Accompanied by his son James and friend Sarah Lowell, Pader embarked on the 32-hour adventure at 11 a.m. Friday, Sept. 11, on the canyon’s north rim, not exiting the south rim until 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12 — no camping involved. 

“For me, the hike was from difficult to very difficult because of tread conditions. Mule rides from the North Rim have caused deep crevices and erosion of the tread, which was a problem for me because of having bad knees — old injuries and wear and tear,” Pader said. 

Pader was slow toward the end, taking 18 hours to make the last 9.5 miles, but he was determined. He pressed on, with his son James monitoring his physical condition the whole time. 

“Jimmy did a great job planning in that we avoided the ‘furnace’ — a 7-mile section from Cottonwood Campground to Phantom Ranch where temperatures easily get to 120 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. We hiked it at night and it was only 90 degrees Fahrenheit,” Pader said. 

However, as the hike wore on Pader had slowed down to half his anticipated 1 mile per hour pace, meaning he had to contend with the noonday sun along the exit route. By the time he finally emerged victorious, he was completely spent. 

But it was worth it. 

“In spite of all the difficulties encountered, hiking the canyon is as near to heaven as I may get,” he wrote. “The beauty of the surroundings, the magnificence of the geology going back almost two billion years, with all the variety of colors and history is beyond imagination or description. Photographs, no matter how good, can never provide the feelings I got while being in that environment, and I cannot find words to adequately explain them.

“It brings tears to my eyes even as I write this as my memory reconstructs what just being there was like. I found oneness, joy and serenity and peace within myself as I listened to the symphony of the earth’s voices, singing all around me. For a moment, I was a microscopic part of a masterful part of creation. It was a privilege that I will remember forever and never forget. All my pain and suffering, my total exhaustion where every cell in my body had no more to give, was hardly price enough to pay for what I got in return.”

This adventure comes after Pader’s 2013 accomplishment of becoming the oldest person, at age 83, to make the 22-mile trek to California’s Mount Whitney without stopping overnight. 

“Some friends have asked me ‘What’s next?’” Pader said. “But for the near future, I plan to rest.”