Friday, April 27, 2012
April 26, 2012
Woke up feeling a little better. Hiked up Tanner, d=rt did as well. He is feeling stomach problems as well. From the top We hitched to Mather campground where we plan to camp for 2 nights and hopefully recover from these bugs! Drinking a ton of fluids and ate a regular human sized dinner. Hope to be back to shaggy sized meals soon. I am beat, or I would write more. Hopefully more tomorrow. This place is a zoo.
April 24&25, 2012
The sickness really beat me down. I mean really beat me down. I slept for 16 hours Monday afternoon/night. When I woke up, I felt a bit better. I had drank 2 liters of water throughout the night, and even woke up Tuesday morning and ate some granola bars. But the stomach issues were far from gone. I still had diarrhea that seemed to be constant. However the liquid intake was better than the outtake. I felt weak, but stronger than Monday.
Me and d=rt spoke of the options, me going back to Jacob Lake, meeting him on the North Rim in a few days, or trying to take it easy the next couple days down the trail. My stubborn self was easily convinced to try to hike on.
So we did. The first 8 miles were beautiful. We walked a road that went through aspen and ponderosa forests. We saw wild turkeys, blue grouse, and a lot of deer. We were at 9000 feet and drinking snowmelt! Perfect, I even felt pretty good after 8 miles.
Then we began our descent down to the Grand Canyon on the Nincoweap trail. It was about 6000 feet down. We quickly left our ponderosas and snow, and became completely exposed on a ridge headed steeply for the Colorado River. It was a neat trail, really pretty, but I was running out of water fast, and even drank a lot of what d=rt had left. I could see the lush green bottom for a long time, but it seemed to take forever to get there. When I did make it, I found a cottonwood, grabbed water, and began to drink. It was then that I made another mistake. I drank 3 liters of water in 20 minutes. Then threw it all back up. I was now weaker than before, not only regretting coming down to the canyon, but slightly fearing what would happen next. Diarrhea was still happening, and I was feeling weak.
We decided to hike 3 more miles down to the confluence of Nincoweap creek and the Colorado, hoping we could meet some rafters who could give me a ride or other suggestions.
d=rt scoped out 3 parties at the junction, and we decided to go to all of them, explaining the situation, and seeing if they had ideas. The first group was a private party, very interested in our trip, and they treated me like royalty. They had me sit down, gave me Gatorade, gave me anti-diarrheal, gave me pro-biotics, vitamin C, and even rubbed some oregano oil on my palm, saying it would help as well. It truly almost made me tear up. Once again, a group of strangers, giving so much to help others. Though they were not headed downriver the next day, it gave me some relief. They also said they would help anyway possible. We left them though, after many thanks as it was getting late and we wanted to see if anyone was headed downriver the next day.
The second group was already drunk, and said they weren’t headed downriver the next day either.
The third party was super helpful. We camped near them as I was exhausted. d=rt went down and spoke with them while I tried to eat some mashed potato flakes.
He came back after 30 minutes with 2 plates of food and good news. The leader would float us down part of our route the next day. d=rt ate steak, potatoes, salad, and chicken, which smelt so good, but I knew my stomach could not handle.
I slept on and off through the night, bad gas still, no diarrhea. The party crowd was hootin throughout the night, though it really wasn’t too loud. The bats were so neat to watch throughout the night, and I woke to cloudy skies, a real blessing.
I met the trip leader this morning, a super nice guy who offered anything he could to help. Gave me a ginger root and another roll of toilet paper. He said we should start hiking, and that he would pick us up a bit further down.
So we did. The route was rough, a few game trails on sand and stone. I was still weak and tired from the episodes the days before. But we made it 3 miles before we saw them coming. They picked us up and took us past the confluence of the Little Colorado River, (don’t tell anyone, it is against the rules)! But we got to float through some rapids, and made good time.
At the Little Colorado, we got on the beamer trail, which took us 10 miles to the Tanner Trail. I feel exhausted by the heat still, and plan to hike up the Tanner trail to the South Rim tomorrow. d=rt will push on, but I think I need a day off to recover. Time for sleep.
Me and d=rt spoke of the options, me going back to Jacob Lake, meeting him on the North Rim in a few days, or trying to take it easy the next couple days down the trail. My stubborn self was easily convinced to try to hike on.
So we did. The first 8 miles were beautiful. We walked a road that went through aspen and ponderosa forests. We saw wild turkeys, blue grouse, and a lot of deer. We were at 9000 feet and drinking snowmelt! Perfect, I even felt pretty good after 8 miles.
Then we began our descent down to the Grand Canyon on the Nincoweap trail. It was about 6000 feet down. We quickly left our ponderosas and snow, and became completely exposed on a ridge headed steeply for the Colorado River. It was a neat trail, really pretty, but I was running out of water fast, and even drank a lot of what d=rt had left. I could see the lush green bottom for a long time, but it seemed to take forever to get there. When I did make it, I found a cottonwood, grabbed water, and began to drink. It was then that I made another mistake. I drank 3 liters of water in 20 minutes. Then threw it all back up. I was now weaker than before, not only regretting coming down to the canyon, but slightly fearing what would happen next. Diarrhea was still happening, and I was feeling weak.
We decided to hike 3 more miles down to the confluence of Nincoweap creek and the Colorado, hoping we could meet some rafters who could give me a ride or other suggestions.
d=rt scoped out 3 parties at the junction, and we decided to go to all of them, explaining the situation, and seeing if they had ideas. The first group was a private party, very interested in our trip, and they treated me like royalty. They had me sit down, gave me Gatorade, gave me anti-diarrheal, gave me pro-biotics, vitamin C, and even rubbed some oregano oil on my palm, saying it would help as well. It truly almost made me tear up. Once again, a group of strangers, giving so much to help others. Though they were not headed downriver the next day, it gave me some relief. They also said they would help anyway possible. We left them though, after many thanks as it was getting late and we wanted to see if anyone was headed downriver the next day.
The second group was already drunk, and said they weren’t headed downriver the next day either.
The third party was super helpful. We camped near them as I was exhausted. d=rt went down and spoke with them while I tried to eat some mashed potato flakes.
He came back after 30 minutes with 2 plates of food and good news. The leader would float us down part of our route the next day. d=rt ate steak, potatoes, salad, and chicken, which smelt so good, but I knew my stomach could not handle.
I slept on and off through the night, bad gas still, no diarrhea. The party crowd was hootin throughout the night, though it really wasn’t too loud. The bats were so neat to watch throughout the night, and I woke to cloudy skies, a real blessing.
I met the trip leader this morning, a super nice guy who offered anything he could to help. Gave me a ginger root and another roll of toilet paper. He said we should start hiking, and that he would pick us up a bit further down.
So we did. The route was rough, a few game trails on sand and stone. I was still weak and tired from the episodes the days before. But we made it 3 miles before we saw them coming. They picked us up and took us past the confluence of the Little Colorado River, (don’t tell anyone, it is against the rules)! But we got to float through some rapids, and made good time.
At the Little Colorado, we got on the beamer trail, which took us 10 miles to the Tanner Trail. I feel exhausted by the heat still, and plan to hike up the Tanner trail to the South Rim tomorrow. d=rt will push on, but I think I need a day off to recover. Time for sleep.
April 23, 2012
Last night was one of the worst of my life. I ate an Indonesian pasta dish for dinner. My belly felt full and happy. As soon as I lay down in my tent, I began farting, a lot! It was about an hour before that turned into diarrhea, and another hour before I started vomiting as well. It was nearly every hour, and I felt weaker after every episode.
This morning me and d=rt talked about our options. The permit in the Grand Canyon would not let us stay idle, since we had to camp in the park tomorrow. So we decided to change our route and hitchhike to the North Rim, where we would take a road to Nankoweap Creek trailhead.
I could not walk more than a half mile without needing a break. So we hitched. Eventually got a ride from an accountant for the park. He drove us to the road where we met a girl who is hiking the Arizona Trail. We took a break there and chatted with her. Eventually we hiked to a firetower. Camping below it. I think we hiked 3 miles today, it wore me out. I have spent the afternoon napping and trying to drink water. Hoping that I feel strong enough for a 18 mile day tomorrow. Wow I hate being sick.
This morning me and d=rt talked about our options. The permit in the Grand Canyon would not let us stay idle, since we had to camp in the park tomorrow. So we decided to change our route and hitchhike to the North Rim, where we would take a road to Nankoweap Creek trailhead.
I could not walk more than a half mile without needing a break. So we hitched. Eventually got a ride from an accountant for the park. He drove us to the road where we met a girl who is hiking the Arizona Trail. We took a break there and chatted with her. Eventually we hiked to a firetower. Camping below it. I think we hiked 3 miles today, it wore me out. I have spent the afternoon napping and trying to drink water. Hoping that I feel strong enough for a 18 mile day tomorrow. Wow I hate being sick.
April 22, 2012
Had a very relaxing day. We started late, didn’t leave Jacob Lake until 11 AM. It felt really good to relax and try to organize the 6 days of food to get us to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, 110 miles away. I sent a ton of food to myself here, and Gu sent me 60 packets of Gu, 8 pounds just of Gu! That’s a lot, but will all go to good use.
We decided to walk the closed road out of Jacob Lake, it was the easiest route back to the trail. But when it came time to get on the trail, we decided again to walk the road. Its a really pretty road, right now has very limited traffic. Its also a bit easier than the trail, and parts of the trail were badly burned in 2006. We have the option to get back on it at any point, but its so relaxing! We made 16 miles today without much effort.
These Gu packets are loaded with caffeine. Makes both me and d=rt bounce off the walls! We were more chatty than ever. A lot of fun though. I am looking forward to more of it the next several days!
We found a great spot to camp tonight. Its in a forest of aspens and ponderosas. Amazing sunset too. I also had a Lewis and Clark IPA, sent it to Jacob Lake. It was a great way to finish a great day. Time to rest.
We decided to walk the closed road out of Jacob Lake, it was the easiest route back to the trail. But when it came time to get on the trail, we decided again to walk the road. Its a really pretty road, right now has very limited traffic. Its also a bit easier than the trail, and parts of the trail were badly burned in 2006. We have the option to get back on it at any point, but its so relaxing! We made 16 miles today without much effort.
These Gu packets are loaded with caffeine. Makes both me and d=rt bounce off the walls! We were more chatty than ever. A lot of fun though. I am looking forward to more of it the next several days!
We found a great spot to camp tonight. Its in a forest of aspens and ponderosas. Amazing sunset too. I also had a Lewis and Clark IPA, sent it to Jacob Lake. It was a great way to finish a great day. Time to rest.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
April 21, 2012
Last night was incredible. The stars were amazing, and right before falling asleep I saw the most incredible shooting star fill the night sky. The temperature was amazing too, 50s, perfect for sleeping.
Left the trailhead early. It was 7 am when we started hiking. Felt good to beat the heat! Up we went to the Kaibob Platue. It was a neat transition from sage brush to juniper to ponderosa pines. It cooled off as we went up too, though the sun was intense all day.
Not a lot to look at through here, but we made great time on the trail all day. Made it to the highway to Jacob Lake before 5 PM. We tried to hitch the last 2 miles to the store with no luck. So we walked. It was actually a nice last 2 miles, this ponderosa forest is beautiful.
We made it to the store and d=rt needed lodging. He had some serious chaffing. He agreed to pay for the room, so he could shower. So I didn’t hesitate, makes it easy to take care of resupply. The inn had 2 packages and a letter for me. Gu sent me 60 packages of Gu! That’s a lot of Gu! Thanks Gu! Lauren sent my resupply package with some cheese and tortillas, thanks Lauren! Lauren’s parents also sent a birthday card with some beer/chocolate money! Thanks Balckens!
Its been a good day today. We made 26 miles, the hiking was nice, and we had a good dinner. Also talked briefly with Lauren. Feels good to be out here.
Left the trailhead early. It was 7 am when we started hiking. Felt good to beat the heat! Up we went to the Kaibob Platue. It was a neat transition from sage brush to juniper to ponderosa pines. It cooled off as we went up too, though the sun was intense all day.
Not a lot to look at through here, but we made great time on the trail all day. Made it to the highway to Jacob Lake before 5 PM. We tried to hitch the last 2 miles to the store with no luck. So we walked. It was actually a nice last 2 miles, this ponderosa forest is beautiful.
We made it to the store and d=rt needed lodging. He had some serious chaffing. He agreed to pay for the room, so he could shower. So I didn’t hesitate, makes it easy to take care of resupply. The inn had 2 packages and a letter for me. Gu sent me 60 packages of Gu! That’s a lot of Gu! Thanks Gu! Lauren sent my resupply package with some cheese and tortillas, thanks Lauren! Lauren’s parents also sent a birthday card with some beer/chocolate money! Thanks Balckens!
Its been a good day today. We made 26 miles, the hiking was nice, and we had a good dinner. Also talked briefly with Lauren. Feels good to be out here.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
April 20, 2012
Last night was really the last time we would spend in a hotel on this trip. No more lodging! Time to get serious about hiking. We left the hotel with bellies feeling full and eager to get back to the trail.
Hitch hiking went really well. We stood on the side of town for about 15 minutes before Cory Johnson of Ogden picked us up. He is an ultra runner, and loved hearing about our trip, and we enjoyed hearing about his 100 mile races. We finally got out of him that he finishes often times in 8th-10th place, which he humbly says is not that good. I beg to differ. Anyone who can finish a 100 mile race has my respect, let alone finish 10 of them a year.
He let us off at Buckskin Wash, he was headed to the grand canyon for a 50 mile training run. The wash started out really sandy. It was pretty though. We passed the scrawniest cow I have ever seen. It didn’t surprise me, as there was no water and very little food in this canyon. Again, cows don’t belong here.
Once we passed the trailhead, we began seeing hordes of people. This is an extremely popular hike, so much it requires a fee and permit. Its no wonder though. Its a beautiful canyon with walls that rise several hundred feet on both side. It was beautiful. Wire Pass was even tighter, some areas were 2 feet across.
Then we were on to the wave. The wave is another legendary place. Its a sandstone rock area with wavy colors of red, white, and brown. Really cool. They only give 20 permits a day to see the wave. We decided to Hayduke it, and go permit-less. This could mean a large fine, but we were so close and it was after 5 pm, thought we would be ok. Even had a person scold us, telling us we needed a permit and that rangers were around. We never admitted to not having a permit, but not sure why this individual cared so much. We saw it though, took pictures, and hiked on through.
The Notch was a fun scramble too. The view from the top was beautiful.
We were a bit concerned about water all day. This is a 45 mile waterless stretch for us. We were even considering night hiking on the trail section tomorrow. But when we arrived at the trailhead for the Arizona Trail we were greeted by a couple from Tucson who offered beer, water, and snacks. We gladly took them up on it and filled our bottles, ate carrots, cookies, and I drank a Moose Drool beer. So very nice. It was a great surprise, and the kindness of strangers never does cease to amaze me.
Instead of night hiking, we are camping at the trailhead. It feels great to have some water and no worries. The sky is so clear and beautiful tonight.
Hitch hiking went really well. We stood on the side of town for about 15 minutes before Cory Johnson of Ogden picked us up. He is an ultra runner, and loved hearing about our trip, and we enjoyed hearing about his 100 mile races. We finally got out of him that he finishes often times in 8th-10th place, which he humbly says is not that good. I beg to differ. Anyone who can finish a 100 mile race has my respect, let alone finish 10 of them a year.
He let us off at Buckskin Wash, he was headed to the grand canyon for a 50 mile training run. The wash started out really sandy. It was pretty though. We passed the scrawniest cow I have ever seen. It didn’t surprise me, as there was no water and very little food in this canyon. Again, cows don’t belong here.
Once we passed the trailhead, we began seeing hordes of people. This is an extremely popular hike, so much it requires a fee and permit. Its no wonder though. Its a beautiful canyon with walls that rise several hundred feet on both side. It was beautiful. Wire Pass was even tighter, some areas were 2 feet across.
Then we were on to the wave. The wave is another legendary place. Its a sandstone rock area with wavy colors of red, white, and brown. Really cool. They only give 20 permits a day to see the wave. We decided to Hayduke it, and go permit-less. This could mean a large fine, but we were so close and it was after 5 pm, thought we would be ok. Even had a person scold us, telling us we needed a permit and that rangers were around. We never admitted to not having a permit, but not sure why this individual cared so much. We saw it though, took pictures, and hiked on through.
The Notch was a fun scramble too. The view from the top was beautiful.
We were a bit concerned about water all day. This is a 45 mile waterless stretch for us. We were even considering night hiking on the trail section tomorrow. But when we arrived at the trailhead for the Arizona Trail we were greeted by a couple from Tucson who offered beer, water, and snacks. We gladly took them up on it and filled our bottles, ate carrots, cookies, and I drank a Moose Drool beer. So very nice. It was a great surprise, and the kindness of strangers never does cease to amaze me.
Instead of night hiking, we are camping at the trailhead. It feels great to have some water and no worries. The sky is so clear and beautiful tonight.
Friday, April 20, 2012
April 19, 2012
We made it into town yesterday morning after a short 3 mile hike and a pretty quick hitch, 29 miles to Kanab, which is called Utah's little Hollywood. It is a great town to spend a couple days off the trail. We are still pretty far ahead on our Grand Canyon permit. So a zero mileage day in town for my birthday seemed okay.
I woke up this morning at about 5 am. I decided that I should go for a run up the nearest trail, so I did. First run in about a month. It felt great too! I have decided not to run the Zion 50 mile race, instead I would like to get right on back to Montana and run the Prickly Pear 30k in Helena. Its a lot shorter than 50 miles, and less likely to result in an injury before the PCT in June!
The run up the mountain felt great. The birds around here are amazing, full of color and they sing long before the sun comes up. The sunrise was great, and after a 6 mile run I was hungry. D=rt finally woke up and we got breakfast here at the Parry Hotel. The all you can eat buffet was amazing, and even now at 3 PM I am not really hungry yet.
Considering another run. D=rt thinks I am crazy for working out on a town day, but it does feel good to me.
Not a bad place to spend my birthday, I have received so many great birthday wishes too. It’s been a great day. Can’t wait to get back on the trail tomorrow.
I woke up this morning at about 5 am. I decided that I should go for a run up the nearest trail, so I did. First run in about a month. It felt great too! I have decided not to run the Zion 50 mile race, instead I would like to get right on back to Montana and run the Prickly Pear 30k in Helena. Its a lot shorter than 50 miles, and less likely to result in an injury before the PCT in June!
The run up the mountain felt great. The birds around here are amazing, full of color and they sing long before the sun comes up. The sunrise was great, and after a 6 mile run I was hungry. D=rt finally woke up and we got breakfast here at the Parry Hotel. The all you can eat buffet was amazing, and even now at 3 PM I am not really hungry yet.
Considering another run. D=rt thinks I am crazy for working out on a town day, but it does feel good to me.
Not a bad place to spend my birthday, I have received so many great birthday wishes too. It’s been a great day. Can’t wait to get back on the trail tomorrow.
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