My beginning began more than 17 million years ago when the Colorado River established its course through the canyon. The most powerful force to have an impact was erosion, primarily by water (and ice) and second by wind.When my soil is baked by the sun it tends to become very hard and cannot absorb water when the rains come. When it does rain the water tends to come down in torrents which only adds to the problem. The plants that grow in the Canyon have very shallow root systems so that they can grab as much water as possible on those rare occasions when it does rain. Unfortunately these root systems do nothing to deter erosion by holding the soil in place. The result is frequently a flash flood roaring down a side canyon that can move boulders the size of automobiles, buses and even small houses. If automobiles, buses and small houses are in the way then it will take them too. This mass that moves down a side canyon during a flash flood is more like a fast flowing concrete than water and it can be very dangerous.
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| South rim |
As travelers move through the valley I enjoy listening to their conversations about life, love, pain, running, religion, and even sometimes politics. This day I heard some of the oddest things. One man said to the other runner:
"My room mate installed a Bidet in our apartment. I don't understand why Americans don't use a bidet, they are really cool. Have you ever tried a Bidet?"
"NO!" Reply on of the runners.
"You really have to try one some time. They are awesome. Why clean up with dry paper, when you could be squeaky clean?"
"How do you dry off? Air dry?"
"When I was in Argentina they had a hand towel hanging next to the Bidet. I never used it, that's gross."
He also had some of the Best rock Jokes I have ever heard. He called them Rock Rock jokes.
"What did the boy volcano say to the girl volcano?
I lava you!'"
"Did you hear about the geologist reading the book about helium?
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| Colorado River |
He just couldn't put it down!"
"May the Quartz be with you."
Later while climbing the north rim one asked:
"So, How was the grand canyon formed?"
And before I could whisper a word out this same man piped up.
"Well, over time water and glaciers eroded the dirt away. The gravitational pull of the earth pushed all the dirt out in to the ocean."
What? Has this man gone mad from too much exposure of the sun or is he just a fool. In the Grand Canyon National park handbook calls those that run from one rim to the other and back in one day the "Parade of Fools". Many of them come thinking they could do this and are surprised that their training was not sufficient for this great task.
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| Phantom Ranch |
As all adventurers do they have their ups and downs. When the downs came this group of runners bound together and helped each other get through them. There is a bond in this group that is rare and a hard trait to learn. Selfless love and Charity. The stronger runners held back and aided the ones having problems with the journey. They could have pushed forward to get done sooner, easing the strain and time on their body, but they willingly chose to help a friend or someone they just met get through their trials. They shared their sustenance with those in the group that needed it most. Their kind hearts are much like the park rangers in the canyon. They not only help protect my walls and valley but rescued the weak and unprepared.
On this groups way out of the canyon Chris and Michael ran in to a young beautiful ranger (Michael called her HOT) in the dark. She was off duty and about to cook her rice dinner outside, because she enjoyed cooking out doors. She stopped to talk to them and gave them some snacks for the hard 4 mile climb out. They told her of their plan to hit the south rim to come back with more food and aid their friends that weren't doing as well. She later aided their friends when they passed by. She said something that I found funny but the two men didn't get.
"It's like Bilbo Baggens said from the Hobbit, 'There's too much bread and not enough butter'. The Grand Canyon park is so big but there's not enough rangers to cover the whole park and to help everyone."
At long last they all made it out of the canyon. They finished beaten, exhausted, and excited to be done. They had completed a journey that not many have done, let alone attempted. It was a pleasure to listen and watch them interacted with each other. I hope and pray they come away from this experience stronger and better humans. You can learn a lot by listening to the birds, trees and rocks.
"Every rock has a story, you just gotta know how to ask the right questions."
-Grand Canyon
Epiloge
What a grand weekend. I have never been to the Grand Canyon before this weekend. I am still amazed of its beauty and views. I feel blessed to be able to run that far and long to see so much of the national park. I had so much fun running with friends and making new ones. There were so many fun moments this weekend it was hard to remember them all. Here are a few of the great times.
The drive down and the return trip was memorable. We laughed so hard my abs hurt. Never has such a long drive gone by so fast. Oh yeah, I wasn't driving that helped a ton. I ate when I needed too, I didn't cramp and was well hydrated. I started taking Metasalt after my last 50 miler. It was recommended to me by the owner of Endurance Athletics Tyler Shepherd. They helped me through this run as well as others. I made sure I brought plenty to share. It was cool to see how fast they work. One of my fellow trail runners was feeling a bit sluggish. I gave her one and with in an hour or so she was doing tons better. Many of the runners brought only gels and powerbars. Later in the day when they didn't feel like eating what they brought, they didn't eat. I am a strong believer in eating real food for ultra running. Eat what you think tastes good and bring a variety they enjoyed the oreos and cookies I shared (Now that's real food).
Highlights:
Before we had even started Micheal wanted to change the run to a 5k. "Who wants to run the Grand Canyon 5k?" he asked. "We can run 1.5 miles down and then turn around. Who's with me? That's all I really want to run."
Before we had even started Micheal wanted to change the run to a 5k. "Who wants to run the Grand Canyon 5k?" he asked. "We can run 1.5 miles down and then turn around. Who's with me? That's all I really want to run."
Some how on the way home we got talking about hot Disney Princesses. Rick likes Anna from Frozen but not so much Elsa. He said "I think Elsa would have some serious social issues." Other princesses that came up were Belle, Cinderella, and Merida from Brave. I am a big fan of Tinker Bell. I tell my 11 year old daughter all the time that I think she's hot and she's my girlfriend. It's okay my wife openly drools over Captain America, and Thor, used to be Matthew McConaughey but she says he's not so hot anymore.
We found out that Rick's girlfriend is serving a mission in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has a picture of her on the back of his phone. He plans to reel her in when she gets home and then proceeded to joke about how he would put her in her place. "Get in the kitchen and bring me some supper." Wife says, "Good luck with that!"
One of Bethany's favorite parts of the trip was at Phantom Ranch. "We had all made it to Phantom Ranch except for Rick and Melissa for the second time. We only had 10 miles to go. The restaurant at Phantom Ranch was closed and no matter how desperate Walter pleaded with them, they wouldn't help us. So we ate what we had despite the fact that none of it sounded appetizing to us. Then along came Rick and Melissa walking in. Rick sat down at the picnic table and immediately started to cramp. He kept cramping and yelling the "f" word (naughty boy-his missionary wouldn't like that). Totally out of character for him. He was in rough shape right then. Good thing he recovered some and made it out of the canyon." This wasn't the only time that he cramped and dropped the F bomb. On the climb out he was done and said, "This bench is so comfy, I think I'll sleep here." When we all got back to the hotel he sat on the floor and proceeded to cramp again. It was bad. I unfortunately know how he feels.
"We ran a half.... of a 100 miler"
How many liters of water do you need to carry with you to run R2R2R? According to Rick 3 liters. I think you should carry one to two liters, in addition to the Mountain Dew of course, and lots of food to share with your friends. Gels and powerbars do not power you through a physical and mental challenge like this. Moral of the story is: Be prepared! (With Oreos and Dew for all)
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