Many people visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Maybe one percent of those visitors make the trek to the bottom. A smaller percent do the hike known as the Rim-to-Rim (R2R). The percentage only gets smaller of those who do it in one day. Sun City residents Mike Grantham, Larry Lindahl, and Doug Jenks did just that on Thursday, September 7. What existed on avid hiker Doug’s bucket list, became a reality when Mike and Larry with their triathlete experience brought their endurance training knowledge to the adventure.
Sun City resident Doug Jenks on his Grand Canyon R2R hike.
Training began in May in flat Illinois, which is not an ideal location to prepare for a 26-mile hike, with roughly 7,000 feet of elevation gain and loss, and 70-degree temperature fluctuations. Lengthy and repetitive hikes in local forest preserves, state parks, and conservation areas were done, all the while carrying backpacks containing necessities for the trip across the canyon. Knowing that the R2R was going to be a long day in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, extra training was scheduled on the days that Huntley’s temperatures ran high.
The group started their 26+ mile quest down the North Rim’s North Kaibab Trail at 5 a.m. The way to the bottom began with a steep six-mile descent bounded by sheer cliffs, before becoming what would normally be considered a challenging nine-mile hike. Four miles before reaching the bottom hikers passed through “The Box,” where high walls tower over a narrow passage. The bottom is marked by Phantom Ranch and a bridge walk across the Colorado River.
From the bottom, the way out is a 9-mile walk up roughly 5,000 feet following the Bright Angel Trail’s endless switchbacks to the South Rim. Four rest opportunities (River House, Indian Gardens, 3-mile rest house, and the one-and-a-half-mile rest house) offer refuge along the hikes most brutal segment. Roughly 14 hours after beginning, the hikers completed their triumph. In the end, it was mind over matter as they pushed themselves using headlamps to illuminate the dark to the finish.
The guys are grateful to each other for their combined support and effort to prepare and overcome falls, bouts with dehydration, and cramps. They are equally grateful to their wives who encouraged and cheered them on.
Here is a 5-mile path with a 3,000 ft ascent to the rim of the Grand Canyon. Jenks, Grantham, and Lindahl completed R2R hike in one day.
A narrow path with a sharp drop along the Grand Canyon R2R hike
1 Comment
Congrats all around! A friend told me we can measure the chemical reactions in our bodies from experiencing the “awe” (as in awesome). I am sure you felt that in the presence of His creation, good company and a tough mental challenge. Core memory indeed!