137.2 I'm toast! The hike on Sunday was wonderful, but I didn't drink enough so am feeling pretty dreadful today. And maybe, I'm just wimpy... I feel worse than I think I should which is disappointing.
Anyway - it was quite cold to start. Saturday brought rain overnight that changed to snow during the day along with terrible wind. In the end we only had about 3 inches on the ground, but an icy mix was plastered on the trees, the humming bird feeder, and the walls of the house. Poor little hummers had a rough day on Saturday. The forecast for Sunday was 'mostly sunny' and 50's in the mountains which should translate to 70's on the river. Given the wind, I started off in tights, something I rarely do, but I was glad for them as it was quite cold for the first 2 miles. There were still low lying clouds over the Grand Canyon and we had a few snow flurries. The moisture was so welcome and likely triggered many plants to bloom. Such a welcome sight as spring so far has been rather dry and brown at home.
Tom is reading the House/Johnston book on fitness training for alpinism and it draws rather heavily from the research and writings of both Daniels and Noaks, so we were talking about zone 1. A post on another forum asked how fast one can go in zone 1, and Tom was arguing that going faster while keeping ones heart rate relatively low is not important, what matters far more is going at a good pace with reasonable heart rate over a long period of time - say 6-10 hours. Or thinking about it in terms of very good triathletes, being able to run a fast (3 hr or better) marathon at the end of a long day burning largely fat since by that time most muscle glycogen is spent. Ways to expand the range of zone 1 figured in as well.
We stopped at the mine below Horseshoe Mesa to change into shorts and t-shirts as we had dropped by about 2500 feet and the temperature was much warmer. We stopped at Hance Creek to pick up an extra liter of water, of course I had to chug that bottle first. Up until this point, each mile was taking longer than we would have liked - rough trail, need for clothing adjustments, pee breaks, whatever - it is always slower going than it seems like it should be given we are going down a very steep hill.
Once past Hance, we sped up nicely, cruising along the Tonto Plateau at a far more respectable 3 mph. Garmin was ticking off the miles at 18 - 21 minutes. The cactus in this section were wonderful, such exotic and lush blooms for such a prickly desert plant: deep pinks, vibrant purples, bright fuchsia. Between miles 6 and 7 we caught our first glimpse of the Colorado River below and were surprised that is was deep green. We expected it to be muddy brown from storm runoff. At around mile 9 we left the plateau and start the descent to the river for 2 rough miles. Moisture from the storm doesn't appear to have made it down this far as the ground is dry and sandy, many of the plants have bloomed and are already dying off from the complete lack of moisture this spring.
We got to our favorite basking rock on the river and enjoyed a quick lunch - boiled egg, peanut butter on almond crackers, apple slices, and TJ's power berries. After 30 minutes we dump the sand from our shoes and start back up the hill.
My feet are a little sore, burning a bit on the soles as we cruise the Tonto again, not sure what that is about other than perhaps some lingering injury from the race at New Years. That is why I didn't keep going - once I get blisters on the ball of my foot, it can be months or even years before I stop getting new blisters and it doesn't take much to trigger them. We stop again at Hance Creek and Tom picks up another liter of water. I determine I have enough and honestly, my shoulders are screaming from my pack and I can't imagine adding to the weight. I picked a different pack from normal to have more carrying capacity for some warmer cloths and this one doesn't ride as well and I'm unable to shift enough weight from my shoulders to the waist belt.
At last we start the climb. I'm excited as I know that my feet will hurt less on the up hill and I love powering up a steep grade. On the other hand, Tom warned me he expected to be slow and I promised not to leave him... rats. We settle into a reasonable pace - heartrates in the 135 - 145 range. Unusual for us to be at the same number actually, but Tom is pushing and I'm holding back a little, so we are equal. I jokingly ask if we are still fat-burning and Tom says yes, he can see the fat melting off my bum and to be careful as he likes that curve so I shouldn't lose too much of it. [Clearly looking for points so I'll give him a shoulder rub in the morning.] Since leaving Hance Creek, we are back into moister, greener territory and it is very soothing. The desert seemed harsher than usual.
Just above Horseshoe Mesa we pass a young couple making clothing adjustments before hiking up and out of the canyon. Tom makes a comment about them passing us, and as I'm feeling a little more tired than I would like, I say that if they were Americans they wouldn't be able to, but this couple might since they are European. Young people in America are remarkable unfit on the whole, whereas the Euro's we see in the Canyon are generally much fitter. Anyway, the couple draws within hearing distance once or twice, but never catches up and eventually fall far behind. We finish up steady, but with no 'second wind' for a speedy finale. Shower, pizza, and home to fall happily into bed.
Garmin (which definitely had some drop-outs) says a little under 22 miles. The trailhead sign says 26 miles, and some trail guides suggest 23 -25 miles. Elevation gain is a little less than 5000 feet with the bulk of that in the last 4 miles. The last mile climbs 1000 feet. Just under 10 hours total, with moving time at about 8 hours (didn't seem like we stopped that much, but I guess so...).
