How Three Women & Countless Stars Were More Remarkable Than the Grand Canyon

I missed the sunset. I had the perfect ring. I had the perfect girl. I had the perfect location – the Grand Canyon! Timing? Not so much. We arrived later than expected and our first views from the rim were anything but intimate. “For crying out loud, I missed the perfect proposal sunset opportunity at the Grand Canyon!”

Ah, but for every sunset, there is a sunrise. The trouble with sunrises is that you have to get out of bed and that’s definitely a challenge for college aged people. Oh well, we walked to the rim at first light anyways! Me, shivering with nerves and from the cool morning air. She, anticipating an exhilarating hike down the Bright Angel Trail. The sun rose and bathed the canyon and her hair in soft light. Oops. Her hair was in a bun. Not as photogenic as it could have been. But in the end, the little imperfections were lost on the view of the Grand Canyon. The stillness. The solitude. The bended knee. A ring. A promise. She said, “Yes!” Remarkable.

We returned to the exact same spot for the first time almost eighteen years and four months later. The sun still magically bathed the canyon in soft light at the close of day and the break of dawn. We still held hands by the Bright Angel. What could be more remarkable than this? Three women and countless stars, in fact.

In 2003, it took me almost a year to plan the Grand Canyon proposal adventure. In 2021, it took Jessie almost a year to become an ultrarunner. The end goal: to traverse the gaping mouth of the Grand Canyon from Rim-to-Rim. R2R. In a day! 22 miles. 6,800 feet of elevation change. For an entire year she planned. She ran and ran. She ran some more. She planned and read. And she ran and ran some more.

The big day arrived on a blustery October morning. At 4:00 a.m. she departed down the South Kaibab Trail with her long-time friend Kim. Kim had already completed 5 miles on the Rim trail that morning. Kim’s goal: 52 miles and Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim! Jessie was the support team for the first leg. Jessie would run/hike 22 miles across the canyon, but Kim would turn around and go back!

The Hyundai support vehicle, manned by Kim’s husband, Nick, included two passengers. Yours truly, and Carolynn, who would be the support runner on the second R2R leg. At 7 a.m., we departed for the north rim by car. It’s 250 miles around the canyon to drive from the south rim to the north rim. Yes, if you didn’t already know, the Grand Canyon is expansive. After a four hour drive, we waited for Jessie’s rim-to-rim adventure to sunset at the North Kaibab Trailhead. “This time, I won’t miss this sunset,” I told myself! But, like any good ball drop, we waited and watched. And waited and watched. We waited and shivered in the cold and stamped our feet in the snow. We guessed their arrival time, but we didn’t know when to really expect their arrival. We chatted with other Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim runners who graciously answered our questions as they scarfed down their lunches. We waited some more. Finally, we heard two chipper and excited voices. Then we saw them and burst with excitement and down right euphoria! Jessie and Kim. Kim and Jessie. Two women. Twenty-two miles through the Grand Canyon. The questions flowed like the mighty Colorado River. Was it as hard as you expected? Was the river gorgeous? Was the snow slippery? Was the sunrise epic? Was the journey beautiful? Can you believe you did it? She said, “Yes!” Remarkable.

After a quick lunch, Kim and Carolynn departed. Down the North Kaibab to the Bright Angel. Twenty-five miles to complete Rim-to-Rim for Carolynn and Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim for Kim. The support car hopped back on the road and wound its way back to the South Rim. 250 more miles on its own four-wheeled, engine-propelled Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim drive.

The support team tracked the runners progress through the canyon by GPS signal, faithfully watching for every ten-minute ping of hard-fought progress. Night fell and minutes became hours. Worry set in. Would they return before sunrise? The women soldiered on through the darkness and up the switchbacks, while we fretted and waited in the dark ourselves.

Early in the morning, nearly 24 hours after Kim began, two headlamps warmed our souls despite the wind and chill. Bent backs leveraging every ounce of strength pressed against the steep incline. Two conquerors emerged from the depths. 25 miles for Carolynn and 52 miles for Kim. Hugs mixed with tears and joy. Fifty years ago, women were banned from distance races. Women were told they physically could not run. October 15 & 16, 2021. Three women proved men wrong, again, and again, and again. Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim. Yes, they are remarkable.

Needless to say, I was proven wrong as well.  Never would I ever have guessed that eighteen years and four months after our sunrise engagement that I would be standing in the same spot at 2:30 am and that I would see the most scenic view the park had to offer at night. As I waited for my two friends to finish their epic adventure, I soaked in the pure silence. I felt the brisk gusts of wind bite my cheeks. I breathed in the rich wilderness solitude. Then I looked up. The shepherd of the night sky had gathered all the sheep together into the vast milky way. Each star threw dazzling beams of light down to guide the weary travelers. The herds of constellations burned brighter than streetlights. The ancient shapes were dotted with countless stars I had never seen before and will probably never see again. This was awe. But it was tinged with sadness. This same grandeur, more inspiring than the Grand Canyon, could be visible in my own backyard. Our own devices, our own insignificant lights dim and hide our potentially most beautiful and inspiring local scenery.

“Wow!” “LOOK at all the stars!” “Orion has so many more stars in it than I imagined!” “There’s the milky way.” “Could this be more beautiful than the Grand Canyon?” She said, “Yes!” Remarkable.