Rim-to-Rim - How long will it take???

I provided a lot of information in my post on Just the Facts.

But I missed one thing that is really important.  How long will it take?  This will dictate how early we leave and whether or not we need headlights.

This seems like a really simple question.  But of course it is not.  It depends on how in shape you are, how often you will stop, whether you will take some of the side trips, and how long you will spend at lunch (or drinking a beer as is our plan).

Here is what I have found on other sites.

4:55a North Kaibab Trail head

...

5:45p South Rim 

If you are in good shape and do not plan to stop too many times, you can do the rim-to-rim hike in 12-13 hours. This means that you do not need to start before sunrise unless you are hiking in october (when sunset is at 6pm). If you are not in good shape, you should not even think of trying this hike anyway. So leaving before sunrise may sound a bit unnecessary. 

One way trip time: 12 hours 7 minutes

The trip was successful (13 hours for the hike). But -- it was absolutely, positively, without question, by far . . . the hardest thing I've ever done in my life.

Based on all of that, it will take beween 12-13 hours.  If the sun is going down at about 6pm on the South Rim, then we should be hiking by 5am.  That means headlights and enough warm cloths for at least an hour of dark.

I will be writing about headlights next.

Training #6 - Sea to Skyline

You read that title right. We decided to do the challenging Skyline to the Sea trail again, but this time
backwards - up hill to get more climbing in. This is our last big training hike in preparation for the Rim-to-Rim hike. We expected the hike to be ~27 miles and ~6k of elevation gain.

Greg and I (Gary is on vacation) were dropped off on the Waddell Beach Skyline to the Sea trail-head at 6:30, just as the sun was coming up. We started early because we knew the hike would take a long time, and because it was suppose to be in the 90's later in the day.

We set a blistering pace, getting to Big Basin (about 15 miles) not much after 10:00. This was too early for lunch to stayed maybe 15 minutes and continued. We continued our fast pace until ~12:00 when we decided to eat lunch.  Greg opened his pack and again pulled out beers having carried them ~20 miles this time. What a treat!

We didn't rest for very long and hit the trail again. As we climbed it started to get hot. And as we moved out of the trees, we could really feel the heat. This didn't seem like a problem. We were getting a bit tired, but still feeling good.

After another few miles, Greg's calves started to cramp. He stretched out and we continued. But the cramping was just the tip of the iceberg. He started feeling it in his stomach and them across his body. He hit the wall.  He rested up and pushed on for another mile or so. We happened to be in text / phone range so called our ride. After trying to go on, we decided to go back a bit to a place where we could be picked up.

We were ~2 miles from the end but did 26.5 miles and 5527 feet of elevation gain. A great training hike! And great learning in terms of eating enough, at the right frequency and making sure to get enough electrolytes.

I feel confident that we are fit enough for the Grand Canyon. I am really looking forward to it!!

Training #5 - Pacific Crest Trail from Sonora Pass North

We are down to three weeks left, and as a result three hikes before the big day.  Two long ones and one shorter.

1. Pacific Crest Trail, Sonora Pass North - 20+ miles, 4k+ elevation gain
2. Skin Cancer Take A Hike - A fundraiser for my step father, 7.5+ miles, 3k+ elevation gain
3. Sea to Skyline - ~27 miles, 6k+ elevation gain

Panorama

Yesterday was the first of these.  A really nice hike along the Pacific Crest Trail in the opposite direction from my other two Pacific Crest Trail hikes.  This post will just be some pictures to give you an idea of what the hike is like.

Elevation - Out and Back

 This hike really makes me want to take it all the way to Lake Tahoe!

Motivation and Exercise

I was taking a hike the other day with my wife Julie and we got to talking about motivation.  I am motivated, I like to workout and have for a long time.  My first thought was - "maybe I am not a good person to write about this."  But the more I thought about it, I do have to work at insuring that my workouts are productive.  I do have a fair number of tricks that help me.  So maybe many of us are actually the same, just to varying degrees.

I plan to exercise every day, seven days a week. My routine is not to think about if I will exercise, but rather what kind of exercise do I plan to do and when I will fit it in.  I put it in my calendar just like a meeting and move it if something comes up.  I know that I will miss one and once in a while two days and am ok with that.  There are just some days when it doesn't work.  But by planning to exercise 7 days, I always get in at least 5.  I think that if I were to plan for 5, I would end up with less.

Here are my thoughts on staying motivated.

1. Train for something.  This makes working out more focused, creates a bit of urgency and as a result reduces the likelihood that you will miss.
2. Keep it simple.  I know people who plan out their workouts in a fair amount of detail, but not very many of them.  When I see someone start off this way, I don't see them stick with it.  I don't plan every workout, but do plan some measurable steps along the way.  In this case, longer and longer hikes every other week.  That keeps me on track without making it another job.
3. Schedule your exercise!  I talked about this above.  Make it just like anything else that you do, put it into your schedule.  Treat it like it is important. If something comes up, move it to another time.
4. Find a way to make it fun.  Exercise with a friend.  Mix up the kind of exercise you do.  Play while you are exercising.  I like to skip down hills, sometimes go backwards or jump from rock to rock (yea, when no-one is looking...). Listen to a book, music or a podcast.  Whatever keeps it fun for you.
5. Take breaks.  Even world class athletes like Michael Phelps take some time off.  He needs a break after training for the Olympics. It keeps him fresh.  You can do the same. It is also a good way to keep your body healthy.

Hope there was something useful in all of this for you.