the fine line part 8…

This country will kill you in a heartbeat, and people still love it.
– Cormac McCarthy

I left off last time with a bit of a teaser. If you recall I mentioned that there is nothing like training on the real thing; that’s exactly what we did. A group of us did a repeat of what we did last year. Down to Phantom Ranch and back up. We had a bigger group this year. Along with the two guys from last years trip, we had three others for a total of six, including me.

Like we did previously, we headed up from Tucson to spend the night at one of the Grand Canyon lodges, with the obligatory stop for burgers and beers at the Lumberyard in Flagstaff along the way. The three newbies had never done this hike before, and it was Renee’s first time at the canyon as well.

We opted to take the twenty four hour taxi service to the trailhead as opposed to the free shuttle. It only saved us about twenty minutes, but we figured that it was worth it. In retrospect we maybe could have gone a bit earlier to be able to enjoy the sunrise. One thing that really surprised us was the sheer number of people on the trail; the majority of whom were attempting the exact thing we were, or a variation thereof. Some were shooting for fast times. Others just to do it. Some looked like they had no business walking anywhere but perhaps at the shopping mall.

My reasons were for doing it were to serve as part recon, and part proof of fitness. So, to that end I left my mates early on, and hot-footed it down the trail. I told them that I would wait for them at each rest spot on the way down. They made good time, so I never had to wait too long. At the second stop I talked to three guys that were doing a ‘short’ recce for their own attempt on the R3 the following day. If it were me, I’d a been sleeping. We had a long regroup at Phantom Ranch. This being the first spot to get water, and so we topped up and had a bunch to eat. The place was a real zoo. Campers, Ranch Guests, Hikers, Runners, all sorts were mingling about. I was chatting with two groups of trail runners that each had three members. One of the groups had three friends that were currently doing the R3.

As nice as it was down there we needed to get a wiggle on before we lost momentum, and before it started to heat up too much. Off we went only to be abruptly stopped in a queue on the trail. Work crews were ferrying in long line loads via chopper, so the rangers blocked the trail for safety’s sake. Within about ten minutes however, we were moving again. Tommy and I were out in front of our group and we were making fast time on the flattish section of trail that parallels the river on the south side. It was hot and sandy. No different than last year, with the exception of no mules trains that almost took out Tommy. (How we love to retell that tale.)

Once the trail turns at Pipe Creek and starts to head up, Tommy said that he would wait there for the others. I told him that I was probably just going to go for it, and that it would be unlikely that I would stop for any appreciable time at Havasupai Gardens. This is exactly what I did. Less than half way to the Gardens I caught up with the three girl trail runners, whose pace by now had slowed to a comfortable walk. I stayed with them and chatted until we reached Havasupai. This spot is the first (and only) water on the Bright Angel trail at this time of year. I topped up, had a bite to eat and took off my shirt and soaked it. The girls were still futzing around so I said goodbye (fully expecting for them to pass me), and motored on uphill.

The trail by this point was very crowded, with people coming and going in both directions. Only one person passed me going up, although I was catching and passing many. There was no reason to stop so I just kept going. Somewhere between the three mile and the one and a half mile rest houses I came across the other three trail runners, who were stopped, and sitting by the side of the trail. Only one of them looked ‘fresh’. Onwards and upwards. Eventually the stronger one caught me up and passed me, and soon after, another dude we had been talking to at Phantom Ranch. The top was close, we had the scent of the barn, and of course the competition set in. The three of us madly sprinted to the top of the trail. High fives and fist bumps all around.

I did very well for myself. Six hours and thirteen minutes moving time. I don’t mean to brag but I have to admit that I was chuffed to bits that I beat those three young ladies, and two of the other trail runners. For me this was an indication that the training that I have been doing was paying off, and was harmonized with the goal. Good stuff!

There is another part of the tale (cautionary I might add) which I must now relate, and it pertains to my five friends that were still somewhere down the canyon. I was sitting up top talking to the guys I ran in with whilst we were waiting for others in our parties to arrive. Slowly but surely their people started to finish. No one yet from my group, but it was still early and I wasn’t too surprised. Finally however I received a text. One of the guys was sick. He was exhibiting all the classic signs of dehydration and / or heat exhaustion. There was a flurry of texts back and forth, and details were being brought to light. The gist of it was that Tommy and Renee had forged on ahead of the other three and were for a time unawares of the situation unfolding below them. Once they did become aware it made no real sense for them to wait, and even less to turn around. Escape and safety lay upwards. There were still two strong guys with our stricken comrade. The plan was for one of them (M) to stay with the sick guy (E) while the other (C) would come up to the rim to get more water to take back down, and bring up some of the useless crap that the victim had been carrying.

I thought about this for a while and figured that it might help if I were to load up on water and head down to meet C on his way up. So this is what I did. I was able to carry just over three liters, as well as a liter for me. I figured that I would be able to run down most of the way, but it turned out that I was a bit more knackered than I had expected, so my run was reduced to a fast shuffle. Before long I met Tommy and Renee, who were about a mile from the top. I quickly explained the plan and kept going. I kept on running into people whom I had passed on the way up. Most were surprised or bemused at seeing me head back down. It certainly wasn’t my plan, but some good additional training I suppose. I was surprised as well, in that I hadn’t seen C yet. Was I delirious and missed him? Did I misread the texts somehow? What was going on? Eventually I got to the mile and a half rest house and still no sign of him. Plus I had a very sketchy cell signal, so texts were spotty and delayed. I was starting to worry, and had various scenarios going through my head; none of them good. I had no real choice however. I had to continue down. Just as I started to move again, C appeared below me. We quickly conferred and I gave him the water, and I took all the stuff of E’s that he was carrying. I also double checked to make sure that he was still able to go back down and (hopefully) get back up again, and he said that he was. In the meantime we had instructed Tommy and Renee to get a hold of a ranger once they reached the rim and seek advice on possible options for E.

I turned around and started the mile and a half slog back to the rim. Once again passing people, some that I had even passed earlier on in the day. Amazingly enough there were still people on their way down; presumably only to the first rest house. Again, I couldn’t help but notice how ill equipped, and ill prepared many of these poor folks looked. There were probably six or eight of them that I stopped and asked if they were okay, or if they needed any assistance. All of them professed to be fine…

Whilst I was making my way back up, and C was making his way back down, Tommy and Renee had been busy. They had indeed contacted a ranger, who put them in touch with SAR. As it turned out M & E were by this point at the three mile rest house, and there is an emergency 911 telephone there. Finally SAR could talk directly with M & E. They ascertained the situation and told M what to do, which included giving him the combination to the emergency supply box, that had amongst other things a sleeping bag, and some food like goldfish crackers which they wanted E to eat. They felt that if E could carry on that he should, and were instructed to check in using the phone at the next and last rest house. Unfortunately, from what I was told afterwards that E wasn’t really following instructions. Whether this was due to his deteriorating condition, or just his personality I do not know.

The good news is that E got to the rim alive, albeit the last four miles took almost eight hours… The bad news is that E seemed to think that this was no big deal, and that he would have been fine on his own. He really didn’t understand the gravity of his situation, nor do I think appreciated all the assistance that was given to him. In retrospect he had a very laissez faire attitude going into this adventure, and a laissez faire attitude coming out of it as well. Time and time again he was mentored and even cautioned about his preparation. He had been afforded every opportunity to train appropriately, have the right gear, the right nutrition, and hydration strategies. He chose, in the end, for whatever reason to ignore most of it, and do things his way. That might’ve worked for Sinatra, but not so much for E.

Unfortunately for E, and in a way also for the rest of us, he probably won’t be invited or welcome on trips of this nature in the future.

My cap goes off to M & C for sacrificing their planned day and by doing the lions share of looking after E and ensuring that he got out in one piece.

A man can be broken … By a strength outside, greater than himself. Or a weakness inside, which he cannot understand.
– Kwai Chang Caine