S. Kaibab Trail: An Encouraging Effort

After three days in a row running 10+ miles and a focused effort this week on running a bit faster, I wasn't really sure what to expect from a run to the the river and back on the S. Kaibab. I knew I would be a bit tired and that usually when I go down into the Grand Canyon to run I try to rest up the day before to put in a good effort. My effort this morning was going to be a bit of an experiment with running tired in the canyon.

To my complete surprise it went really, really well, all things considered. I started at 7:20 am and battled a bit on the first 1/2 of the run down the S. Kaibab. I felt a bit rubbery legged and mentally tired but after working out the kinks I found a bit of a groove and still got down to the river in 53 minutes. Awesome as always running down this trail. It was nice to be running consistently on a wide groomed trail instead of running/walking/scrambling like I have been doing lately on the trails in the GC outside the 'corridor'. It was nice to just run.

I took a bit longer to start back up the S. Kaibab as my 'regular' water source near the river wasn't working and I had to go to a different one at Phantom Ranch. When I started back up it was 8:21 am and 1 hr 1 minute into the run.

On the way back up I really tried to put a good effort in and see what I was capable of today. I wasn't sure if I would crap out early and take it easy or if I would be able to put a good time in for myself.

I found out very quickly that I really wanted it and I pushed a (for me) good pace all the way up to the start of the steep switchbacks of the limestone layer below Skeleton Point. I made it to the Tip off (a bit before the limestone switchbacks) in 30 minutes and to the half way point in the middle of the limestone switchbacks in a little under 45 minutes) where I finally started to mix walking in with my running.

Once past Skeleton Point, I really tried to run hard along the flat section above feeling pretty darn good. I started to falter on the section close to Cedar Ridge (as I regularly do...) and continued to feel pretty tired power hiking most of the way up the final switch backs to the long flat section along the bottom of the limestone at the rim.

Once I reached the flat section, I tried to pour it on again, running most of it and then...damb it...right at the bottom of the final steep switchbacks to to the rim I ran into three, count 'em, three mule trains that had just entered the canyon. Arg... No way around. I just had to wait it out. This section to the rim usually takes just a couple minutes to get up and I was just standing on the side of the trail at the bottom of it watching mules lumber by. I know that it's like "whatever, a couple minutes doesn't really matter..." but I was in pace to hit the rim with a final time of about 2:36 R2R, which would have equaled, if not bested, my best 'in and out' so far on the S. Kaibab. With the wait for the mule train, I ended up reaching the rim in a time of 2:40:40. Still a GREAT time for me but, oh the timing of those mule trains...

Looking back at the run, I am really psyched that I did so well after a good load of running for me the three days leading up to it with no rest. I pretty much equaled my best time with out being 'fresh'. It will be fun to see how I do on that trail as I get more fit...there is a lot of improving on this trail for me as I still walk a fair bit of the top. I always seem to get crushed up there...I guess that's part of the deal but I would love to, someday, crank all the way to the top, running it all. I can always dream.

Running Log

Today: 15 miles (R2R on S. Kaibab, AWESOME!) + 6 miles (errands and to work and home)

Getting to be the regular

It seems I have slipped into a regular routine of running on the urban trail from my house to Schultz Pass Road and points beyond. Makes sense as it is all dirt and gravel from my home to the Dry Lake Hills and Mt. Elden making for about as enjoyable running as I can get from the front door (although, running on Observatory Mesa is right up there too...). I have run this section of Urban Trail so many times now it feels automatic.

Running Log

Today: 11 miles easy (Urban Trail from my house to a bit past the gate on Elden Lookout Road and then back on Rocky Ridge Trail and Urban Trail to home again. Great morning run. It was pretty warm, the running felt great and I really, really enjoyed cruising along on Rocky Ridge Trail this morning. Good stuff.)

Maybe, get in the Grand Canyon for a run tomorrow morning...

Getting in the distance groove

I feel pretty good so far this week... for sure better than I thought I would after my first week over 70 miles this year and a big jump in total elevation gain. Maybe I'm just psyched for the next 60 days where I'll get in a couple 40+ mile runs in some wild places. That's probably giving me the extra push. It's always good to have something to be motivated to train for, to get the miles up there and push it.

Running Log

Sunday: 3 miles in Sedona with Susan. We did the Dry Creek, Bear Sign, David Miller, Secret Canyon Loop that is a bit over 6 miles. We ran some and we walked some so I'll give myself 3 miles of running on the training log. Awesome day out and it was good to be in Sedona. ...love that place and a great loop.

Monday: 9 miles (up Mt. Elden, to saddle and back, from gate in 1:30:59 (10:06 pace)) + 2 miles (run to work and home)

Tuesday: 6 miles (Urban Trail from house to Schutz Pass Road and back in 46:03 (7:40 pace)) + 4 miles (work errands) + 3 miles (run to work, home and then to work again)

...going over 70

I just went over 70 miles for this week. This is the first time in 2011 and I feel right on track with mileage for my build up for big runs in the next couple months and for Leadville in August. I don't really feel that my speed is coming along quite as fast (I feel slow right now...) but the most important thing right now is building the miles for Leadville. I don't need to be super fast for that but need to be resilient to a bunch of miles.

I would like to be a little faster for my Spring goals though as I always seem to try to put in a personal strong performance in the 40-60 mile range a few times. I'm sure that more speed will come as I get used to the bigger miles in the next few weeks though.

Spring goals?

Hmm... I had half heartily thought of getting into the Zane Grey 50 Mile Run in April but that race is full now so I guess that is out. I thought it would be a good race to enter because of it's similar elevation changes to Leadville, it's a new trail to me, it's close to Flagstaff and it is a race with aid stations and all that stuff. I figured that it might be a good idea to get used to a race environment with aid stations and lots of people so that I could get my mind wrapped around what that is like (I haven't done any organized racing since I was a kid and most definitely not anything long distance like this). I don't see myself trying to get into any other races before Leadville in August so I guess I'll just have to pick peoples brains and just see how it goes...

R2R2R is still on the table as every week that I get in better shape I get more psyched to maybe give it a push this April some time. Honestly, there are two things that would keep me from doing it. 1)If I don't think I have a chance at a PR on it. 2)If I find other long runs to do instead. I don't really want to get suckered into running R2R2R every spring at the cost of checking new stuff out...no matter how bad ass that run is!

As a consolation to not doing the Zane Grey, I might run the Zane Grey 50 Mile course the day after the race unsupported as I would think that much of the race day markers will still be around. With the help of the markers, I can follow some of the notoriously faint sections of the Highline Trail (which the race course follows in it's entirety) through the burn area near it's east end. I could probably do the run some other time but this would be a "too good to pass up" option to get a faster time by not getting off trail as much.

I am still considering running the Zion Traverse again this spring in late April or early May. This is a tricky one as it is not as close to my house and you need to shuttle a car. I would need to shuttle a car for the Zane Grey too, but it is only an hour and a half from my house making it way easier to plan. So...we will have to see about Zion. I do love that run though, so I could see doing it again this Spring if everything worked out for it.

Well, it looks like R2R2R, Highline Trail (Zane Grey 50 mile course) or Zion Traverse are pushing to the top of my list so far... I do see that some other big runs in the Grand Canyon involving the Tonto Trail may happen once or twice too.

Man, I better start planning some of these or they won't happen! In a couple weeks, it'll be prime time for these runs and I don't want to miss out before the heat comes. I already heard that someone ran R2R2R this month and the conditions weren't that bad. They used Microspikes up at the top of the N. Kaibab Trail but that was the only sketchy section for them.

Running Log:

Sunday: 27.8 miles (New Hance, Tonto, Grandview Loop in Grand Canyon car to car)

Monday: 0 miles

Tuesday: 4.5 miles (Observatory Mesa in 4 inches of fresh powder. Awesome!) + 1 mile to work

Wednesday: 11 miles (from house, Urban Trail and most of Rocky Ridge and back in 1:40) + 6 miles work and errands

Thursday: 0 miles

Friday: 21 miles (from house, Urban Trail to Elden Lookout Road to top of Elden and back in 3:40. Felt great and didn't push it to hard. Just ran.)

So far this week, that's 71.3 miles with about 7,800 feet of elevation gain on some great trails. Great week of running for me!

New Hance/Tonto/Grandview Loop Run

To be honest, I was a bit nervous before the run.

I had been a bit sick the couple days before, I had just watched the movie 127 Hours (about the guy who cuts his arm off to escape death in a slot canyon) which made me think a bit about making sure I make smart decisions about my running adventures (the movie made me feel a little more vulnerable than normal) and I was about to run a “off the beaten path” 20+ mile loop in the Grand Canyon that I have never been on before. I guess I had reason to be nervous.

After some careful reasoning the day before the run, I concluded that I was feeling better, I was not going to “push it” and I was going to listen to my body, bring extra water and a map (and learn as much about the trails as I can) and give Susan detailed info on the loop, how long it should take me and when she should hear from me that I am out of the canyon and safe.

So, Saturday night I gathered all my stuff for the run, gave Susan detailed info, checked the weather, did some last minute “absorbing’ of details about the loop of choice and went to bed still feeling a bit nervous and flashing back to scenes from 127 Hours.

I was very surprised that 127 Hours stuck with me so much. I think, in the end, that I was having a hard time with the fact that he almost died because of something he couldn't control (the boulder falling on his arm) on a “normal day out” in the wilderness. He didn’t do anything that was dangerous or out of the norm for someone exploring out in the wild.

I really fixated on this idea. It really impacted me for some reason. I couldn’t deny that when I do more adventurous runs like Paria Canyon, “off the beaten path” runs in the Grand Canyon and other places, the footing is pretty bad, trails can be hard to find, the exposure is huge, there is little to no water and weather is often extreme. Basically, there is a lot of risk if one isn’t prepared and travels smart. And, even when one is prepared and travels smart, bad stuff can happen as it did in 127 Hours. I can’t escape that reality.

But, after a few more days of pondering this, I have concluded that I can’t prepare for everything and anything. Just like in the rest of life (work, relationships, etc.) we can’t control all outcomes and I am doing what backpackers do all the time, year after year, just faster. As long as I don’t try to push too hard, make sure to prepare well and be smart on the trails then, as long as I am fit enough for the day’s objective, I am not risking anything more than the common backpacker. I really don’t have any more control than that. Besides, it’s probably more dangerous statistically to drive my car than to do these runs anyway.

New Hance/Tonto/Grandview Trail Loop

Parking to New Hance Trailhead: .1 miles/0 feet elevation gain/loss

New Hance Trail: 8 miles/4,400 feet elevation loss

Tonto Trail: 9.9 miles/1,200 feet elevation gain

East Horseshoe Mesa Trail: 1.6 miles/1,200 feet elevation gain

Grandview Trail: 3.2 miles, 2,400 feet elevation gain

Grandview Trailhead to East Rim Drive: .5 miles/0 feet elevation gain/loss

East Rim Drive back to Parking: 4.5 miles/400 feet elevation loss

Total: 27.8 miles/4,800 feet elevation gain and 4,800 feet elevation loss*

*according to 'Official Guide to Hiking Grand Canyon Revised Edition'

After taking a bit of time placing a drop bag near Grandview Point to be used for the last few miles of road back to my car and finding the closest legit parking spot for the unmarked New Hance Trailhead, I parked the car in a dirt pull out on the side of the road and quickly put my things together. By 6 am I was jogging the .1 miles of road to the start of the New Hance Trail by headlamp and with microspikes in hand just in case there was still lingering ice on the trail.

Once on the New Hance Trail things got interesting fast. The first short section wanders flat to the rim but then the trail spills off the rim in steep little switchbacks on pretty narrow, scrambly singletrack. Cairns are liberally sprinkled along the trail to remind you that you are indeed on a trail although this trail is nothing like any other trail I have been on in the canyon except maybe the Boucher Trail. By headlamp, I had to have complete focus on where I was going so that I didn’t miss key turns in the rubble strewn, steep path. Luckily, there was no ice left on the trail so I was able to pack away my microspikes.

(This photo sums up how I felt at this point in the morning...way fuzzy.)

Once a bit lower and near the limestone layer it was light enough to finally pack away the headlamp and following the trail became much easier. There were still many spots where a green backpacker could get themselves in a bit of trouble and lost but cairns mark the way pretty well and I felt pretty comfortable route finding from here on out on the New Hance.

Even though the trail was easier to follow, I still found that the rugged terrain made for tough running conditions. Pretty much the whole section above the limestone layer was a mix of running, hiking and scrambling. Not to fast but plenty interesting.

There were a couple false gullies in the limestone when trying to find the break that the trail follows through it but, again, as long as I kept following the cairns I continued to find my way. Once through the limestone layer I entered a new world. One where I could run (the trail got really good for the next few miles) and I entered Red Canyon with super beautiful red soil contrasting with the surrounding Grand Canyon colors (unlike anything else I have seen in the canyon).

(Traversing above the limestone layer.)

(Looking through one of the breaks in the limestone.)

(Finally, smooth sailing.)

(Nearing Red Canyon.)

As I neared the wash of Red Canyon I saw my first backpacker. I caught her sipping tea in the early morning light. It was extremely peaceful where she camped and as I went by we had one of those cool back country moments where we just nodded heads and smiled as I went by. As if we didn’t have to say a word about how special the morning was for each of us. We just knew and were able to silently agree.

Once in Red Canyon, the terrain changed again. No good trail here, just cairns in a wash. I followed the trail less wash for the rest of the New Hance Trail to the river.

It was easy traveling though and there were amazingly good quality boulders strewn all over the wash for the whole bottom section near the river. I freaked out a bit in this section stopping every so often to grope some features and invision the lines I would climb if I had climbing shoes and time. There is literally dozens of world class boulders down there! I even saw one of the boulders pictured online of Beth Rodden climbing on their famous climbing/rafting trip down the Grand Canyon a few years ago. The line she was on was as cool looking in person as it was in the photo. Amazing rock.

(Sick, house sized boulders!)

(Beth Rodden Boulder as I saw it.)

(There's the photo of her climbing it. Yep, same boulder. Pretty rad problems on this thing.)

Less than a mile down wash from the Beth Rodden boulder I found myself standing on the shore of the Colorado River and Hance Rapids. It was a really cool beach and I was welcomed by my second silent encounter with a backpacker cleaning some dishes on the shore slightly upstream. It took a few minutes for him to notice me and I had that moment where I thought “what the hell does he think of a guy like me way down here in the middle of no where with only a little Nathan pack on? Is he surprised, concerned or doesn’t give a s—t?”

(Red Canyon Wash entering Hance Rapids. Tonto trail starts near water in left side of photo.)

I was pretty psyched to find myself standing on the eastern starting point of the Tonto Trail and the start of the Tonto Platform. I had heard that this is the toughest section of the Tonto in it’s entire length so I was both excited and nervous to check it out. Well, the only way to do it was to get going so, after a minute to orient myself, I started.

The first section of the Tonto Trail follows the beach past some nice sandy campsites and then gets tricky. At the end of the beach, and the start of a big talus slope, there are two ways to go. One was up a sandy hill and the other continued to follow the shore. Both had cairns and but the lower trail had bigger ones so I followed that one. Maybe a mistake, as I spent the next while negotiating loose rubble on a fairly steep hillside trying to follow amazingly unorganized cairns. It seemed that there would be one up high on the hill that I would reach and then I would scan the hillside and find another one low on the hill and then in the middle of the hill, then high, then low and this continued for a while. Finally, I got sick of it and figured that I was traveling too low and needed to get up onto the top of the plateau. This made sense to me because I knew that at some point the Tonto Plateau would become prominent and easy to stay on top as it is a huge mesa for it’s entire length. I was just at the start of it so it hadn’t truly formed yet.

(Start of the Tonto Trail.)

(This is what the Tonto Trail looked like for the first bit...rubble and the occasional cairn.)

Well, just as I figured, once I scrambled up onto the flat part of the forming mesa a faint trail and more organized cairns formed. As I wandered through an amazing boulder field (world class boulders…reminded me of Ibex boulders but more of 'em) the trail started to get really good and my worries went away. The Tonto Trail had finally formed its’ regular (well, at least what I’m used to) single track form.

This went on past amazing canyons and buttes and I was able to stop scrambling and start running again. Besides some steeper grades and scrambles, this was the best running of the loop.

I especially enjoyed running along Hance Creek, or more appropriately above it. The Tonto follows the rim of the terrifically steep walled and deep canyon of Hance Creek for many miles of exposed running. This was awesome! I fully enjoyed it. There is no describing how deep the canyon for Hance Creek is until you visit it. It looks like its’ own Grand Canyon!

(Looking up Hance Creek.)

(Looking down Hance Creek.)

Once the Tonto finally crossed Hance Creek I filled up on water and absorbed the special spot with its’ babbling creek, Cottonwood trees and steep walled canyon. Really cool and psyched to find water too.

(Hance Creek where I got water.)

Not long after leaving Hance Creek, the trail splits…oh, I forgot to say that there were no trail signs up to this point. Just cairns. This loop is one of those where you need to study up and bring a map to make sure you don’t have an epic finding your way.

So, back to the split…I knew from my map that I needed to take the left split and go up hill, sans signs, so I headed left and up.

(Typical trail split with no signs.)

The trail that I split onto was the East Horseshoe Mesa Trail and what a trail it was. I think it is only 1 ½ ish miles on this trail to get to Horseshoe Mesa and the Grandview Trail but it climbs like a monster. Luckily, while power hiking most of this section, I was able to enjoy the views of the Tonto Trail below me, check out the many mining shafts and relics and limestone walls, see the Page Springs and talk to hikers (this is where I started to see tons of people again). Cool section that literally is cut out of the limestone wall to gain passage.

(Mining trash.)

Looking back down at Hance Creek and the Tonto Trail.)

(RUGGED!)

(Sitting in a cave near the top of the Limestone layer.)

(Yikes!)

Once above the limestone layer, I reached Horseshoe Mesa and turned left onto the Grandview Trail (also unmarked) and my ticket back to the rim.

(Looking up toward the rim from Horseshoe Mesa.)

The Grandview Trail made me work for it every step of the way! Some sections were gentle and smooth but much of the trail was STEEP! Much of the upper sections were built with the same cool cobblestone action that is on a few spots of the Hermit Trail. I have learned, though, that these types of trails mean trouble. They are always excessively steep and unrelenting.

Even though they were unrelenting, all trails come to an end and after some pushing through tourists and hikers I was back on the Rim and on flat ground. I checked the clock and I finished the 22.7 miles of crazy, rugged terrain in 5 hours and 25 minutes. Better than expected with all the picture taking, route finding and general slow moving on a ‘off the beaten path’ trail I have never been on before.

(Serious grade! This photo does it no justice.)

(Looking back down toward Horseshoe Mesa from near the rim.)

After a few minutes to add layers and check out the views, I jogged the .5 miles to the East Rim Road and filled my Nathan with water and some more snacks from my earlier placed stash and ran (albeit, very slow) the East Rim Road back to my car doing my best to dodge traffic.

Once back to my car I checked the watch and I had gone 27.8 miles, car to car, in 6 hours and 35 minutes.

(OMG! The car! One of the best views in running!)

Another sweet Grand Canyon adventure! Felt good in there after being sick a few days before. I just took my time, enjoyed the canyon and no epics! Now, what’s next on the list for down there…

Low Mileage Week

Running Log

Last Week: 32.5 miles

With the GC backpacking trip at the beginning and getting a bit sick at the end, last week ended up being a light mileage week. Good thing too, because yesterday I ran the New Hance, Tonto, Grandview Trail Loop and it was RUGGED!

...believe it or not, it's snowing as I write this post.

The Good and Bad of Spring Conditions

Good

-Running in shorts and t-shirt cuz it's finally warm out (weather is in the 60's!).

-SOME of the trails around Flagstaff are dry during the day instead of being winter muck piles so no more having to run at sunrise to beat the mud.

-Excitement is high for the high mountain trails to be runnable in the next couple months.

Bad

-It's just warm and nice out enough to trick you into passing up the dry, flat trails near town and running the higher elevation trails that you know are still not in season and are riddled with deep snow or mud.

-It's no longer below freezing at night but not all the snow has melted so you get suckered into running in the woods on trails that would have been fine a couple weeks ago and now have creeks flowing down them even in the middle of the night.

-Tricky ice still looms around the next corner to take you down, right when you think that the whole trail your on is finally clear.

It's all good. I love this time of fast melting snow, slop, muck, dry sticky trails (where you can find them), ice patches, beautiful crisp warm air and even the random spring snow storm or rainy thunderstorm. Whatever seems to be the case on the given trail for the day, I am just psyched in anticipation for the coming mountain running season and, at the same time, loving running in the last bits of good desert conditions too. This is arguably my favorite running season (although Fall is right up there too).

Running Log

Yesterday: 10.5 miles in 1:26 at Campbell Mesa on the east side of Flagstaff. This mesa is prime in the spring. It melts out really fast, isn't prone to having a lot of mud and is a bit warmer then running in the west end of town. Also, the single track loops out there are some of the best in town. Super beautiful.

I also put in 4 more miles later in the day running to work and home twice.

Today: 10 miles on Dry Lake Hills. Probably a mistake... I did the Rocky Ridge, Brookbank, Little Gnarly, Schultz Pass Road Loop and Little Gnarly was pretty much a mess. I expected there to be a packed down path in the snow from snow shoe traffic like when I ran the loop a few times in the middle of winter but no one had been up there since the last snow a couple weeks ago so I had the displeasure of having to walk about 1.5 miles of the loop post holing shin to knee deep through some seriously sharp crust. It did a number on my legs. OUCH. Lesson learned. I'm not going up there again until it melts out. Slow time too... really dragging and the post holing didn't help. Not even worth posting my time.

Also, 2 miles run to work and home later in the day.

...I feel a bit sick tonight. I hope it doesn't develop into something...

Granite Rapids Grand Canyon Hike

Finally, Susan and I got into the Grand Canyon for a couple nights to camp. I have been wanting to do this kind of trip for quite some time, getting the itch from all of my running in the canyon.

It seems that every time I go in the Grand Canyon to run, I come across some special place that I would like to find myself relaxing at for a day or two to just soak it all in. A luxury that I just can't afford on long runs in there but I long for at times to really connect with the canyon in a more intimate way.

I was really excited to go in there with Susan to share such a special place with her, a place that I have such an intense connection to.

Day One

We started the hike at 5 am from Hermit's Rest. The goal of the day was to hike down the Hermit Trail and Tonto Trail to Monument Creek and then continue down Monument Creek to our home for the night at Granite Rapids.

We were psyched to get in the canyon not only to have some good old adventure but to get out of the 30 some degree temps of the early morning at the rim and down to warmer weather. We started out in all the clothes we brought but did the typical shedding layers slowly but surely as we dropped the 5,000 feet of elevation from the rim to the river. The day started out as 30 some degrees but by the time we reached the bottom of the canyon it was 80 degrees! Gotta love the desert!

The trip down the Hermit was slow moving as always. Even running it is hard to move fast on the Hermit. There is lots of rubble and many steep sections to negotiate to slow you down. So, we just took our time, stopping regularly to snack, take in the views and scramble up on little chossy buttes. It was a really nice morning of hiking and Susan and I really enjoyed ourselves. Honestly, the first 5 or so miles of hiking or running down into the canyon is one of my favorite parts as that is when all the senses are really coming alive and trying to soak in the massive scale and beauty of the place. Often, later in a Grand Canyon hike or run, the senses dull to the greatness of the place but on the way in it just overloads you...blowing you away. Good stuff!

Mid day, we reached the Tonto and welcomed the rolling flat terrain and smoother trail on our way over to Monument Creek. Although, it did heat up pretty good (which it always does on the Tonto). We got pretty focused on making it to shade at or near Monument Spire to take a break and wolf down our luxury massive home made deli style sandwiches.

Once at Monument Spire and 10ish miles into the the descent to Granite Rapides, we made good on our plan to wolf down those sandwiches and the moment we sat down the sandwiches were out of the packs and shoved down our throats. Gotta love a good effort on a back packing trip to show you how much of a pig you can be!

From Monument Spire it was an easy 2ish miles down the pleasant Monument Creek to the Granite Rapids and our camp.

When we reached the creek, it was all good times. There is nothing like shedding a huge pack in the heat of the day and know that you are at camp in a sweet ass place and you just get to hang out there and do nothing or everything, what ever you want, for the next day or so. We wandered the beach for the best camp site with options of cute little protected and shaded sites along the east side of the beach or more open sites in the sandy dune on the west side of the beach. We opted for the sandy dune. We just couldn't resist camping right next to the water and the meat of Granite Rapids. The roar of the rapids were massively loud but it didn't seem to bother us at all. Camping near rapids seems very novel to us these days, after living in dusty, dry Arizona for all these years.

Oh yeah... we were lucky enough to see a big horn sheep give us a great show when we first got to the beach. It was just cruising around scrambling on super steep cliffs right above the rapids and right in front of us. It was really cool to watch him scamper around on such steep terrain as if it were nothing. The climber in me is always mesmerized seeing animals do stuff like that, climbing crazy choss with out a care. Really cool way to start our stay at the beach.

After setting up camp the rest of the night was spent monitoring Susan's feeling of getting sick and just generally chilling out on the beach. Not long after reaching the beach, her health deteriorated and she seemed to be in the throngs of a good old head cold. Yikes. We discussed some options of what to do for getting back out the 12 miles and 5,000 feet of elevation gain to the car if things got worse. In the end, we just decided to sleep on it and see if a day of relaxing on the beach of Granite Rapids would clear things up.

Day Two

After, for me, a blissful sleep in the canyon and, for Susan, an uncomfortable night being sick we got up to a typical excellent morning in the canyon. Luckily, Susan started feeling better as the day went on and we pretty much split our day up between lounging at the beach, watching rafters and kayakers run the rapids, getting wet in the Colorado River and Monument Creek, filtering water from the creek, getting a tan, checking out lizards, scrambling around, drinking beer (yes, we brought beer! but Susan didn't really get to enjoy it since she was feeling under the weather a bit still) and generally having a great time. I, for one, really enjoyed the beach at Granite Rapids and would put it up there as one of the better places I have ever camped. I highly recommend it. It was really nice for Susan and I to just sit around in such an amazing place for a day and do pretty much nothing. Harder and harder to do these days for us.

Later in the day, we discussed our options a bit more for making it easier to get out of the canyon with Susan feeling a bit under the weather. She was way better than the night before but it seemed that it would still be better to get at least a few miles closer to home to camp the second night. We decided to pack up and hike the couple miles back up Monument Creek to Monument Spire and Monument Creek Campground for the night.

A bit after 4:30 pm we made the hour trek to Monument Creek Campground, found a really nice site and made camp. Monument Creek Campground is a really nice place to be and I have run past it several times and pretty much ever time vowed to camp here some time. Well...the time is now I guess and Susan and I savored every minute of it. From filtering water while watching and listening to the music of frogs that were all over the place at the creek after dark to having a very, very tame and huge mouse literally squeeze himself between Susan and my hips to try and steel food from my hand when I wasn't looking, we had some good animal bonding at Monument Creek Campground and to top it off it was a fantastically beautiful night.

Day Three

We were up early, at 4:15 am and on the trail by 5 am, to beat the heat and get an early start in case Susan felt crappy again (although, Susan was doing much better at this point). It's always better to be safe than sorry in the Grand Canyon. This place kicks a lot of peoples ass!

We saw this first hand as we hiked across the Tonto in the dark that morning and happened across two parties that didn't make it to camp that were camped along the trail and then a third party camped on the Hermit Trail that we found just after light. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people don't respect how hard it is to get around in the canyon.

The hike out went pretty fast and we only really rested at three spots but they were good ones. The first was at the top of the limestone layer where you can scramble up onto a fin of limestone. We took the opportunity to take, what we agreed later to being, one of the most scenic poops of our lives. The second was in the sandstone layer where we dropped our packs, walked out a ridge and scrambled onto the table top summit of a small butte. Really cool and begged to be climbed. The third was in the little structure at the springs a few miles from the rim where we sat in a rocking chair (yes, a rocking chair! Luxury) and snacked before the last hard climb out.

The last hard climb to the rim went by pretty quickly as we marveled at how good we felt hiking this last bit and at how many people were hiking in after 1 pm to camp in the bottom of the canyon. People just kept coming down the trail at Noon, 1 pm and even later at 2 pm to camp in the bottom of the canyon (it takes most people 6-8 hours to hike down the Hermit Trail on average). We wondered how many of them would be camping somewhere on the Hermit or Tonto Trails because they couldn't make it to their camps in the dark. I smell some epics... These people must drive the park service crazy.

Well, the trip was awesome, Susan survived with a smile on her face instead of me dragging her sick body out on my back, we really got to have some good bonding time and be intimate with some special places down there and we even discussed other adventures we could have down there some day. Very good three days in the canyon! Thanks Susan for the sweet birthday present!!!

Watch the video to see what Granite Rapids looked like. Cool spot!

Back From Bliss

Susan and I are back from our backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon and feeling goooooooooood. Trip report and photos to come soon...

Running Log

Today: 3 miles easy (run to work, again to work and then home)

Squeezed in...

...one last run for the week before hiking in the canyon this weekend. Amazing weather continues!!!

Run Log

Today: 8 miles (urban trail to a mile up Schultz Pass Road and back home in 1:10)

and 2 miles (run to work and home).

Week: 47.5

Warm!

The weather in Flagstaff is down right gorgeous right now. Ran with my shirt off this afternoon for the first time in 2011 and loved every minute of it.

During the run, thought about how psyched I am to backpack in the Grand Canyon with Susan this weekend!!!

Run Log

Today: 2 miles (to work and back in am) and 6 miles (Urban trail to Schultz Pass Road and back in afternoon in 50 minutes. Cruising at a fun pace and not feeling it. Just great to be out in the warm sun. Psyched.).

Gorgeous day!!!

Saw this over at Hang Nine. I feel like a complete chicken after watching this video cuz it made me queasy!!! WOW!

Feeling Good...

When I woke up this morning, I was most definitely not in the mood to run. But, it was the only time I was going to get a chance today so I crawled out of bed and stumbled out the door. Good thing too, as it only took a couple miles and I was in happy land cruising along on the urban trail north of my house enjoying the morning crisp, cold but warming air. The sun was just high enough in the sky to give me some warm rays but the air was still cold enough to not be melting the ground and turning it into muck. Made for a really nice run. Spring is in the air...

Running Log

Today: 8 miles in 1:10 on the urban trail and some of Schultz Pass Road. Good, fun cruising.

Also, 1 miles run to work.

Sedona Traverse Free Climb Action

Sunday, Susan and I got down to Sedona to sample the first 5 pitches of the "Sedona Traverse" that Jeff and I have been working on. It was a funny day, as Susan and I battled with our own cruxes.

For Susan, it was the fact that the route needed to be cleaned a bit more and dealing with some pretty amazing exposure.

For me it was chickening out on the third pitch (the crux at 5.11+) because of being to sketched to clip a bolt. If I had blown it I would have ended up hanging in space under a big roof with no jumar to get me back up to the route (I forgot the jumar at the base...arg). I was oh, so close to sending the pitch too. Just a bit to chicken to deal with the swing and grabbed the draw. There's always next time. Great pitch though. Really exposed and cool free climbing...just maybe too hard for the masses to enjoy. Looks like a lot of people will be aiding through this pitch. My other crux was on the hike back when I tried to break off a dead branch that was in the way and when it snapped it nailed me in the face. OUCH! It felt like someone punched me in the nose.

Funny day.

So, after taking a free climbing run at the route, it seems that pitch one is about 5.6 and a tad run out at the beginning that may or may not be a big deal. Pitch two is 5.10 and really, really good climbing (I added a bolt to this pitch Sunday to make it more comfortable to lead). Pitch 3 is 5.11+ and also really, really good but needs a bit more cleaning and will probably become an A0 pitch for a lot of people. Pitch 4 is probably no harder than 5.9 or 5.10a but there is a little bit of choss on this pitch and a tricky down climb move that isn't obvious and needs another bolt. Pitch 5 is probably 5.8 and needs more cleaning. There is a fair bit of choss at the beginning of this pitch.

It looks like there needs to be another run across these first 5 pitches to do some final cleaning and add another bolt to make it the high quality route it deserves to be. I don't think that the route will get finished this winter but at the least it looks like we will have a couple more pitches added on and we will get the existing pitches cleaned up nicely to make a really cool 7 pitch sport traverse.

Although, you never know...maybe we will get more done. It's just going to be a race against heat at this point. We only have a couple more months before it gets blazing hot down there.

We will see.

(Hangin' at the second belay)

(Susan finishing the stellar 5.10 Pitch 2)

(Me leading out on the 5.11+ pitch getting ready to lower down over the roof crux. Exciting!)

This morning I broke the 4 week silence and ran up Elden Lookout Road to the summit of Mt. Elden. It was an excellent run and I pretty much jogged the entire thing to saver the experience. I have been running paved roads the last week since my Grand Canyon run so this was really nice.

I usually don't run to the true summit on my Elden Lookout Road runs. I tend to stop at the saddle 1/2 mile from the summit because of the extreme winds that seem to be up there all winter.

Today was still and warm and I took the opportunity to do it right and go all the way to the summit. Good stuff.

(Summit of Mt. Elden from the saddle where I usually turn around. Great morning!)

(Mt. Humphreys from the summit of Elden.)

(Looking down at town from the summit of Elden.)

Running Log

Today: Jogged 10.5 miles in am up and down Mt. Elden Lookout Road from the gate to summit in 2:10 (2,300 feet of elevation gain/loss) (I just found out I have been short changing myself on the mileage of the Mt. Elden Lookout Road from the gate to the saddle and summit. Gate to Saddle is just over 4.5 miles and Gate to Summit is about 5.25. I'll take it.)

Also, ran 4 miles in pm to work and home twice.

8 minute mile

Today I decided to finally start stretching the legs and move a little faster. It seems that I have been running consistently for a couple months now and gotten over my injuries from the fall and winter (my left knee and back of my right leg). So, I don't have any excuses anymore...

I'm not big on training. I like to just run as much as I can in the most inspiring places I can so putting some speed in my runs doesn't usually end up being what you would think like timed 4x400's, hill repeats or whatever else there is out there (although, I'm sure I would greatly benefit from some regimented workouts...). Instead, when I want to get some speed, I just go out on a day I feel good and try to run hard. I know...not that cool.

Well, this morning I ran the urban trail from my house to the start of Schultz Pass Road and back, intending to 'open it up' a bit. Everything went pretty well and I enjoyed pushing my legs and lungs a bit more than usual. And, even though I am still crawling compared to faster runners, I feel I finished up with an effort that is a good start to gathering some speed for the season.

At the end of the 6 mile 'out and back' that I did on the urban trail, I clocked in at 48 minutes. Petty much exactly 8 minute miles. Not bad...

Maybe not that great either, as the leaders of the 2011 Rocky Raccoon 100 Mile Run averaged my 8 minute mile pace for an entire 100 miles!!!

Man, talk about keeping things in perspective. Holy crap.

In the end, this run is a great base and since I didn't go all out, dying and sucking wind at the end, but hard enough for a 'pretty strong effort,' I am psyched to keep building on this and getting much faster and be able to sustain some decent speed over some super long distances too (the real goal)...we will see.

Worth Reading

I just read a very honest report by Jason Wolfe over at Just Another Running Blog about what can happen when things go bad running in the Grand Canyon. Pretty crazy story and a sober reminder of why it is important to respect the canyon.

Running Log

Today: 6 miles, in 48 minutes (8 minute mile pace), on urban trail, before it started snowing and raining.

Over 50

Running log

Yesterday: 3 miles (Run to deliver rent check and then to work and home.)

Week: 51.5 miles (Good to be back running more and got some adventure this week! It was very much needed. Got my but kicked in the canyon a bit but gets me psyched to get in better shape!)

Making the list...

I haven't really committed to putting anything 40+ miles on the list for the spring running season yet... In past years, by this time, I already was chompin' at the bit to do R2R2R, Zion Traverse or Paria Canyon. This year, I feel like some new long runs are in order. Time to continue the exploration of new trails... hmmm... maybe link S. Kaibab to Clear Creek and see the remote Cheyava Falls in the Grand Canyon, link some bigger sections of the Tonto in the Grand Canyon, run the Highline Trail by Payson, AZ, do a monster run in Sedona, pick something big in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, find something adventurous in Southern Utah or central AZ, have another go at the Zion Traverse, do R2R2R again. Lot's of choices here... and I'm sure some more will come to mind as I think more. I'll have to get focused here.

Running Log
Yesterday: 6 miles in am (urban trail, sore and tired still from GC)

Today: 7.5 in am (Susan's school to home, feeling a bit better but had a rough patch in middle, not a lot of energy yet) and 2 miles in pm (run to work and home)

Bright Angel/S. Kaibab/Tonto Loop

Yesterday, by total surprise, I was lucky enough to get my first run in the Grand Canyon of 2011!

It all came together because Susan and I were trying to get a last minute permit to backpack in the Grand Canyon for 3 days for my birthday. So, with such late planning, we had to visit the back country office in person (any permit request under 3 weeks has to be made in person).

I, of course, offered to do it. Not only could I secure a sweet trip backpacking below the rim but I could slip a run in too. Needless to say, I was psyched. Finally, a bit of adventure.

Well, our first choice of the Boucher/Hermit loop was already booked up so we opted to get a permit for hiking the Hermit to the Tonto and then down Monument Creek to Granite Rapids to camp for two nights.

I'm pretty excited to do this as I have run past Monument Creek many times and vowed secretly to myself just about every time that I will camp in this area sometime in my life. Well...here it is. Next weekend we will be hanging by the beach on the Colorado at Granite Rapids for a few days. Good times. Great idea Susan! Thank you for the great birthday present.

So, the run...

Well, I'll say one thing. I am out of shape. Yep. I learned on the run that I have not been running nearly enough elevation and miles to cruise down there yet (I also ran 10 miles and climbed pretty hard the day before too...hmmm). I struggled for much of it, feeling my legs on the way down and up and walking the last 3 miles out the Bright Angel Trail. Oooof.

Not to say that I didn't enjoy the run. It was awesome. No matter how much I get my ass kicked down there it is always the right place to be. I love it down there.

I chose to run down the Bright Angel Trail to Phantom Ranch, up the S. Kaibab to the Tonto Junction, across the Tonto back to the Bright Angel Trail and then back up to the rim. Believe it or not, this is my first time going DOWN the Bright Angel. I always seem to be going up it instead, coming from some other trail.

Well, the loop was a good one at about 20 miles and I really enjoyed the Tonto section (probably because it was one of the only flat sections...).

Here are a few photos from the run...

(Looking down from the rim at what I'm about to be running through. YES!)

LOTS OF SNOW up high on the Bright Angel. Microspikes were key!)

(There was snow all the way down to the 3 mile house.)

(Looking back up from near Indian Gardens at the snow on the rim. Beautiful view. The Bright Angel Trail descends the gully in the right side of photo.)

(Nearing Indian Gardens.)

(Above video shows one of my favorite sections of running on the Bright Angel Trail.)

(Awesome section of the Bright Angel Trail cutting across the hillside in the distance.)

(Just before reaching the Colorado River on the Bright Angel.)

(River Trail.)

(Nearing Phantom Ranch on the River Trail. You can faintly see the two bridges in the distance.)

(Tore my shoe on the bridge trying to get past a hord of hikers! Arg.)

(Creek near Phantom Ranch.)

(Looking back on probably my favorite section of the S. Kaibab.)

(I always love running on the Tonto!)

(A favorite spot of mine on this section of the Tonto.)

(Heading back up the Bright Angel in the heat of the day and super sloppy conditions.)

(No run on the Bright Angel would be complete without walking behind a mule train! On this run I had the pleasure of walking behind them for a mile. I wasn't running much at this point anyway so whatever...)

(Heading home.)

Running Log

Yesterday: 20 miles in the canyon, 5,000 feet of gain and loss, 4 hours 57 minutes (I was stubborn and ran the last bit to make sure I was under 5 hours. Silly, I know...). Very slow day in the canyon for me. Gives me good incentive to get more miles in, more elevation and more speed. Good day out!

Today: 3 miles (easy to work, home and then work again)