(tense music) - The Grand Canyon is one of the most extreme environments in North America.

(hikers panting) The extreme heat, the desert, the dryness, and then the snow.

(ice cracks) Oh, that is rough.

Even fully-capable hikers have been humbled by the Grand Canyon before.

I may have overestimated what we can do.

We're struggling, but we're gonna do this.

- I'm ready.

- Something's gonna happen today.

(ice cracks) Woo!

(Dan groans) - [Dan] This is the worst pain of my life, man.

(tense music) - [Dispatcher] Flagstaff 911, where's your emergency?

- I'm Eric Hanson.

When I see a trail, I see more than a path from point A to point B.

(lively piano music) A good trail is the ultimate opportunity to explore, to discover new landscapes, and to challenge myself.

(water splashes) When I don't have a pack on my back, I'm thinking about my next big adventure because my mission is simple.

My mission is to discover the world's most epic trails.

(waves crashing) Funding for Epic Trails is provided by Discover the World.

Collette offers small group explorations tours, destinations and local experiences designed especially for small groups.

Explorations by Collette guided travels since 1918.

The Alinker three wheeled walking bike.

Assisting people with an active mindset to regain mobility and access the outdoors.

Keeping users active and engaged in life.

More information at Alinker.com In4Adventure.com Inspiring, educating and encouraging outdoor adventure and by these additional sponsors.

(lively piano music) (upbeat instrumental music) The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet.

As someone who calls Arizona home, it also happens to be in my backyard.

I have a long history in the Grand Canyon, taking my first big hike here as a 10-year-old with my dad.

I thought it was only right that I finally plan an episode of Epic Trails for the Grand Canyon.

So I called my buddy Dan Becker to see if he was interested in the iconic rim to rim to rim backpacking trip.

- I got enough stuff.

- [Eric] Dan and I have become good friends over the last couple of years, meeting up every few months to go backpacking together.

Despite the challenges of the route and the time of year, Dan didn't hesitate to fly out for the adventure.

(upbeat instrumental music) - [Dan] I'm actually really excited to see the Grand Canyon for the first time ever.

- [Eric] So you've never seen the Grand Canyon?

- No, not in person, no.

- What are you expecting?

- A very Grand Canyon.

- Well, often people have, and I mean this seriously, people have kind of like almost a religious experience when they see the Grand Canyon for the first time.

So I'm really curious as to just what your reaction will be.

Because even though people know that it's huge, it still will, might take your breath away.

Especially knowing that we gotta hike down it.

And hike up the other side.

- Yeah.

Oh, wow.

- Are you sure this is a good idea?

- I think we could do it.

(upbeat guitar music) - The rim to rim to rim backpacking trip is a nearly 50 mile route from the South Rim to the North Rim and back again.

And we're doing this in winter when the North Rim is holding more than eight feet of snow.

We are both fully aware that this is going to be a struggle.

What is happening?

Aren't we in Arizona?

Okay, so we've just arrived at the South Rim, and it is frigid.

It feels not like Arizona.

This is a polar experience.

We've got this blasting arctic wind coming through.

We're setting off for a five-day adventure in the Grand Canyon.

Gonna do about close to 50 miles.

(pleasant music) - Oh my gosh.

- Dan!

- Holy cow, dude.

- Have you looked?

- Holy cow.

- It's a big hole.

- [Dan] We gotta go down that?

- [Eric] Oh, that's the general idea.

- Is there like a escalator?

- There is a fast way down, (Dan chuckles) but I don't recommend we take it.

- Holy cow.

- Welcome to one of the seven wonders of the world.

- Wow.

(chuckles) - Yeah, no, all we're gonna do, this is it.

We're gonna hike down seven miles to the river.

- Okay.

- Then we're gonna hike another seven miles to camp tonight.

Then another seven miles to camp tomorrow night.

And then we gotta do it again and come back.

Just adding in a few more miles 'cause we're gonna take a longer trail on the way out.

- Oh.

- Are you ready?

(sad guitar music) - Yeah.

(Eric laughs) - Let's begin!

- Let's begin!

- [Eric] Here we go!

- [Dan] Let's do this.

- [Eric] The rim to rim to rim starts now.

(upbeat guitar music) First of all, what was your first impression of the Grand Canyon?

- It is wow.

It is pretty awesome.

This is my first time here, so you have it pictured in your mind what you think it's gonna be like.

- Yeah.

- And you're like, oh, okay.

I know what I'm gonna experience.

And then you're-- - Yeah.

- He told me I was gonna have a religious experience, so I was fighting like that urge.

'Cause I don't want to have him see me having a religious experience.

- You didn't want to break down?

- No, I didn't wanna start crying.

But it was like, like just something overtakes you with just, I mean, it's just it's immense size and power.

And it was just awesome.

- This is probably bigger than anything in Wisconsin.

- A little bit, a little bit.

We have grand things, but not this grand.

- Not this grand.

(upbeat guitar music) (upbeat instrumental music) To me it's always special to be able to show other people basically my home.

I feel proud of this landscape that I've grown up with and that's been so close to home, that's had such an influence on who I am.

So it feels really cool, really special to be able to share this with other people.

- Wow.

- Pretty spectacular though.

- Can you see the North Rim from here?

- [Eric] That's the North Rim in general.

- Okay.

- But we're gonna like follow that whole drainage back.

There's a whole other like canyon that's pretty major, and that's our exit canyon.

- Awesome.

- Woo!

Wow!

- Wow.

- All right, let's get out of here.

- [Dan] Let's do this.

(upbeat guitar music) - I did not plan and prepare for the amount of wind we're having.

It's got consistent 30 mile an hour winds with some strong gusts.

And I just got blasted in the face with all of this snow and sand.

And I thought once we got below the rim it wouldn't be a big deal.

We are well below the rim already, but it is still howling out here.

And it is cold out today.

- You said it wasn't supposed to be windy.

- Yeah, no, I thought below the rim we wouldn't have any wind.

(upbeat guitar music) So we've just made it down the main wall, the limestone wall above us here, the top shelf in the Grand Canyon.

And we just got our first glimpse of the Colorado River.

So we still have a long ways to go, but we're definitely starting to make some progress now.

Tons of people come to the Grand Canyon every year, and only a fraction, like 1% ever come below the rim at all.

So I'm really feeling good to be here today.

You feeling all right?

- I do.

I feel great actually.

That wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be going down so.

- Yeah.

What's just your experiences seeing the canyon like?

- [Dan] It's kind of overwhelming actually.

I've seen videos and stuff of the bridges, and from here they look like little toys.

(mellow guitar music) - Dan, I know this really cool trail in the Grand Canyon.

It's super underground.

- Oh wow.

(Eric laughs) - [Eric] I hate to say it, but I really feel like we're at a low point of our trip.

- Oh.

Wow.

He'll be here all night, folks.

- Ba-dum-pssh!

(upbeat guitar music) Making it to the Colorado River is a big accomplishment, and for most people they'd stop here and camp at Phantom Ranch, but for us it only marks the halfway point of the day.

We have another seven miles to hike until we make camp.

Dan and I are hiking well, our spirits are high, and the day is beautiful as we follow Bright Angel Creek through a sinuous side canyon.

But a long afternoon of uphill hiking awaits.

This is where I'm expecting the physical toll of backpacking the Grand Canyon to really show itself.

And it's not long before the grind starts to wear us down.

How we feeling?

I'm pretty good.

- I feel good, yeah.

I feel good.

It was nice to take the pack off for a few minutes.

- Yeah, for sure.

- But I feel good.

- And I think we have five miles probably to go still, so that's kind of painful thinking about how much we have left.

It's still a ways.

I think we'll be hiking in the dark.

- Yeah, for sure.

It's a little after four o'clock, so.

We're for sure gonna hike in the dark.

(boots thudding) - So it's the end of the day, we've got about a mile left.

Light is fading, it's getting dark, and we're all just hitting a wall.

So the mood in the group is pretty low right now.

We're all just kind of slogging, but I'm just so ready to get to camp, set it up in my bed, and make a hot meal and crawl in for the night.

(hikers panting) Darkness has descended upon us.

This trail just keeps going on and on.

We are close though.

I've been saying that and feeling that for a long time.

Oh my goodness.

That was a beast of a day.

- [Dan] Sure was.

- [Eric] Dude, you crushed it.

- (whistles) I don't know about that.

- Maybe it crushed us, but.

- It crushed me.

Yeah, for sure.

- You know what?

We made it to camp.

Didn't have to call rescue.

- Yeah.

- That's a win.

- That would've been probably a lot easier.

- (coughs) Can you helicopter me?

- What's the matter?

I don't know, I'm just kind of tired.

- I'm grumpy.

(both laughing) (birds chirping) (somber guitar music) I slept super hard last night.

We all just completely passed out.

It was kind of glorious.

So after a little bit of debate, we are moving on, and we're gonna make a run at the North Rim.

So the biggest concern is that there's just gonna maybe be a lot of snow.

And we will probably be setting the track since the most recent snowstorm.

So we're a little bit nervous about what we're gonna find, if it's gonna be passable, how much snow is really gonna be on the trail, and how hard it's gonna be.

Yesterday definitely kicked our butts.

So there is that feeling of maybe we won't make it.

- [Dan] You ready, Emmett?

- Ready as I can be.

- Ready as you can be?

How you feeling?

- Yesterday was.

Yesterday was really tough.

I think like of the stuff you and I have done together, this has probably been the hardest thing so far.

- Really, really?

- Yeah.

- And he's 20 years younger than me, so I want you to think about that for those of you that are watching.

- We got this, Dan.

(Dan exhales) (Eric laughs) - I'm ready.

- Something's gonna happen today.

That I can guarantee ya.

- I got a feeling you're right on that.

(both laughing) - I don't know if it'd be good, bad, funny, sad.

- All of the above.

- All of the above, yeah.

As we set off from camp, we're cautiously optimistic, but a sense of foreboding hangs in the air.

Trail reports indicate that today is going to be an even bigger challenge than the day before.

We'll encounter deep snow, icefalls blocking the trail, landslides, and deep fatigue as we climb to over 8,000 feet on the North Rim.

So I knew that this feature was here.

I've been here before, and this is way more ice than I've ever seen.

- That's wild.

- In this spot.

- I think we could maybe take our packs apart because I don't know what's under that, and that's kind of.

- That's where the troll lives.

- Yep.

- The Grand Canyon troll.

- I figured he wouldn't want us walking on his house.

- Well that, this is how he catches people.

He's like, "Oh, I'll put a blockage in the way "and then I'll eat the hikers that come around this way."

- Yeah.

- Well, let's take a look.

Let's see what it, if it looks possible.

(ice cracking) Woo!

All right, it's just-- - Yeah, I don't know if that was a sign or what.

- The troll letting us know we're here.

There are two options for passing the icefall.

Neither are particularly enticing.

We can go behind the icefall, which we were advised to do because it avoids crossing a hazardous route with deep snow and a potential for huge blocks of ice to break off from the cliffs above.

But squeezing behind the ice proves to be almost impossible.

So we decide to risk the low route and save time.

Here, the fatigue of the hike starts to deepen.

All right.

So yeah, there's like this stuff right here that's kind of, you gotta get a big step up so I-- - Whoa!

- Yeah.

Or just give me the, get the other one out of your hand.

Get it out of the way.

- I don't think my wet leg works like that.

- [Eric] Here, give me the bottom of your trekking pole and then you can pull against it.

Just give me the, yeah, and you hold onto that side and then you can pull.

You can do it.

Step up.

Step up, there you go, there you go.

Get up, there you go, there you go.

There you go, nice.

Nice.

- Yep.

- Good job.

The North Kaibab Trail, while always difficult, is in rare form today.

The snow deepens as we ascend.

All the melting snow has saturated a south-facing portion of the trail, which has completely collapsed in the last few days.

Passing the collapsed part of the trail requires a precarious crossing.

Yeah, nice.

Nice.

(somber guitar music) (rocks crashing) - We might want this.

- Yep, absolutely.

Nice work, man.

- That was a rock slide.

- That was a rock slide.

Everybody else has turned around there.

- Why'd I just get emotional going over that?

- Did you?

- That was really weird.

Yeah.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- What are you feeling?

- I don't know.

- What kind of emotion?

- Oh.

I don't know, that was crazy.

- Like this bond that, I think if I didn't, if I saw correctly, your foot slipped, land gave way.

I grabbed you, pulled you up.

- Pulled me into the arms of safety.

- Yeah.

Oh, Dan.

We just reached new heights in our friendship.

- Why did I even say anything?

Like, what was?

(Eric laughs) You don't see rock slides like that in Wisconsin.

- No, there's probably not enough vertical relief for that.

(lively instrumental music) (ominous music) So the Grand Canyon is actually one of the most extreme landscapes in North America.

On the rims, it's actually very high in elevation.

And most people are surprised when they pull up in their cars that there's snow on the ground.

At the South Rim, it's 7,000 feet, and when you get to the bottom of the canyon, you're literally a mile lower, and it's the desert.

And it's harsh and the sun is baking.

There's very little water.

It's extreme on the other end of the spectrum.

And then at the North Rim, it's almost an alpine environment where the terrain is over 8,000 feet.

And this time of year, there's almost eight feet of snow still sitting on the ground.

And there's more on the way.

So it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

So it's really challenging to take on a trip like this because you have to prepare for a lot of different environments.

Breaking trail while carrying heavy loads is beginning to break us.

The grind of the day is wearing us bone thin.

Oh my God.

Get snowshoe time.

- [Dan] I think you're right.

I think it's been snowshoe time.

- It's been snowshoe time for the last quarter mile.

This is where you're supposed to tie up your horses.

That's how deep the snow is.

At this point, I've noticed Dan really start to struggle.

He's falling further behind.

So our team put the cameras away in an effort to make time and get out of the canyon before it's fully dark.

Jake and Emmett continue on to break the trail, while Dan and I slowly make our way to the trail head.

Trying to blind you.

Well, getting a little dark out there.

We didn't make our goal of getting out of the canyon before dark.

So we're hustling as fast as we can.

The snow is deep, we're snowshoeing now.

It's massively difficult.

Dan's back here with me.

We're struggling, but we're gonna do this.

We're gonna do it.

- (exhales) We got it.

We're gonna do it.

- Oh, man.

It's about 10:30 at night, and we're only just now getting kinda settled with camp and getting a hot meal and things like that.

So today, I may have overestimated what we can do.

And it's the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is a humbling place.

I'm not the first hiker to be humbled by the Grand Canyon.

So definitely feeling that right now and tonight.

Just hoping to crawl into bed, have a good night asleep, and enjoy this spectacular place for the rest, next couple of days.

(Dan groans) - [Dan] This is the worst pain of my life, man.

(Dan groans) (zipper clatters) (Dan groans) - So it's five in the morning, Dan's not doing good.

I think he has altitude sickness.

We're at 8,200 feet, 8,300 feet roughly.

And he was struggling coming up the trail.

We got him here, got him into bed.

He slept.

Passed out real, real hard for an hour or two, but apparently has just been moaning, got chest pain.

So I think, I think we need to call somebody.

I think we're gonna put in a call.

(zipper clatters) - [Dan] Oh my God, I have the worst pain-- - [Dispatcher] 911, where is your emergency?

- Hi, I'm at the North Rim Trail head.

It's definitely a scary thing calling for help like that.

Dan was having a lot of chest pain.

And it was very clear that the situation was quite serious.

I definitely was very scared that my friend Dan was having a heart attack.

Yeah.

- Well, you do know that we do have a single ranger on location at the North Rim who is responding.

- Okay, excellent.

- He does want you to be aware that he has an approximate 25 minute ETA.

- Okay.

- [Dispatcher] And that there's no ambulance service out of the park.

The only way out of the park from that location would be air ambulance if it's necessary.

- Okay.

- [Dan] Oh, man.

(ominous music) - (clears throat) It's gonna be okay, man.

(pleasant synth music) Funding for Epic Trails is provided by Discover the World.

Collette offers small group explorations tours, destinations and local experiences designed especially for small groups.

Explorations by Collette guided travels since 1918.

The Alinker three wheeled walking bike.

Assisting people with an active mindset to regain mobility and access the outdoors.

Keeping users active and engaged in life.

More information at Alinker.com In4Adventure.com Inspiring, educating and encouraging outdoor adventure and by these additional sponsors.