Crossing the Grand Canyon, Rim to Rim to Rim

It's getting close.  As you can see from the picture above, I've started the panic purchasing, wondering all what I will need.  One thing you don't want to do, and I am doing, is to try stuff during the event, for the first time.  A couple items in this pile will be new, including all the gel, goo packs.  Also the Hammer powder, before, during and after.  I love the marketing on it...:-)  Before is Heed, during is Perpetuem, and after is Recoverite.  What do you imagine when you hear those names??!

Actually, today is an important day.  I'm late, but I think it's still okay.  I'm shipping some of the above and clothes to the South Rim, El Tovar hotel.  We couldn't get a reservation there, but we stayed there before.  It's a totally awesome historic hotel, on the South Rim.  They said they would receive our package and keep it, and we can pick it up from the bell stand when we arrive.  We're starting from the North Rim next Friday, so I need it there by Friday and I am shipping Saturday, today.

Getting There
I'm flying in to Denver Wednesday night, and we'll drive down to the North Rim on Thursday.  It's quite a drive.  I think in the order of 10-12 hours, but most of it is incredibly beautiful scenery, and it's great catching up, and relaxing time, with my best friend.  I'm really looking forward to that.  We stay in the cabins at the North Rim, and eat at the Lodge, an amazing building, right on the edge of the Grand Canyon, so you can eat and look out at the Canyon, as the sun sets.  One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life.

Photo from the National Park Service
The hike
Here's where the fun begins.  We have done this hike before.  It's a big hike.  Basically all day.  Last time we took a particularly slow pace, with a really fun break at a waterfall.  The hike took 12 hours, almost exactly.  This time I am thinking it will be closer to 9-10 hours.  I think 9 hours would be pretty quick, so 10 hours is maybe closer.  We will see.  So, the hitch this time, is we are going in summer.  We've been watching the weather, and Phantom Ranch is showing 108 degrees for the high.  Youch.

There's stuff we can do, to minimize the impact, the most interesting is to adjust our start time.  Last time we started at 5 am and finished at 5 pm.  I am thinking if we start around 3 am we will be passing Phantom ranch at breakfast time, like 8-9 am and out around 12 or 1 pm.  My guess, Phantom Ranch will still be in the 80's when we make it through.  Also, we will have a new moon.  I think that's a euphemism for no moon.  :-)  Last time we used headlights.  We maybe didn't need them, but we will this time, for sure.  Aside from that, I'll wear a hat and a soaked bandanna around my neck.  Drink lots of water, salt, potassium (as shown above...)  There's water about every 4-5 miles, so that's nice.  It'll be great.

The other trick is the return is obviously the same distance, but the North Rim is about 8,000 foot elevation, and the South is about 7,000 feet.  It's not a huge difference, but after hiking 20 some miles, adding another 1,000 feet is a bit of a doozie. 

Jib Jab
I gotta get my stuff in the mail.  More later.  Stinson Beach this weekend, Seattle Monday Tuesday, Denver Wednesday, Grand Canyon Thurs-Sun, Monday Denver to SF, Tuesday-Friday Chicago.  Busy days ahead.

Photos of the Canyon I got from here.
The park's Digital Photo Archive contains 100 public domain photographs from Grand Canyon National Park that may be selected from a thumbnail gallery - then downloaded (4x6 inches @ 300 dpi)