SOUNDINGS - Harley Marine Services, Inc.

Page 10
Safe, Responsible, Reliable, Efficient
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim Hike
On Tuesday May 19 th a small crew set out on an Epic
―Rim to Rim‖ hike across the Grand Canyon. The hikers
Doug Houghton, Trent Newlon, John Beckman (Chemoil)
and their trusty driver Paul Tokuda set out for the NORTH
RIM at 5am. By 6am the hikers were headed down the
North Kaibab Trail with 24 miles to go. The first part of the
trail winds through the forest then suddenly there it is, the
Grand Canyon. For the next 14 miles the trail descends
over 6,000 feet through some of the most beautiful
scenery in the country. Along the way there were
squirrels, deer, a few condors, huge bumble bees, and
lots of lizards. Some of the rock formations and cliffs look
as if they were carved and engineered to balance just
right.
By the time the team hit the last few miles of the descent
the heat of the day had arrived. The temperature in the
bottom of the canyon had climbed to over 100 degrees.
The grueling reality of the trek started to set in…what
goes down must go back up! After a fifteen minute break
to fill up the water bottles, nurse sore knees and blisters,
it’s back at it. Just a mile was left before they would cross
the Colorado River on the suspension bridge and they
would officially be at the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail.
Only 11 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing were left!
At first, going uphill feels good on the knees and is a
welcome relief from the pounding of descending. That
relief is quickly burned away when the trail turns from the
river and upward into a dry, hot canyon. The sun seemed
relentless at this point and the South Rim looked like an
invincible giant. Slowly through out the afternoon the
three continued to put the canyon behind them one step at
a time. The trail head was a welcome end to a long and
memorable journey. 12 hours later and 24 miles from the
North Rim, they snap a picture at the finish line, the top of
Bright Angel Trail on the South rim of the Grand Canyon.
The sore feet, knees, and backs will go away but the
memories of the adventure won’t soon fade. Well done
guys.