Yes, folks, it was 6:30 AM on Saturday and tut, tut, it looked like rain! Undaunted and even feeling some optimism, we began our run. Over the edge and down into the cloudy abyss we ran, shot with adrenaline and oblivious for the first few miles of anything but the glory of Rim to Rim! Ahh, how little we knew that where there is rain, there will also be something that rhymes with rain. That's right, kids! Starts with "P."
But I get ahead of myself. The "rhymes with rain, starts with 'P'" didn't come on until later in the day--maybe by the time we got to the bottom, which is 4500 ft. below the start. We ran by some mules and some people and lots and lots of water by the time we got to the muddy ole Colorado.
What would I do differently if I were to be doing the 21 miles again this Saturday?
1. Actually buy that really cool, expensive, effective, top o' the line Marmot windbreaker that I almost but did not buy at REI last Thursday night. "Good windbreaker" became code words for "life saving device."
2. Eat one more helping of Lasagna during our carbo loading event Friday night.
3. Buy some real gloves instead of those Home Depot cotton ones, 6 pair for $2.49.
4. Get a bag of those really nifty tasting jelly beans that guy shared with us on the trail at about mile 19. On the trail as in life, it's always the stuff the other guy has that really tastes best.
5. Bring my own snuggly beanie and not play the macho when Bruce suggests that even my head might get cold and wet enough to use one.
Did I say "cold and wet?" Not even! It was discolored skin puckering wet and arthritic thumb numbing hoarfrost joint stopping nose slopping cold. I personally burned more calories shivering than I did running. And just when I thought the wet was warming up a bit under my layers of shirts we would hit another waterfall and I was reminded again why I should have popped for Marmot instead of "make do."
This photo really doesn't do justice to the spontaneous waterfalls we had to scoot under. The water was coming down in torrents and was not only freezing cold but filthy dirty (it is called the colorado after all).
Ironically, while water was an issue externally, we also nearly ran out of water to drink. Two of the water stations we were counting on were actually shut down because of the rain and the threat of flash floods breaking pipes and contaminating the systems (it is noteworthy to mention that we missed a small flash flood event --one that made the flooded creek unpassable--by about an hour). The Ancient Mariner comes to mind.
Now, for a photo that really does justice to the experience. Here we are on the day after the run looking over our starting point on the South Rim at the South Kaibab trail. You can use your imagination to see where we merged onto the Bright Angel trail and went off into the distance, up the canyon and into the clouds climbing 5500 feet from the canyon floor to the North Rim. It took us 7.5 hours to run and hike it. It took us about five hours by shuttle bus to travel the two hundred or so miles back around Glen Canyon on the northeast to return to our car at the South Rim.
Would I do it again? I wouldn't choose a rainy day, nor a 120 degree day. But yes, I would and probably will do it again, and I think Bruce agrees. It was exhilarating. It was humbling. It was physically exhausting. It was spiritually regenerating. It was worth it.
