Clark's Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Execution Plan
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Execution Plan
General Info:
Date: April 10, 2018
Who: Tim and Heather Cronk, Jeff Wisot and me.
Why: Because I can and to check this off of the bucket list. And partly because most people think I’m crazy...
Background and Preparation:
I first learned about Rim to Rim to Rim in May of 2015 and my immediate reaction was, “I need to do that!” It was the first time in my life that something went, instantly, from “not being a thing, at all” to my must do list. I tried to make it happen in 2016 with some local friends but could not make it work, so I was thrilled to hear that Tim and Heather were planning a trip in 2018.
My 2018 season is all run and bike: R2R2R in April, the Laurel Ultra 70.5 mile in June and BRP Camp plus several epic Gran Fondos (June and September). Thus far, I’ve been training run only because of my work and life schedule, but I’m getting back on the bike this week. My run training has been a mix of flat, road runs and longer trail runs with significant elevation change. My goto route has been the “gate to 8” section of the Laurel Highlands Trail which offers ~4300 feet of gain and loss over 16 miles. https://www.strava.com/activities/1434609339 I had intended to end my GC prep with a “double 8” which would be 8600 feet of gain and loss over 32 miles but that didn’t work out exactly as planned. I still intend to get that done, but probably not until mid-May.
I addition to the trail running, I’ve been using my office building and my work day as additional training. I work in a 60+ story building, so I’ve “run” the stairs on multiple occasions as a workout. Plus, I’m walking the stairs significantly more during my work day. It’s not unusual for Garmin to record 20 stories climbed and 40+ descended on a typical day.
Finally I’ve been training with the pack, poles and nutrition I plan to use for the actual run.
Week Of:
Travel Friday evening to Phoenix. Leave Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning for the drive to the park. I’m staying in the campground next to the national park with my wife and her family. The goal Sunday is to get the final logistics worked out, watch the weather and take it easy. Monday the plan is to stay off of my feet and make any final preparations for the run on Tuesday.
Day Of:
Up at 4:00 to eat and pack (presuming a 4:30 start).
On the trail by 4:30 (time still to be confirmed).
Nice and easy down to the Colorado River. Stop and take pictures as the sun rises.
Be sure to refill water where available.
Eat and drink to taste / need.
Be mindful of the heat and sun exposure.
Maintain a sustainable pace up to the north rim.
Be mindful of how I’m feeling. We have no North Rim support, so we’re on our own for the entire out and the back. Be honest with myself and make smart choices.
Don’t linger at the North Rim, turn around and start back.
Continue to eat and drink to need. Don’t get behind on calories or hydration.
Goals:
Have fun, stop and take lots of pictures, meet people, enjoy the journey.
Stay safe, make smart choices and come back in one piece.
Complete the full R2R2R!
Packing Lists:
Bring to AZ:
Both pair trail shoes
Stryd pod and charger
Long and short sleeve smartwool shirts
Running shorts
Arm warmers
Wrightsocks
Air Relax compression boots
Carry With Me in Canyon:
Food, drink mix and base salt for ~15 hours
Water filtration system
GoPro, memory card, spare battery, small tripod
Phone, spare battery, lightning and micro usb cables
Garmin
Trekking poles
Duct Tape
Sunglasses
Glide
Baggies
Sunscreen
First aid kit (band-aids, neosporin, advil, imodium, candied ginger)
Space blanket
Wipes / TP
Arm coolers (or warmers)
Spare socks
Gloves
Hat and visor
Wind breaker
Head lamp and spare batteries
Map(s)
Cash (for use at phantom ranch store for food, etc.)
Logistics:
The current plan is to walk from camp to and from the trail head, although I’m told that Uber is available in the park area.
The water situation in the canyon is somewhat of a concern. Currently there is no potable water north of phantom ranch, so that means carrying ~7 hours of water or using the filter. I need to think on that. I’ll need to spend some time actually using the filter over the next week to make sure I understand how it works and how long it’s going to take to refill my pack.
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Thanks for reading and as always, please let me know if I’m missing anything or if there's something I should reconsider or do differently.
Thanks!
Clark
Comments
Well this is finally going to happen. We have discussed it for on and off the last couple years starting at IMAZ 2015 I think.
Wow 70 mile Ultra in June, this should set you up nice for that!
I have a feeling that stair training is gonna pay off big time in the canyon, would of loved that type of training. Your ready for this and will be even more ready for the Ultra in June afterwards.
Sunrise is 6am so I was thinking starting 2hrs before sunrise, specially if we are leaving from the campground?
Carrying 2 bladders is just not gonna happen, I've been told we can get water off a few streams, Heather and I tested our Mini-Sawyer filters last weekend, the bag is 16oz , but its hard to fill it completely, so you fill it as much as possible, put the filter on bag, slowly squeeze water into bladder, repeat as necessary, takes a few minutes but not that long or difficult.
Lots of calls to be made the day before based on weather forecast etc. But I like you list. BTW at the moment the weather is looking perfect. I know its a long way out but this is AZ not NH or PA... Weather is more predictable and believable here!
Goals:
Have fun, stop and take lots of pictures, meet people, enjoy the journey.
Stay safe, make smart choices and come back in one piece.
Complete the full R2R2R!
Enjoy yourselves and stay safe!
How far is the campground from the trail head? And what route are you taking (same down and up the South Rim?)? Can you have your wife or some other family member drive you to the trailhead at ~4:30AM? and/or pick you up there when you finish? If you're running downhill at all (i.e. not just hiking), my guess is you'll be across the river before sun-up. We were just through Phantom ranch before sun-up, we were running, but certainly not running fast. You also won't need to carry much water at all on your way down in the morning (so save the weight)... If you leave camp with a full bottle in your belly, you'll be running easy in ~40 degree weather with unlimited water at Phantom Ranch. Not sure if/when the springs/pumps thaw out (since I did it in the end of October), but I was also told there was no potable water North of Phantom ranch, but we lucked out and ALL of the normal water stops were flowing so I didn't use my filter a single time. And once I was comfortable of the abundance of water, I emptied my bladder and only used my bottles, but obviously YMMV.
I loved the views everywhere, but especially "The Box" and the top couple of miles of the North Rim section.
Will be sending you mental distance mojo
https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP103-Filtration-System/dp/B00MPH1LEU
You are right about water since the water pipe is often broken (an currently is)... Reports from last weekend is water at Phantom, Manzinita, Phantom, Indian Gardens, (he used a liter between each and hit temps of almost 90) and of course in the streams.
@Clark Mitchell the forecast is looking warmer, regardless of the forecast I will be wearing a light colored longsleeve shirt (Desoto Skin Cooler) as my first layer and during the heat of the day to minimize sunscreen and arm coolers.
@Gary Lewis I went with a similar Sawyer as Tim. From what I read about the tablets, they take 30 - 90 minutes plus to take full effect. The mini filter is pretty small.
@tim cronk Yes, it's looking like it could get into the 90s for the return trip past phantom ranch. I'll be wearing short sleeves but I have arm coolers that help with both heat and sun exposure. Great, more pics of me with ghostly white arms.
@Sheila Leard If you go, be sure to look at John Withrow's posts as well. Much of my plan comes directly from his experience. I'm really excited about this adventure, and a little nervous.
Shit's getting real, I fly in 3 days and we go in 6.
Yes, the tablets do take 30 minutes, they are essentially bleach. But if you have two containers, they can be marinating while you are using the other containers. The downsides of filters is that some brands clog up easily and some of them take quite a bit of time to move a liter of water through.
As far as heat goes, its been warm here in AZ lately so plan on it being HOT. The thing about the GC, is that mentally you think of it as going down in elevation (into a canyon), but the reality is that you are driving it to top of a mountain first. Last time we camped there in April it snowed 8" overnight at the top, and we were hot at the bottom. Bring some layers.
Enjoy your trip.
Have fun in UT!