South Kaibab descends off the point down to the river

The only things I really forgot were sunglasses and chapstick

5:15 AM - Let's do this!

Sunrise in the Canyon

South Rim to the River (Miles 0 - 7)

The Steps of South Kaibab

The Colorado

The River to Cottonwood Campground (Miles 7-14)

Heading up to Cottonwood

Cottonwood CG to the North Rim (Miles 14-21)

Heading up to the North Rim is when I truly dropped into this run. My sense of time began to dissolve and I focused on the sights, sounds, and sensations of the Canyon walls. With the road to the North Rim still under snow this section of trail was practically deserted - the only people out there were either covering a lot of distance in a day like me, or had been out there for multiple days and nights already. I took out my poles and started climbing as consistently as possible. As I gained elevation from the river I felt like I was walking through time. The rock layers and composition were changing as I climbed from layer to layer, and occasionally a spring would erupt out of the walls baptizing me in a welcome shower of cold and fresh water. I vowed to keep making progress but also not to rush through the experience. I was not racing, nor going for an FKT or even a PR, and I knew that every minute spent in the Canyon was one that I would never be able to duplicate on the outside.





The gradient got steeper and steeper as I worked my way up to the rim, which also corresponded with increased elevation and less oxygen in my legs. It's one of the reasons why the Canyon is so unforgiving. She requires constant focus and awareness, and as you get more and more tired of climbing and the going gets steeper your legs also begin to go anaerobic as they run out of oxygen. The Canyon makes you dig deeper than you knew you could dig, simply because there really is no other option. You can't drop out, you can't sit down at an aid station - the only thing you can do is turn around and head back, and I wasn't going to do that before climbing out the other side.





Gettin' steep on the North side





A little over a mile from the rim there started to be some significant snow on the trail. Nothing dangerous, but again you had to really focus and watch your steps so you didn't posthole and throw off your balance and progress. I thought I was hallucinating toward the top as I saw a hiker that appeared to have a mountain bike strapped across his back. Yet sure enough, I soon met Ken the Thru-Biker, one of two guys that were riding the Arizona Trail from South to North, Mexico to Utah. Mountain Biking was prohibited in the park of course so they had just hiked Rim to Rim with bikes and camping gear on their shoulders. That shut my internal pity-party down pretty quickly and I pushed the rest of the way to the Rim.





Rule #1: There is always someone crazier and more badass than you

The North Rim to Cottonwood Campground (Miles 21-28)

I chatted with the Thru-Bikers for a minute on the rim as they were very excited to get back to riding their bikes, re-stocked my Gu pocket on my vest, ate my last Larabar, and decided to keep on moving. I left a minute before the 7 hour mark - happy with my progress, especially considering my Ribbon Fall shenanigans, and also happy with the fact that a finish before sunset seemed probable.





The top part of the trail is steep and steppy, but once you get a bit past the Supai Tunnel the North Kaibab Trail descent becomes the stuff that trail runner dreams are made of. It was buttery, it was smooth, and it was gorgeous. I turned my body on auto-pilot and set the gearshift for the high gear of my soul as I let the Canyon guide me back down. #PureBliss.





This is why we run

Manzanita Rest Area to Phantom Ranch (Miles 28 - 35)

Manzanita Rest Area was totally pleasant and had wonderful clear, cold piped water - the only piped water on the North Kaibab stretch this time of year. I chatted with a backpacker celebrating his 60th birthday and found that it was a bit hard to hold conversation with people at this point. I had been solo for my whole journey thus far and had seemingly turned everything inward. Like a psychedelic journey, I was doing fine keeping everything together in my own head but I learned that I wasn't quite ready for outward communication yet. I fumbled through the pleasantries and was anxious to keep on moving down the trail.





The final section coming back into Phantom Ranch was the most trying for me, as it seemed quite flat in comparison to everything that I had done so far and the day was definitely heating up. What appeared to be a lush, beautiful part of the Canyon on the way out had turned into a radiating oven of grey rocks on the way down. I pushed on through this section, trying to keep moving at a decent pace and finally convincing myself that I would spring for a famous Phantom Ranch Lemonade if I had the opportunity when I finally got there.





Cruising back to The Ranch









Phantom Ranch to the South Rim (Miles 35-42)

I cruised into Phantom Ranch, fairly excited for some chips and lemonade and quickly realized that I was not quite ready to handle that scene. The scene at Phantom Ranch was like trying to buy some concessions during a particularly challenging set break - the line was 30 people deep, I didn't really remember where my money was in my pack, and oh yeah, the whole talking to people thing. I sucked it up, popped an electrolyte tab into my water bottle, filled my other two bottles, and began the slog back up South Kaibab Trail.





Enjoying the views up South Kaibab









I had briefly thought about heading up Bright Angel but at this point in my run the known was worth a lot more to me than the unknown. I was also suddenly attracted to the symmetry of the plan - in my mind it made sense to head up the exact same way I had come down. It turned out to be a good choice, as the gradient was not too severe on the way up and the ridge views were fantastic once again. Additionally the trail was uncrowded and I saw minimal people (and one bighorn!) on the way back up. I re-emphasized to myself that I was in no real rush - it was clear I would make it in before dark, and it seemed foolhardy to be rushing out of the spiritual Canyon for what lay on the rim.





My last shot inside the Canyon





At 13 hours and 19 minutes I crested over the lip of the South Rim, my journey complete. I could not have been more happy with the experience. I was blessed and cradled by the Mother Earth for the entire day - the Canyon is a wonderfully magical, sacred space, and I possessed the body to carry myself on a moving mediation between its walls from Rim to Rim to Rim. Running in beauty from sunrise to sunset is the best use of a day on this planet that I can imagine, and I am truly humbled to have experienced it between the sacred walls of the Grand Canyon.

































Labels: training, trip report