Hermit Trail from the top of Cathedral Stairs looking East (photo: Brian Lane)

Even when you do nearly everything right, things can go wrong...

My trip into the Canyon started wonderfully last Friday, May 16th. I was on the trail at about 5:00am, the Canyon was cool and I headed down, arriving at Hermit Creek at about 10:00am. After spending the day at the creek I slept very well, got up at daybreak on Saturday morning and traveled over to Granite Rapids.

It was that afternoon that I began feeling nauseous. By three in the afternoon I was feeling worse and threw up. I made the decision at that time to head up to Monument Creek Camp in the early evening. Since I couldn't keep down any food or water I figured my body would keep getting weaker so getting up to the Monument would put me in position to hike the ten miles on Sunday morning over to Indian Garden and see how my body felt at that time.

I was still heaving and unable to keep anything in my system but was on the trail before 5:00am and on my way to Indian Garden. At about the halfway point I spotted two Park Rangers headed over to Monument Creek for maintenance purposes. I informed them of what was going on and they said they would radio over to Indian Garden to help ensure there was a camp space for me.

Continuing on, I finally made it into the Indian Garden Campground at about 9:00am and collapsed (after throwing up again). Every time after I would heave, I would immediately begin drinking water and Gatorade again to try and keep myself hydrated, but to know avail.

Park Ranger Della Mullin came into my campsite around 2:00pm; I had spent the day so far laid out on my therm-a-rest mattress on top of the site picnic table trying to regain my strength. She was excellent! She had been informed of my situation by the two Rangers I had seen that morning, she listened to what I said was going on with my body, asked questions, then outlined my basic options. She could take me over to the clinic at Indian Garden and administer an anti-nausea medication and probably set up an intravenous saline solution to try and get me rehydrated, but if I chose to be treated my status would turn to that of a patient and from that point evacuation would be recommended.

Since I was hemming and hawing about being pulled from my mission (to get out on my own accord) she offered to get some ice and Gatorade mix and see if I could keep it down and then monitor the situation. I drank more, some of which came right back up, and tried to see if I could get myself feeling any better. The deciding factor seemed to be that I had not been able to urinate for nearly eight hours - that one detail caused the most concern from Ranger Mullin. The major medical concerns were the chance of kidney failure or other kidney related problems including the onset of rhabdomyolysis (a condition where muscle fibers break down and toxins are released into the bloodstream).

By 3:00pm, since I still had not peed, she (and Canyon Volunteer Jan) coaxed me into packing up and heading to the clinic for treatment. Ranger Mullin set up the IV, administered the anti-nausea meds, and called for the helicopter to land at Indian Garden and fly me out to the Grand Canyon Clinic. After about 45 minutes (and nearly two large bags of saline solution) I finally peed - much to the relief of Ranger Mullin. Around 4:00pm the chopper arrived and I was flown to the South Rim, loaded into an ambulance and driven the one mile to the clinic.

Once at the clinic Dr. Michelle Doroz took over, continued more IV fluids, ran blood tests and an EKG. The blood tests showed some concern of kidney related problems so I was told that if I urinated they would release me, but asked that I return the next morning for another blood test to ensure no lasting damage. Dr. Doroz and the staff at the clinic (Kathy, Catherine, Kelly, and Amber) were all the best in their care and treatment! I finally peed again some time after 6:00pm and was released with a list of what not to eat and a bottle of Hydrolyte that I was instructed to drink that evening. Dr. Doroz also confirmed that a particularly aggressive virus had been going through the Canyon.

My blood work the next day was OK and I drove home to Sedona. The last of the bug hit me when I got home with a bad night of Montezuma's Revenge. Now two days later my energy level is back up and I'm feeling pretty much back to normal. Enough can't be said about the professionalism and proficiency of everyone involved including NPS Ranger Della Mullin (she's the best!), paramedic Brandon Torres (on the chopper flight), and Dr. Doroz and the staff at the Grand Canyon Clinic.

Thanks so much for all they do to help keep all the hikers and Canyon travelers safe and well!!!

Brian Lane


Brian at Hermit Creek - before falling ill. (photo: Brian Lane)