Drs. Knepler, Horak’s Grand Canyon hike, plus one, still on as CF Foundation fundraiser

Despite a flash flood that killed three people and required rescues of more than 80 others inside the Grand Canyon National Park on Saturday, Aug. 29, the Oct. 3 hike planned as a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will go on.

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Instead of a North-Rim-to-South-Rim hike, however, the path has been changed, according to one of the hike leaders, Deborah Fuchs, MD, a professor in the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

She and Jim Knepler, MD, a professor and associate chief of the Department of Medicine’s Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, and his wife, Holli Horak, MD, a Department of Neurology professor, are part of a 25-person cohort — five of them guides, including Dr. Fuchs — that will now follow a transverse route across the South Rim. This is Drs. Knepler and Horak’s first such hike, and although technically not “rim-to-rim,” they’re still excited. It’s part of a series of Xtreme Hikes to End CF, hosted by the CFF. To find and plan yours, see hike.cff.org.

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Rerouting this hike couldn’t be helped. It’s due to the August flash flood, whose damage — the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the 1960s — was caused by heavy monsoon-driven runoff that destroyed infrastructure, bridges and the Transcanyon Waterline, leading to strict water restrictions across the South Rim. The runoff was made worse by earlier damage from a North Rim fire in July 2025 that burned up to 80 structures, including the Grand Canyon Lodge, visitor cabins, the visitor center, employee housing and a wastewater treatment plant.

Dr. Fuchs said her first experience as a CFF Xtreme Hike guide was last fall. Because of the North Rim fire, the planned north-to-south rim-to-rim Grand Canyon route had to be changed to a South Rim transverse route, too.

The plan this year is to replicate what Dr. Fuchs did last year: “We started on the South Kaibab Trail, crossed the Tonto Trail/Plateau to Bright Angel, went up to Havasupai Gardens for water, and then descended Bright Angel to the river. We turned around at the river and hiked all the way back up Bright Angel to the South Rim, stopping again at Havasupai Gardens for water along the way,” she said.

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They’ll come up under two manmade stone arches near the historic Bright Angel Lodge at Grand Canyon Village. That’s about 13-14 miles hiking, almost 10 less than the originally planned route starting at the North Rim.

Dr. Fuchs’ first experience at the Grand Canyon was a South Rim visit 30 years ago. She floated through the canyon on a Colorado River whitewater rafting trip more than 20 years ago. And her first hike was a September 2022 North-Rim-to-South-Rim hike as part of the CFF’s Xtreme Hike fundraising series.

“It was an incredible introduction to the Canyon on foot,” she said. “Since then, I’ve done several memorable hikes and backpacking trips in the canyon outside of the CF events. I also participated in the CFF Xtreme Hike in Yosemite in October 2023.”

Twenty of the 25 hikers Oct. 3 are expected to raise at least $4,000 to help the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation fund research to find a cure for the disease. Guides raise money for the effort as well, but have a lower goal. Contributions can be made at this link. Scroll down to see the hikers and click on Dr. Knepler, Dr. Horak or Dr. Fuchs by name to make a donation. Their individual pages to donate to with stories on why they’ve joined the Xtreme Hike to End CF can be found here (for Dr. Knepler), here (for Dr. Horak) and here (for Dr. Fuchs).

EXTRA: Hiking the Grand Canyon – A special, challenging experience

Deborah Fuchs, MD, offered these thoughts on hiking in Grand Canyon National Park:

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“There is substantial elevation change hiking at the Grand Canyon, including about 4,340 feet of elevation gain from the River Resthouse to the South Rim along the Bright Angel Trail. It is definitely a challenging day in the canyon. This year, water availability will be a little different, and we will need to filter/treat our own water along the route, adding another challenge to the hike.

“One thing I’ve learned from hiking in the canyon is that the elevation profile can be deceptive. For many, the real work often begins when you turn around and have to climb back out. Good preparation, pacing yourself, keeping up with hydration and nutrition, and paying attention to the heat are especially important.

“The CF hikes are particularly special. Hiking alongside people who have been touched by CF is quite powerful and doing it together in a place as spectacular as the Grand Canyon makes the experience even more meaningful.

“I’m really looking forward to this year’s hike, particularly because we’ll have two other physicians from our hospital participating. It should make for a fun group and a great opportunity to raise awareness and funds for CF.”

For more on why Dr. Fuchs hikes and to contribute to helping her meet her goal for this Xtreme Hike to End CF, see this link. She’s dedicating it to Tucsonan Jolene Nichols, who died of CF at age 10, and her sister Ceci, who is living with CF. Her parents run Playformance, a Tucson play-based fitness program that builds kids strength and character through play.

About 40,000 people in the U.S. and more than 100,000 globally live with cystic fibrosis. Roughly 1,000 new cases are diagnosed annually — 75% by age 2. Still, driven by advanced therapies, the median predicted survival for a child born with CF today reaches into the mid-60s, an improvement of about 30 years since 2000 and more than 50 since the 1960s, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

ALSO SEE:
“Xtreme Hike to Cure CF enlists two U of A physicians in Grand Canyon fundraiser” | Posted Aug. 24, 2026 (with Aug. 31 update)