So, I continued my routine exercise sessions throughout the winter. The regular activities were spiced by great skiing thanks to excellent snow through April. I felt prepared for an adventure camping trip west of Colorado, toward Moab, Utah, and Grand Canyon, Arizona. I left home together with a group of friends. We were six guys with an interesting age distribution; half were 40+, and the other half under 25. I thought there would be some performance imbalance. I remember how rarely I got tired in my 20ties!

Moab Camping Adventure

We embarked on Moab in Utah and set up a camping site at a BLM land near Klondike Bluffs. The weather and temperature were alright at the end of May, so I wasn’t worried about any trouble from the heat. I should probably explain that heat presents an additional risk for anyone with MS. Overheating may cause a temporary return of MS symptoms. Vertigo or limping would not help me along the challenging trails ahead of us!  

We completed a short 8-mile bike stroll around the camping area and left for a Slick Rock loop above Moab. The Slick Rock offers some spectacular riding, but my fellow campers and I have done it several times in the past. Slick Rock means riding on a solid rock, occasionally very rickety, as if a stormy sea got petrified with all its massive waves in one second.

We looped about ten miles on steep ascents and descents with about a half-mile elevation gain. It was a warm-up ride for most of us, and it felt good. A more considerable challenge was waiting for us the next day: The Porcupine Rim.

The Porcupine Rim

Luckily, we agreed to request a shuttle ride from the bottom of the trail to the trailhead on top. Without it, we would have to bike an extra ~15 miles, mostly on uphill paved roads. The shuttle was worth ~$120! The MTB ride from the trailhead was challenging enough. Twenty miles downhill with an approximately one-mile elevation drop on very rugged terrain. The trail follows a rim above a large and deep valley with spectacular views. We added a few stops to enjoy the views, snack, and perform emergency repairs. It took us approximately 4.5 hours to get down.

Overall, this was challenging cardio fitness with a lot of calories burned. The most important part was that we had no major accidents on the way, except for one flat tire and minor scratches from overhanging branches!      

The Grand Canyon

The Porcupine Rim Trail was not yet the most challenging feat of this adventure camping rodeo; we moved from Moab to the south rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona the next day. The plan was to hike to the bottom, bathe in the Colorado River, and hike back. I was a little worried about the possible exhaustion and potentially hot temperatures at the bottom of the canyon due to my MS. 

We started descending upon dawn. It was about 7 am, with the temperature around 40 degrees F. The way to the bottom was easy, and we were there in less than three hours. The only worrisome signs along the way were the occasional posts against attempting to hike down and up the canyon in one day, stating all possible dangers. We kept on with our dangerous hiking activity anyhow.

The temperature was ~85F at the bottom of the canyon. Cooling off in the Colorado River made us very comfortable. We decided to hike alongside the river to a bar where we could sit in the shade of a tree. We have tasted some excellent beverages, like lemonade and beer. All food and drinks were carried there on convoys of mules, which we met along the way a few times. One could hire the mules and let them take you down and up the canyon! I could get up on one of these mules if I got in trouble, I thought.

Escaping the Heat

After a refreshing rest, we started ascending. It was around noon, and I began to feel the heat as the temperature climbed above 90F. Luckily, there was plenty of potable water on the way. It was possible to rinse in one of the many cold streams crossing the trail. We were moving steadily at about 1 mile every 23 minutes. After making a few short stops on the way up, we reached the top rim of the canyon in less than four hours.    

A summary from my Polar Flow app and heartbeat/GPS monitor watch shows we hiked more than 20 miles and made over a one-mile elevation difference each way. The energy consumption was almost 5000 Calories (kcal), double what I usually need on a regular low-activity day. Pretty intense! Overall, this felt like the most challenging one-day activity ever. It felt good that I was able to pull this off!

Red Canyon and Home

Another interesting observation: the older half of our adventure crew did not feel much weaker than the younger half. We still have it! We all needed to rest the next day before going for another short MTB ride close to Bryce Canyon, UT, and finally returning home to Denver. I felt accomplished after the adventure camping stroll by Moab and Grand Canyon and promised myself I would keep engaging in adventures like this one as long as possible!