Accomplishing hard goals is a great feeling. Accomplishing hard goals with Brian is twice as great. We decided since we were "marathon trained", we would take advantage of not being pregnant or having a nursing baby and check off another goal from our list. Aunt Jennifer heard of our goal and offered to watch the kids if we went on a Monday. We didn't hesitate to take her up on this offer. We left after church on a Sunday Night...actually we left after Brian spent a couple hours in the urgent care with Ellie after an accidental run in with a toy spinning in Olivia's hand. She got hit square on the eyebrow and it split the skin rather jaggedly, so stitches were the only option. She was so brave.
We left about 7:30 Pm and arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to camp in the cold at about 11:15. We, well Brian really :), set up camp. That means he blew up the mattress and got the sleeping bags out while I stayed in the warm car. Then I ran out to jump straight in the sleeping bag. It was after midnight before we seemed to try and sleep. We were actually comfortable and it was so fun to see all the stars and to cuddle from the cold. We were in such good spirits. We laughed about forgetting our Garmin GPS watch, the sandwiches, the extra bars we had bought so we had more of a variety, and realized that we'd be guessing at the time much of our run because we didn't have ANY watch.
We both had trouble sleeping despite how comfortable we were, so when I heard Brian's phone (our alarm) power down, I went to awake him so we could reset it. He told me he wasn't sleeping, so we just got up, packed up and headed for the Bright Angle Trailhead. We parked the car there and then found the trail that would lead us to South Kaibab Trailhead, about 5 miles away. You see, we thought since we were close enough to 50 miles, we might as well check another goal off and add a few miles to make it a 50 mile run. It's great to be married to a crazy man!
The altitude and incline were harder than I thought and I was huffing a little bit as we slowly trotted to South Kaibab. We had left at 3:15 and we got there just after 4:00 AM. With flashlights in hand, we made our way down the dark trail with the great flashlights my brother Derek loaned us. They allowed us to see a centipede on the trail right away. We went down carefully, so as not to disturb my knee too much. It was beautiful. It took some time for my head and eyes not to feel so sleepy, but eventually as the day came, I was feeling the power of the Grand Canyon. At the bottom, we refueled our water and then hid a pack so that we could carry less up the long climb to the North Rim. We were able to run a almost 8 miles at the bottom. It was an inviting trail along the river that meandered through some high grass and then over and across the river several times. We enjoyed the run...and then the climb began. We took some great pictures of the view coming UP the North Rim. There was a part of the trail that we just couldn't even see. It looked as if the cliff was straight up in front of us. It was interesting to stay back and let Brian climb ahead to take the picture of it. I could tell Brian's lungs were feeling the climb a lot, but overall his coughing had been pretty subdued and he seemed strong and well.
We stayed on the North Rim for a little bit trying to get reception on our phone and let people know we were doing fine, but a little off schedule. We didn't have any luck. We appreciated the snow there, took some pictures, and started our decent. I took some Ibuprofen as my knee was swelling and a little stiff. I was extra careful going down. Again, it was so beautiful!
When we reached the "flat" part we felt great and enjoyed trotting past everyone. Brian said we were cruising and near 8 minute miles. I was surprised as I just had planned on really hiking only by that point. We retrieved our bag, refueled and gave up on waiting for the telephone at the bottom of the canyon. We started the 9 1/2 mile climb up with some reluctance. We knew it would be dark soon and that it was ALL uphill.
We were fine until just about a 1/2 mile before Indian Gardens. It turned dark about then and we were tired. I could tell Brian was more than the normal tired and that his body was hurting due to his sickness. Somehow he got up and kept going, and going, and going...for 4 1/2 more miles. The water stations seemed FOREVER apart. I was convinced they had to of measured the distance wrong by the last few miles. We didn't bother to fill up at mile 3 and then the water was turned off at the 1 1/2 mile station. We just continued on and cheered when we saw the first archway...forgetting there were two. Finally we came up on the last arch and the last turn. As I was turning the last switch back I hear Brian say, "Janna, Be careful." I laugh and jokingly say, "OK dude. I'll be careful on this tough part." "Janna, be careful." He seriously says again. I look back and make sure he's OK, wondering what that was all about. Then we both summit together...again for the second time that day!!! We did it!!! He said he was worried one of us would fall on that last part due to fatigue and excitement and that is why he got so urgent with his warning. I quickly took a picture at the start/finish line and got him in the car and turned the heat on. Then he started to shake. He looked horrible. His body was revolting the stress he put on it and he was literally almost convulsing. I called to let Aunt Jennifer and Michelle Cox know that we were fine--well, unless you considered Brian's state. He still gave the thumbs up that he would do it again when Michelle asked him...Yeah, he is amazing. They encouraged us to just get a hotel and they would manage the kids tomorrow. It was just after 9 PM...18 hours after we had started almost. Brian had a 10 AM meeting with a client the following morning, so we knew that resting at home would be the best option. Being SOOOOOO tired and fatigued, we promised to do 30 minute shifts at driving if we were at all tired and we began our journey home. We had come up too late for showers and were in our dirt and sweat covered smelly clothes for the ride home. I couldn't really handle it to well and I went into the gas station bathroom and washed my feet and face off in the warm water. I had to totally clean the sink out when I was done...it was COVERED in dirt.
The hike was an amazing experience. Brian still says so after after the pneumonia he contracted due to this experience that seemed to provide a great environment for other complications such as a pleurisy, and costo chondritis (however yo spell them :)). He spent the next 6 weeks in PAIN waiting to feel better. AT 7 weeks post-hike, the pain lessened but even by his birthday in January, he is still not physically feeling back to normal. There was a point when he only weighed 155 pounds. I was worried. I made him go to urgent care and the doctor twice. That is HUGE for him. The antibiotics helped with the pneumonia (It took me 9 days to get him to go.) They gave him some cream for the staff infection in his nose too. They also prescribed an albuterol inhaler for ease in breathing and some prednisone for the swelling in the lining of his ribs. The prednisone took the INTENSE pain away in his back, but made it so he couldn't sleep. After 3 days on the prednisone, he refused to ever take it again, because he was SO TIRED and felt worse in every other way. He then went back to the INTENSE pain in his back near his right shoulder blade. It was so hard to see him sick and in pain. He took all of his time off for the rest of the year...we fortunate that he has the work environment and arrangement that he does. HUGE BLESSING. I am so glad he feels better now. I reminded him that he promised never to leave me. What would I ever do? I love that man :).
