R2R2R Question

Time? Details? I'm going tomorrow.

11:02

SK->NK: 5:15

NK->SK: 5:47

Started at 4:45. I decided to take SK back up to the car rather than go back BA to the shuttles. I made a mistake in not refilling /filtering for a second time at Manzanita Creek and ran low on hydration coming back down to PR. That wasn't smart given the sun and exposure even though it wasn't too warm.

Needed some rest at PR, but the lemonade was absolutely superb. The temperatures and conditions could not have been more ideal - 15* at the start and high of 59*. The top of NK is still snow covered and minimally icy, but crampons are not needed. I probably saw 20-30 people the whole day, so the trails were pretty easy to navigate. Phantom Ranch (for the second time) was my half way point. That climb back on SK was absolutely brutal as noted in thread. It really sent me to another realm. I learned a lot and I am appreciative of the help.

What are you going to do tomorrow?

Congrats! Thanks for the trip report and to all the people who provided comments!

I'm also looking to do my first R2R2R (planning for 3/20), with similar plans/goals.

I have a spot at Mather Campground the night before and after, and was planning on starting and ending from there. I haven't really been to Grand Canyon before, and had been having the same debate about SK vs BA for up and down.

Did you end up bringing poles? 11:02 seems on the faster side - I'm shooting for 14hrs, roughly 04:30-18:30, and am currently figuring out / practicing "running" with poles. Did you run with leggings? How much layering did you do? Post-run meal? Any advice you have on the above items, or any other beta you have would be greatly appreciated!

Nice work GC Noob!

Thanks for the report.

How did it go?

Great run! Does 11:02 include the stop at PR or is that simply "moving time"?

penguinjuggler wrote:

I'm shooting for 14hrs, roughly 04:30-18:30, and am currently figuring out / practicing "running" with poles. Did you run with leggings? How much layering did you do? Post-run meal? Any advice you have on the above items, or any other beta you have would be greatly appreciated!

You'll be missing out going down SK in the dark. Are you really planning to run with the poles, or just use them for power hiking. If the latter, then just put your wrists in the straps and push down that way. Grip the end of the poles lightly.

That's kind of what I've been debating - my training runs haven't been as long (8-15mi, 2-4k of climbing), so I've been jogging while holding them in the middles since I have the energy, and then when I need a break using them as hiking poles and power hiking. I've done plenty of backpacking with poles, but am unsure of how to "run" with them.

Looks like from the campground the BA Trailhead is 2 miles and SK Trailhead is 3 miles. By "missing out going down SK in the dark", are you recommending just doing BA - NK - BA? Thanks!