(Originally written for and published at: www.ecoprimalquest.com).
June 27, 2006
By Ken White
TA5, where racers leave the river after 80 miles of paddling, is also a popular takeout spot for rafting, kayaking, and canoe trips. Typically, a truck pulling a large trailer will meet boaters at the beach, and haul both boaters and boats back up 2,000 feet of switchbacks to the canyon rim above.
When Course Director Don Mann spotted a group of teens pulling canoes out of the river, he thought he'd impress them a bit and proudly told them just who they had been sharing the river with: the finest, toughest endurance athletes on the planet.
“I said that these racers were in the middle of a ten-day adventure, and after they finished paddling they would be hiking all the way back up to the rim carrying all their gear,” Mann says.
The teens were unimpressed.
“They said they were in the middle of a 14-day adventure, and they were going to carry their own canoes all the way up the hill,” Mann explains sheepishly.
And they did - hauling themselves, their boats, and equipment 2,000 vertical feet to the top.