Packing Up - The Grand Canyon

Tomorrow I meet up with five other crazy runners to make the five-hour drive to the Grand Canyon. The plan is to get settled in tomorrow night and then get up bright and early on Saturday to rock a rim-to-rim-to-rim crossing of the canyon.

In a way, it'll be just like a race or a long Saturday run. In some other very important ways, though, it will be nothing like a race or a long Saturday run. For one, the double crossing is 42 miles, which is longer than I've ever run. The total elevation gain is something like 11,000 feet, which is just plain evil. While there are places to refill water a couple times, there are no aid stations, so everything I need I'll have to carry. And as if the distance and elevation didn't suggest it already, it's just a plain crazy route. Here's what the National Parks Services has to say:

Hiking to the river and back in one day is dangerous and never recommended due to limited shade, extreme heat, and a near 5,000 foot (1,524 m) elevation change!

Hmm... Then how about running to the river, past it, to the other rim, back to the river from that rim, past it again, and then back to the start?

Ok, so there's that. But let's get practical. How in the world do I pack for something like this? Obviously, the standards: trail runners, shirt, shorts, hat, watch, etc. But as far as stuff that's relatively specific to this trip, I've rounded up:

• Backpack. I run with my trusty Nathan pack on most of my long runs and am relying on it to carry everything I'll need for the run.
• Food. I did a big shopping spree at REI and, space permitting, hope to carry 2,000 to 2,500 calories with me during the run (~200 or so per hour).
• Water bottle and drink mix. In addition to food from calories, I'm going to carry some drink mixes along with an extra bottle.
• Salt pills. Running low on sodium is not a good feeling out on the trail. And by "not a good feeling" I mean dangerous.
• Duct tape. Good for just about everything. Wait, no, no "just about" involved, it's good for everything.
• Long sleeve shirt and Buff headscarf. According to the weather forecast, it'll be around 30 degrees when we start. That's not really t-shirt weather. In fact, I think I may want to add gloves to the list...
• Toilet paper. Need you ask?
• Headlamp and extra batteries. We probably won't finish before dark, so this'll come in handy.
• Camera. How else am I supposed to take awesome pictures for my post-trip report?

Now, dear reader, the big question: Will I conquer or be conquered? I'm really hoping the former. Really hoping. Stay tuned....


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