Mon 22 Jan 2007
Until we get access to an internet connected computer that costs less than 15 dollars an hour, small updates will have to suffice.
We were able to get to the North Rim via the closed Highway 67. Prepared for a three day struggle through the snow, we were fortunate enough to encounter hard packed snow we could ride on. (We were told there was up to 5′ of soft powdery snow and that it was impossible to get to the N. Rim). We reached it in one day.
Since we couldn’t get backcountry permits to camp in the canyon, we had to hike from Rim to Rim in one day. We descended the N. Kaibab Trail and put our bikes & Xtracycle on a frame pack and carried them up to the South Rim via Bright Angel Trail. I forgot my headlamp and had to hike a good hour or so in the dark up the snowy/windy trail. Overall, it took us a solid 12 hours to get across the canyon.
We now have to go back down the canyon to retrieve the rest of our gear and hike back up again.
Goat’s Xtracycle snapped about a mile into the N. Kaibab Trail (he lashed sticks to support it for now), so unless we get that fixed in the Grand Canyon Village, we won’t be able to continue the Arizona Trail until after Flagstaff.
Soon we will have a lengthy update and a bunch of new pictures. Check back in a few days.
January 22nd, 2007 at 4:57 pm
You guys hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim in 12 hours with bikes strapped to your backs and in freezing temperatures?!? Words cannot describe my amazement. Well done.
Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
RideTHISbike.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future.
January 25th, 2007 at 11:51 am
We are very excited for you. Great job. We’ve been checking up on you, and we are very glad that as of a few days ago you are doing just fine. Keep up the great work, and keep in touch. The Jacob Lake Crew
January 26th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
If I wasn’t there, I would believe it. However, I was there and I saw it with my own eyes. What they don’t tell you in this journal entry is they actually hiked the Grand Canyon, fully loaded with gear, TWICE. Once rim to rim with thier bikes and all their gear, from the north rim down the North Kiabab trial (14 miles) to the bottom, where they left some gear at the Bright Angel campground, then up the Bright Angel trail (another 11 miles) to the south rim. Then they went back down the South Kiabab trail (7 miles) (where I met them on Monday) to the bottm of the Grand Canyon to pick up the rest of their gear, and back out on the Bright Angel trail (11 more miles with overflowing packs) again to the top of the south rim. These guys are for real, and this is a story that I, and my children, will tell for the rest of our lives. If you have a chance to meet them along the way, and help them out, it is well worth any effort.