On June 16th, I completed the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim (R2R) hike with Steve. It is something I have been wanting to do since I heard about it from Matt vdB many years ago. As an avid hiker, R2R is an epic adventure. It is extremely physically challenging, but it allows you to see the Grand Canyon in all of its glory— 2 billion years of the Earth’s history and 11 layers of ancient rocks, most of which are not visible from the rim. It is also a unique and exclusive experience, as less than 1% of Grand Canyon’s 5 million annual visitors get to see its magic below the rims. I am truly thankful for, and humbled by this experience.
R2R requires not only physical fitness, but also careful planning, especially since we went in mid-June, when the heat risk is extremely high. I wanted to do the R2R hike overnight (instead of as a day hike) to give myself more time to enjoy the experience, so I have been trying my luck with the lotteries for Phantom Ranch and the backcountry permits for several years. This year, I finally scored a backcountry permit for mid-June. Although the timing is not ideal, I decided to do it anyways because I don’t know when I can win the lottery again. I have never hiked in high elevation AND extreme heat at the same time, so I did a lot of preparation. I trained my heart and legs hard so that I can make good pace. I did a lot of research in advance on how to mitigate heat risk and pretty much memorized the whole route to protect ourselves from the scorching heat. I planned out all the logistics carefully (transportation, lodging, packing list…etc.) so that we could just focus on the hike itself. All my efforts paid off, and the process felt extra fulfilling.
We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on Thursday. When I saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, I was completely dumbfounded by its majestic beauty. Whether it’s in English or Chinese, I could not find any word to described how I felt. I was deeply touched by an extreme sense of awe and humility. I took a lot of pictures, but I know no photo can do the Grand Canyon justice. While I could already feel the dreadful heat at the rim, I got more excited about my R2R hike because I couldn’t wait to see this marvelous canyon from the inside. We took a 4-hour shuttle from the South Rim to the North Rim early Friday morning so that we could get a little more acclimated to the elevation and be well-rested for our big adventure.
On Saturday, we started to hike down the North Kaibab Trail before 5am. Although the Grand Canyon is a desert, the North Rim is actually covered in ponderosa pine forests and meadows due to higher elevation and precipitation. It was quite cold at dawn and the forest continues down the canyon for a while. As we hiked down, the edge of the sunlight also moved down the rock layers, and it was incredible to see how the colors of the canyon changed with the sunlight. The vegetation along the way also changed as we descended — from forests to shrubs to desert plants (prickly pears, agaves). When we got to The Box (an infamous 4-mile narrow canyon that is notorious for its extremely high temperatures in the summer), even the prickly pears were dying from the heat and drought. We had to stop at every single river access and splashed ourselves to get through this part. (I was hiking at a faster pace than usual because I was so excited, and I wanted to get through the heat quickly. Thankfully Steve reminded me to slow down and cool down in the river. Otherwise I might have overexerted myself on the first day.) We arrived at Phantom Ranch around noon and got a glass of its famous lemonade. It was the best lemonade I’ve ever had in my life.
We originally planned to camp at Bright Angel Campground, but we were extremely lucky to find out from a ranger that there was a last-minute cancellation of one of the Phantom Ranch cabins. We snagged it right away so that we could carry less gear and sleep in a real bed. It was extremely hot (110F/43C) at Phantom Ranch in the afternoon, so we mostly chilled in our air-conditioned cabin. (I wrote some postcards and sent them from Phantom Ranch. Apparently postcards are carried out by mules — hopefully my friends will get them!) In the evening, I was hoping to see the Milky Way from the bottom of the Grand Canyon, but the gibbous moon was too bright and it wouldn’t set until pass midnight, so we went to bed early to rest up for the final push tomorrow.
On Sunday, we had a hearty breakfast at Phantom Ranch at 5am and began our ascent up the Bright Angel Trail. (For an early start, it was surprisingly warm at the bottom of the canyon.) We crossed the Colorado River soon after we started — it was my first time seeing this spectacular river that carved the Grand Canyon from so close. I was already very impressed seeing it from a mile above at the South Rim, and it was just such an incredible experience to be so close to it. The hike back up to the South Rim was a brutal grind. It was a consistent, exposed ascent of almost 5000 feet, and my legs were really sore from the day before. In the last 3 miles, we had to stop in the sparse shade often to take small breaks and cool down. Although I was tired, hot, and sore, I felt motivated every time I looked back at the canyon — not just because the view became more and more dazzling as we went up, but also because it reminded me of how far I have gone.
I was absolutely exhilarated when we finally made it to the top. I almost couldn’t believe that I just accomplished something so remarkable, and it was the most fulfilling I have felt after a hike in a while. I got to see so many beautiful sides of the Grand Canyon, and I was so humbled by everything I saw. While I was completely exhausted and my legs were in a lot of pain after the hike, when I looked back at the Grand Canyon from the Bright Angel Trailhead, I felt like the strongest person I have ever been — both physically and mentally. Grand Canyon R2R was an absolutely epic adventure for me — although the hike itself was just overnight, the journey started a long time ago, from my many years of lottery attempts and months of training and research leading up to the hike. By the end, I got to see myself growing into a better and stronger person, achieving something that I couldn’t imagine myself doing a few years ago. I am truly thankful for the whole experience, for Steve who hates the heat but still did the hike with me, and for the unique opportunity to see one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in its full splendor.
(Right before I went to the Grand Canyon, I watched Roger Federer’s commencement speech at Dartmouth. It was one of the best I’ve ever heard, and it brought me to tears. He said, “Most of the time, it isn’t about having a gift. It is about having grit.” I don’t think I have a gift in a lot of things, especially when it comes to anything athletic. I have to try very hard if I want to get good at anything, and I often have to put in twice the effort just to get half of the outcome. But I am fortunate enough to have plenty of grit — maybe grit is my gift. Thankfully, for things like Grand Canyon R2R, it is a lot more about having grit than having a gift.)
Now, on to the next epic adventure!
六月十六日，我和 Steve 成功徒步穿越了大峽谷 (Rim-to-Rim, R2R)。自從幾年前聽 Matt 說起這條經典路線後，我就一直很想嘗試徒步穿越大峽谷。身為一位登山愛好者，R2R 對我來說就像是一場史詩般的冒險。R2R 對體力的挑戰極大，但是可以從各種不同的角度飽覽大峽谷的風光——透過十一層古老的岩層，穿越地球二十億年的地質長河，而其中大部分從大峽谷的邊緣是看不見的。R2R 也是僅屬於少數人的獨特體驗，因為在大峽谷每年五百萬的遊客中，只有不到百分之一的人能親眼見證大峽谷底的神奇魅力。對於這次的 R2R 體驗，我由衷地感到感恩和謙卑。
除了對體力的要求之外，R2R 還需要縝密的計畫，尤其是在熱危害風險極高的六月中旬。 我希望能分兩天完成穿越，因為我想擁有更多時間享受沿途的風光，所以過去幾年來，我一直在嘗試大峽谷底幻影牧場住宿和背包露營的抽籤。今年我終於抽中了六月中旬背包露營的許可。雖然時間不理想，但我還是決定前往，因為我不知道下次抽中要等到什麼時候。我從未同時在高海拔和酷熱的條件下徒步，所以我很認真地準備。為了確保我們的速度夠快、能在最熱的時段之前完成當天的行程，在過去幾個月，我做了許多心肺和腿部的訓練。我蒐集了許多熱危害的相關資料，並仔細研究該如何減少風險。為了保護我們免受酷暑的傷害，我背下了整條路線上的地標和水源。我事先非常仔細地規劃整個行程（交通、住宿、行李清單 …等等），如此一來我們就可以專注於徒步穿越本身。最終完成穿越時，我所有的努力都得到了回報，感覺充實到了極點。
我們在星期四抵達大峽谷南緣。第一眼看見大峽谷時，我完全被它無與倫比的壯麗震懾了。無論是中文還是英文，我都找不到任何詞彙形容我當下的感動。我拍了許多照片，但我知道沒有任何一張照片能夠完全展示大峽谷撼人心魄的丰采。此時我已經開始感受到大峽谷六月灼人的高溫，但是我依然對週末的徒步穿越感到無比振奮，因為我等不及從內部一窺大峽谷的鬼斧神工。週五清早，我們搭了四個小時的車從南緣到北緣，下午很放鬆，讓我們有時間適應北緣的高海拔，並在穿越前充分地休息。
週六清晨五點前，我們就已經開始沿著北凱巴布步道南下。雖然大峽谷是沙漠，但是由於較高的海拔和稍多的雨量，北緣實際上是被一片茂密的西黃松森林和草原覆蓋。黎明時分，北緣還是相當寒冷，林蔭也沿著峽谷向下延伸了一段。隨著我們不斷向下，陽光的邊緣也沿著大峽谷的岩層往下移動，峽谷的顏色隨著陽光的移動而變化，在我們眼前構成了一副又一幅令人難以置信的美景。沿途的植被也隨著海拔的降低而改變，從北緣頂的森林到中段的灌木叢再到底部的沙漠植物（仙人掌、龍舌蘭）。當我們抵達谷底的被稱為 “The Box” 的曝曬區時（一段6.4公里的狹長峽谷，因其夏季極高的氣溫而惡名昭彰），連仙人掌都開始因為極度的炎熱和乾旱而枯萎。為了通過這段炙熱的區域，我們只要一有機會靠近河邊，就會停下來用河水打濕全身，避免在徒步的過程中中暑。（或許是因為太興奮的緣故，又或許是因為我想要儘快通過最熱的路段，我的速度比平時快了不少。好在 Steve 時時提醒我要注意配速，並在河水裡降溫，否則我可能在第一天就透支了。）我們大約在中午時分抵達大峽谷底部的幻影牧場，並在小賣部買了著名的冰鎮檸檬水——那是我一生中喝過最好喝的檸檬水。
我們原本計畫在光明天使營地紮營過夜，但是我們非常幸運地從一位國家公園管理員得知，幻影牧場有一間小木屋的預定臨時取消了。我們果斷拿下那間小木屋，如此一來我們就可以減輕負重，並在一張真正的床鋪上好好睡一覺，為隔天的攀登做準備。幻影牧場午後的燠熱簡直是流金爍石（氣溫超過攝氏40度），所以大部分的時間我們都待在有冷氣的小木屋裡。（我寫了幾張明信片，並從幻影牧場寄出。從這裡郵寄的明信片是靠騾子馱出去的！希望我的朋友們都能收到我的明信片。）我原本希望晚上能在大峽谷底看見燦爛的銀河，但是夜空中的盈凸月太明亮了，要過了半夜才會月落，所以我只好放棄，早早上床睡覺，為隔天的最後衝刺好好休息。
週日清晨五點，我們在幻影牧場享用了一頓豐盛的早餐後，就開始攀登光明天使步道。（即使我們一大早就開始趕路，谷底的氣溫依舊出奇地溫暖。）出發後不久，我們就跨越了科羅拉多河——這是我第一次近距離見到這條雕刻出大峽谷的壯觀河流。當我從南緣一英里高處望見科羅拉多河時，它就已經令我印象深刻，而能如此接近它，是一次非常特別的經驗。返回南緣的過程是一場艱苦的挑戰，基本上是在不斷的曝曬之下進行海拔將近1600公尺的攀登，而且我的雙腿早已因為前一天的徒步而痠疼不堪。最後五公里，我們時常需要在少得可憐的樹蔭下休息降溫。雖然我又熱又累、全身痠痛，但是每次我回頭望向身後的大峽谷時，我又充滿了鬥志——不僅因為身後的風景因為海拔的升高而越發令人心醉神迷，也因為它讓我想起了這一路下來有多麼不容易。
當我們終於抵達終點時，我簡直欣喜若狂。我幾乎不敢相信自己完成了一次如此經典的徒步，這也是很長一段時間以來，我在徒步登山後最有成就感的一次。我看見了大峽谷許多不同角度的風光，每一幀風景都讓我感到驚豔又謙卑。雖然我已經筋疲力盡、雙腿痠痛，但是當我站在光明天使步道口回望大峽谷時，無論是生理上還是心理上，我都覺得那是我一生中最堅強的一刻。穿越大峽谷對我來說絕對是一場史詩級的冒險——雖然穿越本身只有兩天一夜，但是我的旅程其實很早以前就開始了，從許多年來的抽籤，到這幾個月來的訓練和資料蒐集。通過這段旅程，我見證了自己成為一個更好更強壯的人、達成了幾年前無法想像的成就。我衷心地感謝整個過程、感謝Steve，雖然不喜歡炎熱的天氣，卻還是陪我完成了這次徒步，也感謝這個難得的機會，讓我能從許多不同角度欣賞世界七大自然奇觀之一的美麗和神奇。
（在我動身前往大峽谷之前，我正好看了我最崇拜的網球選手費德勒在達特茅斯學院的畢業致詞。聽著聽著我忍不住哭了——那是我聽過最好的畢業致詞之一。他說：「大多數的事非關天賦，而是在於有沒有毅力。」我不是一個很有天賦的人，尤其是在運動方面。如果我想在任何事上取得好成績，我都必須非常努力，而且常常事倍功半。幸運的是，我擁有足夠的毅力——或許毅力就是我的天賦吧！而對像穿越大峽谷這類的旅程，毅力遠比運動天賦重要。）
期待下一次的冒險！
