Marsh is still composing his thoughts about the expedition but wanted to share the release we’re delivering to the media (see more photos on Facebook). Look for a post by Marshall in the next week or so … Meanwhile, he has remarked that this effort was “harder than climbing Mount Everest, but not as difficult as running across America.”

For our friends in the media: We’re working on the documentary footage and are looking for partners. Please be in touch if you want in!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Not Just A Walk in the Park:

Two Men Complete First-Ever Trek Around Death Valley National Park

Death Valley, Calif., August 13, 2012 — Extreme endurance athlete Marshall Ulrich and fire fighter Dave Heckman have finished an unprecedented expedition, going on foot around the entire perimeter of Death Valley National Park during the hottest part of the summer, completely unaided and unassisted. They began on 22 July and finished just over 16 days later on 7 August.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/mWU-ah1-FEs[/youtube]

Others have trekked in this area, but no one has attempted to circumnavigate the park, and certainly not during the height of summer, when the threats of dehydration and heat stroke are dire.  (To grasp the gravity of this, consider that, on the same day Ulrich and Heckman finished their trek, another accomplished ultrarunner died in Death Valley after just a few hours under the blazing sun.)

To survive the scorching temperatures, which exceeded 120F, and be self-sufficient even as they moved through remote areas, crossed six mountain ranges with a total of about 40,000 feet of elevation gain, and covered approximately 425 miles, the men had buried water, food, and supplies along their route two months earlier.

Most, though not all, of the 37 caches were intact when they dug them up. One was dry — all the water had leaked out — and a few had been invaded by insects, which were desiccated by the cayenne pepper the guys had included to deter pests. Fortunately, none of this turned into an emergency, and they had enough water and food to sustain them throughout the journey.

Still, at 5’9″, 61-year-old Ulrich lost 10 pounds, and Heckman, who is 5’11” and 38, lost 25 pounds. They attribute the rapid weight change primarily to the exertion required to complete 20 to 34 miles a day in an extreme environment: their bodies adapted, becoming more efficient at moving and cooling themselves. The two men shared highs and lows, including a period when they questioned whether they would survive, and are grateful for all of their experiences.

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Over 100 degrees, over 200 miles … with 200 miles to go

On Monday night, July 30, Marshall and Dave finished day 9 of their Death Valley National Park expedition. I did a rough calculation of the ground they’ve covered on foot: about 200 miles so far, with maybe another 200 to go. Average temperatures have been over 100 degrees during the day, down into the 60s at night when they’re at elevations over 7,000 feet.

On their way around the entire perimeter of the park, they’ve trekked through valleys, up canyons, over mountains, across sand flats, down washes, among Joshua trees, past sand dunes and dried salt lakes, through pinyon pine and juniper forests, up and down hills, past marshes created by underground springs, around sage, salt bush, and mesquite bushes, along old railroad beds, and on some roads.

They travel with ghosts of natives and old miners, prospectors, and explorers — sometimes finding ruins of old rock foundations, cabins, and smelters; wells, car parts, winches, bathing pools, towers, or mine shafts — sometimes feeling only the spirits of those who ventured in the desert before them.

The variety, the scope, the size, and the beauty of Death Valley National Park proves nearly impossible to convey. Right now, Marshall and Dave are experiencing it in a way no one before them has ever attempted. One step at a time, self-supported, trekking around the park in the heat of the summer.

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It’s 7 p.m. here in beautiful Beatty, NV and I just got off the phone with Marshall. They’re at about 6,000 feet up Oriental Wash near Gold Mountain north of Death Valley National Park. “The view is just beautiful,” he told me.

They’ve already worn their heavy shirts and needed their sleeping bags, so at this higher elevation they’ll definitely be using their cold-weather gear tonight. It seems strange, but even 80 degrees can feel very cold after you’ve been hiking and expending all of your energy in over 100-degree heat.

People ask me, “Why? Why, why, why?” Why do people like Marshall and Dave set out to do a self-supported, over 400-mile trek across some of the most brutal, unforgiving terrain on the planet?

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