GC Rim2Rim2Rim: Mission Accomplished

There is something mystical about the Grand Canyon. I can't put my finger on it. Or why it seems to pull emotions out of me that I didn't know existed.

We had the car loaded early on Friday morning, ready to leave at 9 am, 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. I hopped in the driver's seat, put the key in and.... nothing. I tried again (cause that's what you do when you know nothing about cars). Nothing. Damn it. We pushed the car into the driveway and got the jumper cables. 5 minutes attached to Skirt Chaser's car and we were running. 2 minutes later, we pull into QT for gas and I dread turning the engine off, but I do. We fill up, run inside for ice and drinks, and again, the battery is dead. At this point, I figure it's safer to deal with the problem and not be stuck at the Grand Canyon. So we head to the Lesueur Car Company find out the battery has a dead cell, swap out for a new one and we're back on the road. By the time we get out of the city it's close to noon. Oh well. Plenty of time to get camp set up before dark.

When we pull into the park, I can't wait to jump out of the car and get that first peek over the edge. Skirt Chaser has never seen the GC and I'm excited for him. We hike up the rim trail from the parking lot and as it comes into view my breath catches in my throat. Un.Believable. Amazing. Awe inspiring. I just stand there and take it all in. I have travelled to a lot of places and to be quite honest I'm more of an ocean girl. But there is something so raw, so beautiful about the Grand Canyon that stirs my heart. I absolutely am in love. In a way that you can only love something that you don't know, don't understand. Passion. Fear. Restlessness. I can't wait to get our journey into the Canyon started.

We hop back into the car and head over to Mather Campground where we meet up with friends and set up camp. After a short walk to the cafeteria we eat dinner and head back to camp to sit by the fire and finish packing. For me this means that I nervously pace back and forth around camp, making sure my pack is ready, making sure my clothes are laid out for the morning, making sure the car is loaded with the extra gear we won't be using. I want this night to be over so tomorrow can begin. We bundle up in our sleeping bags for a fitful night's sleep.

Saturday morning, my watch beeps at 3 am signaling it's time to get up. I head up to the bathroom where I am protected from the chilly air and wind as I apply sunscreen and change into my running gear. We tear down camp and drive to our parking area about a half mile from the trail head. Our adventure begins.

The sun is beginning to light the sky but we use our headlamps through the first several switchbacks. The colors in the Canyon at daybreak are amazing. Red. Green. Brown. Yellow. Orange. Vibrant, gorgeous colors outlining the deep cliffs of the Canyon. I am loving every minute of this. We stop many times along the way for pictures. We laugh, we joke, we run a little, we hike a lot. After 3 hours we reach Phantom Ranch which marks the beginning of the flat portion of the journey. We pick up pace and run through the bottom of the side canyon over to Ribbon Falls where we stop for a quick lunch before we begin the climb up to the North Rim. I was really nervous about this climb because I remember last year how badly I felt the last 3 miles of the climb. I had to stop many times to rest and I couldn't wait to get to the top so I could reserve a spot on the shuttle.

Not this year. I power hiked. I stopped to rest. I did get tired, but I kept going. And when the last water station came in to view and I knew I was less than an hour to the top, I got excited and knew all would be good for the return trip on Sunday. When I came around the last switchback and saw open sky I smiled and ran to the top, stopping briefly to kiss the ground before I tagged the sign marking the trail head. I made it Rim to Rim. Someone handed me a coke which was like a gift from God. 8 hours 38 minutes (including all rest stops). Within a few minutes everyone in the group had gathered, taken a brief rest and was ready to continue toward the lodge. We trudged through feet of snow on the trail which seemed to go on forever. Once we arrived at the lodge, we checked in got to the cabins and got off our feet for the first time all day. After a cold shower, I repacked my pack for the morning and got dressed for dinner.

Since we were so speedy we had several hours to kill before dinner so we wandered into the Saloon for some beers. Lots of beers. Funny how my legs no longer throbbed after 3 beers. We laughed and laughed and laughed for about 3 hours, drinking and talking. Every time someone would open the door to come into the saloon, our group would cheer and hoot and holler like they were a celebrity. I think we attracted a fair bit of attention. Eventually it came time for dinner and we took the party into the dining hall where we ate and drank and laughed some more. We had a wonderful time and I believe that these bonding experiences are the reason we choose to spend the night on the North Rim rather than make the double crossing all in one day.

3 am wake up call on Sunday morning was a little harder to swallow. We got dressed and packed and headed to the lodge to meet everyone before walking the 1.7 miles back to the trail head. By the time we got there it was fairly light out and we hit the trail. It took a bit for my legs to get warmed up but I was surprised at how good I felt. Sore, yes. But no major pain or fatigue like last year. Hooray! It took two hours to descend from the North Rim to Cottonwood. From there we ran to Phantom Ranch which took about another 2 hours. We got into a paceline and just charged across the trail. It was amazing to watch and fun to be part of. At Phantom Ranch we stopped to eat, drink and refuel before beginning the climb up to the South Rim. My stomach had been a bit sour in the last hour (no thanks to the beer on Saturday night) but the lemonade at PR Cantina seemed to settle it and I was ready to roll when the time came to begin the trek. We had just over 7 miles left. And a huge elevation gain. As nervous as I was about the North Rim climb, I was downright terrified of the South Rim climb. We had decided to take the South Kaibab trail which is very steep and has no shade or water stops. But since it was early in the day and we had particularly beautiful weather, we felt our 3 liters of water would last us.

It was a power hike out. At one point, there is a set of about 15 or so really, really, REALLY steep switchbacks. They seemed to go on forever. I cursed out loud a couple of times. Not complaining, I promise. Just when the fuck is this switchback going to end! Then Skirt Chaser yells to me that there's a mileage sign (the only one on the trail). I am convinced I still have 5 miles to go... and am sooo pleasantly surprised when I find that I am over half way up the climb! I have only 3.5 miles to go! Woo Hoo! Seeing that sign gave me a boost of energy to make it through the rest of the worst switchbacks. We stopped for a brief rest and I ate some salted dried peas (my new favorite trail food!). Then it was back to work.

The last part of the climb is really beautiful. You sort of wrap around the canyon into some more wooded areas, and the colors are amazing. I kept looking back to where we had been as we slipped farther and farther up and out of the Canyon. When we reached the last set of switchbacks they flew by. I had estimated finishing in 8 hours, and we were done in 7 hours 36 minutes (total time, including rest stops). I wanted to cry. My journey was over and I did it. I have never been more proud of an accomplishment.

Knowing that I'm out there alone, other than my small group of friends (who are AMAZING!!), there's no one looking out for me and taking care of me adds a little bit of danger to the adventure. I feared this trip for 12 months, not knowing if I could make the Rim 2 Rim trip twice, back to back. But we did it. I faced the challenge and love every second of it.

We stopped for pizza on the way out of town and then it was on toward home. As is typical for ultra endurance events, I spent two days alternating between being starving and being very very sleepy. I took two days off then swam a little on the third day. I planned to bike today but life got in the way and I had to take care of some other things. Overall I feel pretty good. I have very little soreness and I feel strong. I'm ready to do it again. I can't wait. Until then I will close my eyes at night and imagine the walls of the Canyon whispering my name on the wind.