took us under 2 hours down to the river but more like 4 hours back up. I could not do as well today.
 
thanks gents

did get some strange looks from folks that were backpacking as I ran by w/ my small daypack, big difference carrying 5-ish #'s vs 50 :)

even though we started and finished with snowstorms, the weather was near ideal for running- the canyon warmed to the mid 50's, just a week later they were forecasting near 90 degrees in the canyon!!!! I was told by a few locals that the canyon typically ran 20 degrees warmer than South Rim- South Rim being at 6000' (North Rim ~ 7000')
 
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