The Cave of Pain, The Grand Canyon, and The Coolest Backpack Ever

This week I learned a lot about pain.

I pushed my body the hardest I've ever done before when I hiked the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim this last Saturday (more details on the trip to follow).

During the last seven miles of the 23-mile hike, my whole body was in pain from my head to my toes. We had been going since 4:00 AM that morning and it was starting to wear us down.

One of my best friends, Chris, came along with me for the trip and taught me a valuable lesson about pain and what to do when you start to feel it.

He explained to me that pain is like a cave to explore, not something to avoid altogether.

Once you enter the Cave of Pain, he explained, you should explore it rather than take the easy way out.

"Exploring" your Cave of Pain means sitting with the pain and continuing on, even though it's uncomfortable. Exploring the Cave of Pain allows you to really discover who you are and what you're really like.

It gives you answers to questions like:

"How far can I push myself?"

"Where are my limits?"

"Who do I become when I'm in pain?"

"Am I a quitter, or am I someone who perseveres until the end?"

"Are my mind and spirit really in control of my body, or is it the other way around?"

Answers to those questions are extremely valuable because they become anchors for when you face future trials.

The beauty of exploring the Cave of Pain is that if you discover that the answers to those questions aren't what you wanted or expected, now you know what to work on. Answers to those questions can change through repeated visits to the Cave of Pain and, over time, you can become the person who is so comfortable in that Cave that you can go out and do what 99% of people won't. Imagine that.

Although a lot of pain could have been avoided through more timely and careful preparation (a lesson for another time, I guess haha), it nevertheless opened my mind to exploring my Cave of Pain and seeing just how far I could go.

My challenge to you this week: Go out and do something that puts you in your Cave of Pain and find the answers to those questions for yourself.

Earlier this year I decided that for each of my birthdays going forward, I'm going to do something new or challenging that makes me feel alive.

This year, as I alluded to earlier, I hiked the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim.

The Rim-to-Rim hike can be done two ways: North Rim to South Rim, or South Rim to North Rim.

I chose to go from the South Rim to the North Rim. The South Rim is mostly rocks and brush, but the North Rim is more lush and has tall trees to protect you from the sun.

On Friday evening my wife, my buddy Chris, and I drove about 8 hours down to our hotel on the South Rim, getting there at about 8:30 PM.

My wife dropped Chris and me off at the South Kaibab Trailhead at about 3:45 AM, and so began our 23(ish) mile trek through the largest canyon in the world.

Our headlamps lit the way as we made our way down the 7 miles of switchbacks to the canyon floor, which came out to be about 5,300 ft down in total elevation.

When we got to the bottom, we crossed our first of about 10 bridges, bringing us right up next to the Colorado River. We soon found ourselves at Phantom Ranch, one of the many places in the canyon where you can stay overnight. We stopped for a quick breakfast, which was at about 9:00 AM, and then set off again on the trail.

As we moved through the canyon we were soon surrouned by narrow canyon walls that were so high you couldn't see the top. All along the trail was a steady river that flowed behind us to join the Colorado River.

At about the 11-mile mark, we were able to see the solar eclipse (at least most of it). We didn't bring any glasses of our own but were able to borrow some from a fellow traveler.

A couple hours later we began our ascent out of the canyon. This is where we entered our Cave of Pain haha. The final miles up to the North Rim consist of relentless switchbacks along the canyon wall, taking you up a steady 20% grade until you reach the final destination.

About 3 miles out we both started cramping. Our legs froze up from hiking, and our traps and triceps froze up from using our trekking poles. It was a grueling last couple of hours, but we finally made it to the top at about 2:00 PM.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.

But here's what I would do differently:

• I would run down to make it easier on my knees
• I would bring many more packets of electrolytes to avoid cramping so bad
• I would drink more water and stop at every water spigot along the trail

Who knows when the next time is that I'll go through the Grand Canyon. But if anyone offers, I won't turn them down.

This week, after waiting a whole month, I got the backpack of all backpacks:

The Errant Pro Backpack by Boundary Supply.

This is by far one of my favorite things I own. If you know me, I love functionality, and this backpack blows me away.

Here are just a few of the features:

• 30L expanded-capacity, compressed to 25L.
• Auto-compressing, adjustable flap-closure with dual magnetic buckles.
• Large side zipper access to the main compartment.
• Expandable side pocket fits a 22oz bottle or tripod.
• Clam-shell opening is fitted with a Large #10 YKK WR zipper.
• Interior compartments are separated by a removable panel featuring Quick Rip zipper.
• All zipped access points are lockable.
• Spacious top pocket with a Nywool™ padded sunglass pocket.
• Padded Nywool™ Laptop sleeve fits up to a 17inch laptop and secured with an auto-locking buckle.
• And oh so much more

This backpack will probably last me for years to come.

Is $300+ too much to spend on a backpack?

Probably.

Do I regret it?

Absolutely not 😎

Enjoy my favorite memes from this week: