Rim 2 Rim, 71 Yr Old Takes on the Grand Canyon Rim 2 Rim Hike
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- The day has finally arrived. After a last minute hiccup the afternoon before that almost derailed the hike, which I will discuss in detail in the epilogue video next week, I was ready to start the Rim to Rim hike. All of the hard training I had completed across the summer has led up to this moment. Come with me as I hike from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South. I made this hike on the cusp of my 71st birthday. I hope this video give you the sense of being right there with me. It was such a great, beautiful hike and I had such a good time. I was so lucky to be able to have this intimate experience with the Grand Canyon.
VERY inspirational! THANK YOU!
Andrew, thanks for watching the vid!!!
Wow...just wow. Now I have no excuses. I'm 60 and hope to do this same hike some time. You Sir are an inspiration! Thanks so much for taking us along.
Sonja, thank you for your kind words. Yes you can do it, train, train and train some more! If you get a chance check out my training vids on how I prepared for the hike. I put one out last week and the next one will probably be out tomorrow or Monday-Dr. Bill
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 Yes!! I've just watched the one from last week! Cant wait for the next one!
Walked 18 miles in the Grand Canyon in 2019 , started down south kiabab to the phantom ranch then up bright angel in 7 hours and 15 minutes, I’m 68 years old😎
That is an excellent time for that route, you were really flying!
Bravo! Truly wonderful accomplishment!
Thank you Ashura, see you on the trial!
You are absolutely AMAZING!!
Janet, thanks for your comment, see you on the trail!
It's so inspiring to me. Will do the south rim Kaibab trail to south rim Bright Angel trail next month at age 56. Thanks for sharing.
Colin which way are you traveling, SKT to BAT or reverse?
Did the same hike 10/13/2021 16 degrees at 6:45 AM with 8 inches of snow - finished at 7:45 PM 28 degrees - at Phantom Ranch 92 degrees - congrats to you - I'm 70...
Congrats on a GREAT time!
Wow, WTG. Thanks for the video. Hope to my the trip in the next 2 yrs before by 69 BD. Planning to watch your training videos.
Carbonnomad, thank you for comment, good luck with the hike, TRAIN HARD!!!
You mentioned that you wished you “could be a little more eloquent” your actions spoke for themselves. Remember the line from the poem Ulysses by Tennyson that I use for motivation:
“Tho' much is taken, much abides;
and tho'We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven,
that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
I just completed the Rim to Rim about 1 week after your trip. I’m 67. My former associate and her husband accompanied me; they are in their 30s. Great video. I plan to do it again.
What a great quote! Congrats on completing the hike!
A lot of good and valuable advice, I’ve watched and saved many of your videos. 04/01/23
William, thank you for your support -Dr. Bill
What an inspiration ❤. Beautiful
Thank you Liz for your kind words.
You, sir, are an inspiration. I hiked a 23-mile hike in the uk in August. Elevation gain only probably 600 ft max. I was done in atthee end. I'm 6, and it took the stuffing out of me. If I can still hike at 7, I will be happy. Thanks for sharing. Congratulationss and new subscriber here from England UK.
Chris, congrats on your accomplishments and so happy to have a subscriber from the UK!
Wow! Your adventure is very inspirational. Amazing and with your positive attitude and adventures heart, you have proven that age is nothing but a number and the limit is only in the mind. Great job!!!!
Geo, thank you for your kind words!!!
“I wish I could said something inspirational right now”, you said? You are and inspiration, the WHOLE you, what are you talking about, omygoodness, I been watching videos because I want to do this, so after watching your video (like #10), I’m yes I can do this…those last 10 miles, omg, forget that, those last three miles…❤
M, thank you for such kind thoughts..
Then smooch it up buddy cuz you earned it. I am duly inspired. Agree wholeheartedly training and prep is everything in every endurance feat, for young and old. BUT, But, but no one is calling you "old' by any stretch. You got it going on my man, you get a BIG FAT WTG!!! You're my hero... Keep on truckin'.
Ken, Thanks for the kind words and support.
You are truly an inspiration! I'm 72 and 20 years ago I did the hike to the top of Mt. Whitney but your hike, in one day, is even further! I am going to start to get back into shape, get some steroid injections in my knees, and hopefully hike the John Muir Trail next summer----God willing. Happy trails!
Jerry, good luck in your endeavors!!!
What a great journey 👏 congratulations!!! In your early 70's knocking that out like a boss!
Thank you for sharing your adventures.. I enjoyed the video and motivated me on getting ready for this hike
Noir, train hard, good luck!!!
Congratulations on an epic adventure. Really enjoyed your video.
Johnny, glad you enjoyed the video, see you on the trail!
Awesome! My wife and I (both age 64) are planning Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim in 2024. Your video is inspiring! Congrats, and thank you!
Good luck. The key to making this a successful hike is to train hard!
Great job, dude. Nice watching your hike. Deep respect. 👍
Well done Bill. I did Rim to Rim to Rim with a days rest in between at 64. Best shape of my life then. As you clearly are now! Keep on truckin’
Great video! You are a rockstar! Did this in May 2021 took me quite a bit longer 😁. Finished 👍. I do hike a lot but that was hard but so worth it !
Susie, thanks for the encouragement! See you on the trail!
Nice job on the R2R. That's a hike I too have been wanting to do. I myself am 67 and I mountain bike in Wyoming, but I'm looking forward to doing the R2R. Congrats to you, the R2R is a great accomplishment.
Lane, thanks for the thoughts, hope to see you on the trail.
Much,much respect sir!!!!!!
A fantastic achievement! Bravo!! I'm 62 next summer and heading down to Phantom Ranch for the 4th time, really looking forward to getting back to the canyon. I hope I can replicate your achievement when I'm 71!
Have a great hike! Are you doing R2R or R2River2Rim?
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 This time we are doing South Kaibab to Phantom Ranch, staying in a cabin for 4 nights, doing side hikes to Ribbon Falls / Clear Creek etc., then back up Bright Angel.
@@DrZZZZZ Sounds like a great trip, I'm envious.
Great job Sir , I will be going from the south to north I’m 69 years old train and do trail running so hopefully like you my training at my age will help. Well done Sir.
Greg, south to north is a rough route. See my videos from last September when I did that route at 72. Train hard, good luck and thank you for your kind words.
Your welcome. Will do more research.
Congratulations! You have faith and audacity in you to take such undertaking. Inspiring and motivating! Thank you for sharing!!! ❤👍
Wonderful hike - a - long!! Thank
You and a hearty congratulations!! 🇺🇸☀️
Thank you Mary, see you on the trail!!!
After watching and learning from you and other youtubers, I hiked down South Kaibab to Phantom and back up Bright Angel in about 12 hours. Did it in May last year, I was 66. Most valuable preparation I learned was -
use poles to save your knees on the way down
train on stairs with weights, one workout a week I would do an hour of stairs with 2 -25lb dumbbells
get a heart rate monitor watch device and learn your limitations, the temptation to overextend yourself can set your training back in recovery or worse. The desire to finish the last 3 or 4 miles of climbing out to finish is strong. Governing your pace and rest by your heart rate is vital, it can be life or death due to heat and being stressed by exertion to that point.
during your training phase, start daydreaming/imagining yourself climbing out the last 100 yards to keep yourself motivated
get your feet, knees, ankles ready by doing long hikes, in the midwest, the only elevation change I had nearby was an overpass, I would do 2-5 hour training up and down the overpass with weighted pack
Thanks for your inspiration!
It sounds like you had a great training program, congrats on completing. The SK can be a real bear on your knees!
Good job on the hike, I have been across 7 times in my 70s and 4 Rim to River and back, first R2 was at 73 with 2 of my youngest daughters, NK down BA up, next was SK NK, SK NK, BA NK, NK SK, NK NA, last one NK BA at age 76, none of the hikes were over 10 hours total time, with usually about 1 hours taking breaks and snapping pictures, this fall at age 77 I didn't even try due to lingering effects from Lyme disease earlier in the year. The Canyon certainly is a place of awesome beauty that pictures do no justice, last fall 2023 was my 12th visits to the Canyon since retiring in 2015
Fran congrats on your accomplishments. You made outstanding time. My shortest was 14 hrs (mostly due to a lot of filming) but even without filming I would not have broken 10 hrs!
good play!
Congratulations
Thanks Rick!
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 i had planned toc walk to Plateau Point and back this year but sadly stuck in Australia. At 60, you give me hope (if my chest can hold out)
CONGRATULACIONS👏👏👏👏👏🙏💯❤️
Great video, some lovely scenery, interesting watch - and inspiring seeing you tackle the hike
Thank you for your kind words.
I'm so inspired to go!! Next year for sure I will make it just like you!
Shauna, good luck, train hard -Dr. Bill
Very nice, congratulations on an epic hike! I think this just made my bucket list. I’m 59 and refuse to put limitations on myself (within good reason). At 71, this is an inspiration for our generation!
Lamont, thank you for your kind words, see you on the trail!
I have to applaud you Bill. I'm only 21, and I'm gonna be doing a rim to rim hike in May 2022 with my older brother (who will be 24). My brother in particular needs to train. I need to train as well, but I'm not as concerned since I do have the metabolism. But obviously, I should never underestimate how hard it really is.
Rainbow, thank you for your comment and please consider subscribing. I have put out two vids on how I trained for the hike I would encourage you to watch. Also, I would encourage that you watch the video, "How I almost died hiking the Grand Canyon Rim to River to Rim in one day." It contains some great info on preparing from another runner. Good luck with your hike and I will see you on the trail.
February 2022 update: My initial plans for May this year have derailed, but I'm aiming to do it in September instead. Also, I'm not intending to do it in one day, but I'm gonna spend one night in the Canyon, which requires a Backcountry Permit. The reason why my plan for May fell through was because my application for the permit in May was rejected. But I'm hoping September will be a score.
@@rainbowrunner1550 A two day trip sounds like a great adventure. Make sure you get your camping reservations early as they are extremely difficult to get.
congrats you did a great jog I did it at 64 and it was a life altering event if I have my health and conditioning at 70 I will do it again
Fred, hope to see you on the trail. I am thinking of going back in May and doing the "dreaded" South to North route. I think it would be pretty cool to be pushing 72 and completing a R2R...2R.
Great timing Bill. I've been working toward this hike for a couple years. Had a knee injury 3 weeks before I was going to do it, 2 years ago. Since then, my story is similar to yours. I'm down 40lbs in 4 months doing keto. 165 lbs now and feeling great. I'm 70. Live in North Carolina, so there are few high altitude locations, but will train best I can. Planning on doing R2R next May. Thanks for the inspiration!!
Good luck in training. I will be making a training video in a couple of weeks, hope it will be helpful.
great video.. I did this Same hike October of 2021 . the morning after the flash floods in the canyon. It was a great time and hike and an ass kicker
Aceyorba, congrats on completing the hike, no small feat!
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 yes...thanks
Both my trekking buddies cancelled in the last minute. Solo hike like yours 16 hours/ lots of breaks
.hope to do it again in a few years.
Nice, did the training and enjoyed the day. Way to go 🙌
Well done!
Well done
14 hours is amazing
Especially since you had at least 1 45 min break
Thanks for the comment, I had a GREAT time on the hike!
congratulations! My husband & I are training & planning this hike in early May
Shelly, good luck, train HARD!
Beast mode: ENGAGED!! You sir, were the perfect storm. Absolutely excellent training, and perfect job in the canyon. You did everything right, and it shows! Very few people get through their first hike in the canyon, of any length, let alone R2R, without being wrecked. You crossed it and came out the top like a boss!! Congratulations on the training, the effort, and being wise enough to do your research, and do it right the first time. Pro level!!
Todd, thank you so much for your kind words and observations.
Thanks for sharing! Would love to do this some day.
Jamie, see you on the trail!
Thank you for the Video. You are amazing and have given me inspiration to one day do this hike.
See you on the trail!
Amazing Bill. Great story of your hike, wonderful naarative, great stories of your prep. You inspire us all --- maybe not to hike the Canyon, but to prep and take on our own challenges! Well done pal!
Geno, thanks for the support and feedback.
Last year I pulled my phone out of my back pocket to see where I was. It flung out of my hand and down the side of the trail. I was screwed. I was able to shimmy on the cliff side and manipulate the phone with my foot. I know the feeling. Lol. Great video!
Great job! I completed my first rim2rim hike 2,5 months ago, I'm 66. I hiked South to North going down the South Kaibab trail and up the North Kaibab. I did it in around 14 hours also. It was fun but I'm not gonna lie the last 5 miles was tough! I'm pretty proud that I made it :).
Rick,
The following Sept I completed the South to North route at 72. I put out a couple of vids about that hike. Congrats on your achievement.
I really enjoyed your video...very inspirational and informative. Thanks for taking the time and sharing it with us!
Thank you for your kind words, see you on the trail!
Congratulations Bill! That is quite an accomplishment and you have worked hard to make it happen.
Thanks Brad, it was a great, albeit arduous, hike.
That was inspiring ! 👍😀. Curious what you did to train for it
Kris, thank you for your kind words. If you go to my channel, I posted a number of videos covering how I trained for the hike. See you on the trail!
Kris, there is camping on/near the North and South Rim. Getting a campsite in the canyon is very difficult as the demand is so high. I think the sites are awarded by lottery. There is a campground at Cottonwood, Indian Garden and I believe Bright Angel.
Hope you enjoy this video. I trained hard for this hike. I cannot express adequately how beautiful this hike was. I had such a good time. Please consider subscribing if you have not already and a hit on the "thumbs up" button is most welcome.
What a great series of videos. Your commentaries are most encouraging and at the end of the day, and the hike, you have much to be proud of! Congratulations !
Thank you Charlie, who would have thought that 50+ years after graduation we still would be in contact. I often think of that Christmas show we did together in our Senior year! I believe you were the musical director.
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 The
Great job!! Your training paid off!
Much Appreciated!
Had to subscribe!!! Love the fact that you've posted this epic hike for us to see. My one question to you is this... My wife and I are Canadian...we hike through lots of Northern forests but the area you're in would be unfamiliar to us. Is the trail clearly marked out? Wouldn't want to risk getting lost in those 'hills'. Thanks again for posting!
May, First thank you for subscribing I am very appreciative. If you look at my other vids on the hike you will get a sense of what route to take and how to manage the hike. The trail is very clearly marked from the North Rim and the South Rim, it would be hard to get lost even in the dark. There is also shuttle service from both rims to the opposite rim, you just need to check on the schedule. Unless you are very strong hikers you probably will be hiking part of the trail in the dark, so plan on headlamps and extra batteries. You may also need to hike in the dark to manage temps at the bottom of the canyon. Good luck and please feel free to ask any other questions you might have.
I did it in May 2021. I am 65. 15 hours. Very tough, but gratifying.
Mike, Congrats on completing a difficult hike. I completed the second part of the R2R2R in Sept 22, the vids are up, you might find them interesting!
Great job man- you got a few years on me and I never done her in a day, you da man ! Thanks for the vid sir
Thanks for the support!
Great job! I enjoyed so much the visits at Indian Creek while you trained this summer. Keep up the good fight and dream Big.
Tim, Thank you for your support, hope you had a safe trip home after such a great summer!
Congratulations! I enjoyed watching your hike. Thanks for sharing it. My husband and are hoping to do this in the next year sometime. Looks like you had nice weather. Glad you missed the storm.
Thank you Holly, it was truly an outstanding experience, hope you get the chance to make it happen next year. As an fyi, the North Rim does not open until May 15 and closes Oct 15, so the Rim2Rim hike has a fairly tight window unless you want to hike in the 120 degree+ heat of Jun-Aug.
Great Job, Bill! Awesome and Amazing!!! Well done!
Thanks Chris, we have certainly come a long was since first grade at HNM haven't we?
Bill, just amazing! What an accomplishment! What an inspiration! Thank you for the great video!
Trish, so great to hear from you. Thank you for your kind words. We have come such a long way since first grade at HNM!
I have added two R2R training video to my channel. Please consider checking them out!
Great job! Such an encouragement. I’m 64 and just finished the hike as well. But I did not know about the cool t-shirt souvenir. Where did you purchase it?
At the giftshop at GC South Rim, but supplies were very limited. Thanks for watching.
71 is the new 51.
Very nice view I love hiking too enjoy and stay safe.... watching from Hong Kong... wish you come and visit my small house too thanks
I'm 69 and have just completed the Kaibab-Bright Angel loop in a day. Isn't it a bummer when you get passed on a hill by the elderly?
Nice job Bill. What specifically did you do in training that help the most?
Victor, I downloaded a couple of vids on training for the hike you might want to watch. If there was one piece of training that I believe was very valuable it was hiking up and down 40 flights of stairs with two twenty lb. barbells. That routine really strengthened my hamstrings for the downhill section of the hike.
@@ageingungracefullypushingt7135 Wow ! That will make a Billy Goat out of you. Thanks.
Congrats on ur achievement.
I was listening to your advise and one of them caught my attention. While everyone is advising soaking their feet wet, you are suggesting against it. Can u explain that in layman terms about the side effects of it. Is it age related or applicable to everyone ?
Thanks 😀👏👍
Srivenkat, hiking in wet socks and shoes promotes blisters.
Thank you so much for your prompt response 🙏 your videos are quite interesting and absorbing.
Will continue to watch.
Can you please tell us about your training program? My wife is 74 and she is hiking NK to BA on Oct. She drinks red wine and runs marathons, but I figure there is some good canyon specific training we can do to get in great shape. Thanks!
Bill, on my channel I have published a number of vids about the R2R hike, (training, routes, dates, planning, equipment etc.) so you may want to review them. The different vids contain a lot of relevant info. I trained very hard for the hike, generally doing at least 2 hikes per week in the mountains of Utah of at least 14 miles, but often farther, with a 16lb pack. In June, July and August I completed one hike per month of at least 21 miles. I also, once a week, hiked up and down flights of stairs in my house carrying weights in my hands (2 12 lb. weights with an additional 12 lbs. in my pack.) I think at my peak I hiked the equivalent of 100 flights up and down. I trained very hard, probably overtrained, but as you can see, my training served me well. One note, marathon training and training for this hike are two very different endeavors. Let me recommend the YT video, "How I almost died hiking Rim to River to Rim." It is about 30 min long but well worth the time investment. The creator of that vid was also a marathoner. At 74 this hike can be done, but hard hiking training is essential. Please feel free to contact me again if I can be of any further assistance, one older hiker to another.
OMG! WOW! What for an extraordinary performance you have done there!!! I'm 70 years young, but I wouldn't dare to do such a hike. But well, you've been training all summer long, if I had such a training like you, maybe I would start something like that, who knows? Anyway, I take my hat off to you, deepest respect man, that was an amazing achievement!!! I´ve been at the Grand Canyon in the 90´s of the last century, but I flew over the whole Canyon area under ATIS-control (I´m owning the FAA privat pilot license). I rented a plane at St. George, Utah, and did this flight from there and returned to St. George, a four hours flight. From above you can see how huge this whole area really is! Amazing!!! But I visited the Grand Canyon by car, too, hiking to the view points above the rim. Mind blowing views this have been!!! One of the greatest parks in the whole States. Best regards from Wuppertal, Germany, yours, Wolfgang. 👍👍👍👋💫
Amazing accomplishment my friend. No doubt in my mind that I could not have accomplished it. Question - when you replenish water, is there a pipe somewhere or do you just dunk something into a stream? Did you lose much weight from the hike? Kevin
Kevin, Once again thank you for your support in building the channel. There is culinary drinking water throughout the canyon. Occasionally it breaks down as it did the week before the hike, but was repaired pretty quickly. Don't know if I lost any weight as I was drinking throughout the hike so dehydration was never an issue. Surprisingly however I ate very little, just did not get hungry.
Congratulations! Well done. My only concern is that it's not possible to set clear parameters to define the ability to do this hike, and having said that, I'm thinking some people whose abilities are not within those impossible parameters may try this and fail with serious or fatal results. I say this because I volunteered at White Sands National Monument (now a park) many years ago, and a 23 year old nurse died while hiking the dunes on a 110F day. Desert places are deceivingly dangerous, and can make you a walking dead person before you even know you're thirsty.
I'm 76 and would die if i tried
What was you total time Bill R2R?
Albert, total time was 14 hours, started at 4AM and finished just before 6PM. However, if I had not taken the time for filming and taking photos I think I could have hit the 13:15 mark. If I had it to do over again I would have started at 3AM. I was pushing it along the last 3 miles and did not take many rests because I wanted to get off the trail before dark. Beat sunset by about 20 minutes but would have liked to take a few more 5 minute breaks along the trail in those last few miles.
Almost lost everything in your phone ! Hint get a real camera and keep the phone home, you don't need it down there.