R2R2R – Grand Canyon, AZ (May 8, 2021)

Strava link: https://www.strava.com/activities/5265232908
Instagram: joshu_ultra

Going rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) entails a double-crossing of the Grand Canyon in a single push. There are a few ways to do this and the route I chose (BA-NK-BA) was to descend from the South Rim to the Colorado River via Bright Angel Trail, ascend North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim, and then turn around and do the exact route in reverse. Many R2R2R runners elect to start by descending South Kaibab Trail instead (SK-NK-BA), which shaves a couple miles off the journey but requires extra logistical effort since you start and finish at different trailheads (SK-NK-SK is an even shorter option, but coming back up BA is preferable for its access to drinking water and slightly less steep climb). I was running it solo, so I wanted the luxury of driving to the Bright Angel Trailhead and finishing at my rental car, in which I stashed extra drinks and enough food for a post-run dinner.

The BA-NK-BA route covers about 48 miles with approximately 11,000′ elevation gain and loss, and I faced temperature swings of over 50 degrees Fahrenheit (high 30s to low 90s) from the highest elevation (North Rim Trailhead, at 8,241′) to the low point (Colorado River at about 2,500′). This was the most elevation gain I had ever attempted in a single activity, and I knew it would be grueling but doable. I didn’t train specifically for R2R2R, but I had a few 70+ mile weeks of running in April including completing a pair of hilly 50Ks in the desert southwest, so I felt I had a good base going into this. I had completed the South Kaibab Trailhead to river to Bright Angel Trailhead hike in February 2021, so I at least knew what to expect on the Bright Angel portion of my R2R2R adventure. A group of my Michigan Runners friends completed R2R2R in April and gave me some pointers (thanks Tim Maycroft, in particular!). The Grand Canyon R2R2R Run! Facebook group was also really helpful in planning this out.

My keys to success (and survival) were: 1) don’t run out of water, 2) carry and eat enough food to maintain energy and electrolyte balance, 3) don’t overdo the pace, especially in the heat, and 4) don’t step on a rattlesnake. Bonus points for not tripping or rolling an ankle. Attempting my first R2R2R solo my goals were simply to complete it and to do it safely. I didn’t have a rigid goal for time but went into it expecting that a 16-18 hour finish was pretty realistic.

I flew into Phoenix on Thursday, May 6 and met up with Coree Woltering and his crew/pacers in Flagstaff for beers, pizza and to watch a couple runners come through at the finish line of the Cocodona 250. On Friday I drove up to Page to see Horseshoe Bend and the Glen Canyon Dam before checking into the Grand Canyon Inn and prepping my pack for the big day. I decided to use my Osprey pack instead of my Nathan hydration vest for the extra capacity. I brought a 2.5L hydration bladder and a 22 oz. Lifestraw bottle that would allow me to drink river/creek water, if necessary. For food I packed an apple, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and more than enough energy bars, Clif Bloks, and salted cashews. I packed a rain jacket, Patagonia R3 fleece, and extra pair of socks, but I didn’t end up needing any of those. I brought headphones for playing music, but didn’t use those either, sunscreen (which I actually did use this time!), and a credit card for lemonade at Phantom Ranch. I wore Hoka Speedgoat 4 trail running shoes, fancy board shorts (as always), a tech t-shirt, Chase Something Clothing & Apparel hat, and Coros Apex 46mm watch. I also shoved my collapsible trekking poles in my bag (note: I got them through airport security and carry-on from Michigan to Arizona, but they were confiscated by a TSA agent at Phoenix airport security on the way home). I set my alarm for 2:30am and got about five hours of sleep. That felt more like 5:30am to my Eastern Time Zone body clock. Since I’ve been finding it helps reduce blisters on my longer runs I slathered my feet with Vaseline in the morning before putting on Wrightsock anti-blister socks (I sure gave them a test, and they worked)!

Under dazzling stars:
Rock wall, Bright Angel, black void
Down, down, down I go

I parked near the Bright Angel Trailhead at 3:30am and started tracking my run under a brilliant starry sky. It was a calm and cool morning, and I took my fleece off after just a few minutes of running. I descended BA by headlamp, my circle of light showing me just enough trail to plan my next few footfalls.

I kept a steady pace down the switchbacks but slow enough for caution (I didn’t want to roll an ankle!) and so that I didn’t burn out my quads too early in the effort. I watched the trail intently for snakes, scorpions and trip hazards and just had to hope that a mountain lion wouldn’t pick me off (while they’re found in Grand Canyon National Park, encounters are extremely rare). Aside from a few hikers making their way up BA, the only signs of life were the calls of frogs (and maybe some insects) and, surprisingly, lots of bats, which frequently swooped into the light of my headlamp, startlingly close to my face.

The sky turned from black to blue as I approached Indian Garden Campground, about five miles into the adventure. I took advantage of the facilities and turned my headlamp off for the next segment of trail, along Garden Creek and down the Devil’s Corkscrew to the Colorado River.

The sun was just starting to rise and the early morning run along the Colorado River from the Pipe Creek Beach area to the Silver Bridge was beautiful.

I was already on the warm side of comfortable wearing just shorts and t-shirt and I knew it was going to be much hotter when I passed through there again later in the day. I crossed the Silver Bridge just before 6am, meaning I had taken about 2 hours and 15 minutes to run the first 10 miles or so. But that had all been downhill. I now faced the 14-mile North Kaibab Trail, almost all of which would be uphill moving in the northbound direction.

Across Silver Bridge
the sun erases shadow.
Temperature climbs.

I filled up my hydration bladder with potable water at the Bright Angel Campground and encountered another solo runner where the Bright Angel Trail meets the North Kaibab Trail. His name was Joe and he was debating whether or not to go for the full R2R2R. We decided to hang together for company and safety, and it was great chatting with him and talking triathlon and trails. We passed Phantom Ranch and made our way through The Box, a section where North Kaibab Trail and Bright Angel Creek wind through narrow canyon walls for a few miles before the valley broadens out.

Those towering rock walls provided shade but once we passed The Box the shade ran out and we faced sun exposure. The first seven miles of North Kaibab Trail featured some rolling up and downs with an overall gradual climb up to Cottonwood Campground and then Manzanita rest stops, which both had operational potable water spigots. We half-ran, half-hiked our way up through Manzanita.

From Manzanita, the North Kaibab Trail turns up a side canyon and begins a steeper grade toward the North Rim and we switched to hiking. This section of trail featured blossoming cacti, epic views of the surrounding canyon walls, and lazy switchbacks up to the “Ledge of Death,” a narrow portion of trail hugging the cliff wall with dramatic vertical drop-offs into rocky oblivion.

The closer we got to the North Rim, the steeper the trail became and the tighter the switchbacks. As our elevation increased it became cooler, which was a relief because of the unrelenting sun, but I could tell I was working a little harder to catch my breath with the thinner air.

Demoralizing:
the steep North Kaibab ascent
to the halfway point

We leapfrogged some other R2R2R adventurists along the way – Patrick, Jean, Charles, and others. Near the Supai Tunnel a rescue helicopter came in for an emergency landing. Someone was not having a great time…

The final climb to the North Rim, miles 21-24 for me, felt really tough. It was a slow and grueling climb that left me feeling unsure how I could possibly turn around and do this again. But, I had to. So I pushed myself to reach the top and then took time to stretch out and eat a PB&J and other snacks.

It was chilly there, probably in the 30s, and there were even some remnant snow piles in the shaded parts of the forest. After about thirty minutes we embarked on the second half of the journey.

Surprisingly green
life erupts on sun-baked cliffs,
vertical landscape

Going down was much easier and, after fourteen miles of climbing, quite encouraging. In the daylight, I was able to run down at a pretty good clip. My knees started to ache a little, but overall I was pleased with how well they were holding up. We stopped a few times, briefly, to take photos but otherwise made good time back to Manzanita.

I ran with Joe from Manzanita to Cottonwood Campground. Back in the lower elevation and in the middle of the afternoon I was really starting to feel the heat. In addition to topping off my hydration bladder, I splashed water in my face, doused my hair, and finally just splashed water all over my shirt and shorts. It brought some relief and allowed me to run a bit longer before I had to slow to a hike. I didn’t want to overdo it and face the effects of heat exhaustion.

Slogging through The Box,
evaporative cooling
is my new best friend

I still had a lot of hard work ahead. Joe ended up running ahead to Phantom Ranch and I ran-hiked the valley and The Box at my own pace, slipping down to Bright Angel Creek to rewet my clothes a few times. That helped immensely. No worry about chafing in wet clothes – it only took a few minutes to dry off in that dry heat.

I did not see any snakes, but I did see several different species of lizards, including this one:

I was out of direct sunlight on my second pass through The Box but it was still hot. And it felt a lot longer than it had earlier in the morning. I was pushing enough to make the 4pm cutoff at Phantom Ranch, which was when the cantina closed. I had heard they serve famously refreshing lemonade and that thought motivated me to get there just in time.

Shade and lemonade
at Phantom Ranch oasis:
a recovery

Joe was there waiting, and our trail friends Jean and Charles were there sheltering from the heat as well. I stopped for about a half hour and forced my other sandwich down. The heat and long day of exertion had sapped my appetite but I knew I needed that energy in my body for the long ascent of Bright Angel Trail.

I debated waiting for an hour or two for things to cool off before attempting the Bright Angel Trail but drenching myself in water again revitalized me and Joe, Jean and Charles were prepared to resume hiking. The running part of my day was over. It was all uphill from here. I normally don’t use trekking poles, but I pulled them out for the last bit of this journey and was very glad to have them. My legs were fatigued and it sure helped to use some upper body to help get my body up to the end.

The sun had dipped low enough by 5pm that it was a pleasant evening to hike up the trail. The temperature had become more comfortable and the formula was simple: KEEP MOVING + KEEP DRINKING + KEEP EATING = SUCCESS.

The hike up to Indian Garden seemed relatively easy compared to what was ahead. We took a rest break there as the sun set, and chatted with several other hikers/runners. Patrick and his friend also caught up while we were there, and informed us that their other friend (who had gotten sick on the way up North Kaibab), had been able to secure a car ride back to the South Rim and was doing alright.

Twilight gathering:
Indian Garden Campground
trail conversation

At mile 43, and already with as much elevation gain as I had ever accomplished in a day, we still faced about 3,000′ of climbing over the final five miles. As we set out from Indian Garden I encountered a bighorn sheep mere inches from the trail. Unsure of its temperament, I casually walked past it and hoped it didn’t do me any damage with that heavy-duty headgear. Fortunately, it just stood still and stared at me and I continued along undamaged.

From there the trail was a seemingly endless series of switchbacks. I made it about halfway up before I needed to use a headlamp.

Joe went off on his own to try and get a ride back to his car while I leapfrogged Jean and Charles as we made the final push, shuffling through the dark. I was beat, and ready to be done, so reaching the two tunnels was cause for celebration because we were nearly there. Patrick and his friend rejoined us for the last few hundred feet up the trailhead and we all hooted and hollered and high-fived. We had just completed a double crossing of the Grand Canyon in a single push! My elapsed time was 17 hours, 19 minutes, 54 seconds. Within my rough 16-18 hour target.

A demanding climb
up dusty steps in the dark…
rim-to-rim-to-rim!

Jean and Charles had planned to walk to their car close to the South Kaibab Trailhead (another 4+ miles along the Rim Trail) but opted to hop a ride back with me. I stayed at Yavapai Lodge, at Grand Canyon Village, so that I wouldn’t have a long drive after completing R2R2R. It was a little pricey and pretty basic, but worth it for the night.

***

With a full day in Arizona before flying from Phoenix to Michigan on Monday, I decided to check out Sedona and the Devil’s Bridge for a scenic photo opportunity and a 5-mile shake-out hike. It was a nice way to cap off this adventure.