Hiker Attempts Grand Canyon Hike on 60th Birthday
Tom Gmitter didn’t get what he wanted for his birthday but he gave it his best shot. The Brentwood man wished to mark his 60th birthday by completing a double crossing of the Grand Canyon within 24 hours. Gmitter made it 13 hours, about 22 miles of the 44.5 mile hike, before his left knee became too painful to continue.
“I’m very, very disappointed that I didn’t do a rim-to-rim-to-rim, but I feel like I did my very best,” Gmitter said in a phone call from the Grand Canyon on Monday.
The 22 miles he did complete was still an incredible accomplishment. Gmitter started his journey alone at 2 a.m. on the Grand Canyons South Rim and trekked through moth-eating bats in the dark. Carrying an 18 pound backpack full of hiking and survival gear, he maneuvered downhill, across the Colorado River before arriving at the top of the North Rim around 3 a.m. in 100-degree heat.
Gmitter, a personal trainer, tried to cross back but was forced to abandon his hike when his left knee continued to give him pain. He did complete the rim-to-rim hike in his fastest time ever.
The complete press release is available at the Tennessean.com
