Hiking the Grand Canyon
 

A friend and I are planning on going to the Grand Canyon late April/early May, and hiking it. We thought of going with a guide from a trekking group, specifically, Sky Island Treks. Does anyone out there have any experience with this? Is hiking the canyon (a 3-day trek) a good way to experience it, or can you recommend something else?)

To truly appreciate the vastness of the Canyon, you MUST hike down into it. Views from the Rim are spectacular, but they don't give you the full experience.

Does anyone know if it is possible to hike down the canyon and back out in one day? Is this a good idea?

Jane, It is physically possible, but not for the ordinary person. Pick a destination, such as Indian Gardens, hike at a pace that is comfortable and keep in mind it takes longer to hike out, than in (they say to allow 3 times as much time getting out, but it in our experience anyway, we thought that a bit extreme). Get an early start so you'll have plenty of daylight. The terrain, climate, and vegetation change as you go along, and you will have "experienced" the hike, even if you only go as far as Indian Gardens. <BR> <BR>Though my husband and I are in our 50's, we both run and our 20 something year old kids do not. We actually had an easier time with the full day hike than they did, so much is predicated upon your conditioning to begin with.

My wife and I are in our late 40's and not in particularly good shape, and we have hiked the Grand Canyon in one day twice. If you use the main trails you do not need any sort of a guide. We descended the South Kaibab Trail, starting before sunrise, so that we caught the sunrise colors on the way down. It will take you no more than 3-4 hours to get to the River, even if you dawdle along the way. After resting in the shade and soaking in Bright Angel Creek, we started up the Bright Angel Trail after lunch. It was a longish hot hike to Indian Gardens, but then we spent several more hours resting there until the day started to cool off. After refilling canteens at the spring, we then made the final ascent, reaching the South Rim at about 9pm. A very long day, and the hike out is unquestionably demanding, but it can be done by ordinary folks if spread out as described above. We tell this to people and they look at us as though we are lunatics, but it really isn't bad!

To the original poster -- one other option you might want to consider is taking the overnight mule ride into the Canyon. I did this last year and it was amazing. One nice thing about it is that once you are at the bottom of the canyon you have some time to hike around and explore on your own. I highly recommend it. You can look into this through www.ampas.org. The trips fill up way in advance but there are frequently cancellations if you keep checking back. It is physically rigorous even though you're riding -- not as tough as hiking, obviously, but still, everyone in our group was very sore on the second day from the shoulders, arms, and hands all the way down the back, legs, and feet. One woman in our group who has hiked the canyon every year and done the mule ride twice said she thinks you see more during the mule ride than hiking because you don't have to look down at the path the whole time. There are weight and other restrictions so do a little research on it beforehand if you're interested. <BR> <BR>To Jane -- no, it is not a good idea to hike down and back in one day, in my opinion. Yes it is possible, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to. I personally know two women in pretty good shape who tried this and failed -- they ended up having to stop about halfway back up and finish the trip the next morning. You increase your risk of dehydration, heat stroke, injury, exhaustion, etc. if you try to do the whole thing in one day. Also, the experience of the Grand Canyon is something to be savored, not rushed, in my opinion. To be fully appreciated it should be seen at various times of day at various levels of light. Overnighting on the floor of the canyon is incredibly special -- the quiet, the stars, the shadows and colors at dusk and dawn.

While you're debating how to hike it, you might emphasize people must take some emergecy food, space blanket, cell phone, what they would need for injuries and staying overnight, extra water bottles, salt tablets. Take this from a group of people who have done some major backpacking under strenuous, wet and cold conditions, not just casual hiking for sightseeing. What some of you've described was foolish, needlessly risky.

My husband & I live in the rolling hills of the East Coast. We are in good shape; we hike on a regular basis on portions of the Appalachian Trail. We went halfway into GC on Kaibab Trail, carrying water, gorp, and PB&J sandwiches, which we ate at the halfway point. For some reason, I had extreme fatigue going back up. I had to rest several times on the ascent. My point is- we were prepared- properly conditioned, properly dressed, and outfitted. Never had a situation like that before, or since. Plan well & be VERY prepared - it is fantastic hiking!

Angel, what you experienced is common ... take a look at Colin Fletcher's Complete Walker ... it describes what occurs. It is because water and food can bring on immediate fatigue. This can happen quite as easily on the AT as in the GC. It can be a downhill or an uphill thing. The solution is to sip regularly and snack, and not sit down and eat, and then have to do something strenuous like climb out of the GC. I can imagine you were tired and coudn't explain it, and that alone probably intensified the effects. Very unpleasant, I am sure.

Above poster: guess I didn't adequately explain the food strategy. We snacked on gorp and sipped water on way down- ate a PB&J at the halfway, then water sips/gorp on the ascent. Done this many times; would never eat a full meal while in transit (I'd just have to take a siesta- LOL!) We just figured it must have been a bad PB&J. I normally stick to Clif Bars, but had to rustle up a PB&J when I couldn't rustle up a Clif Bar at the store.

Yes, you drank water on your ascent, and that produced the fatigue. Whether you agree or not. The more you drank, the more fatigue set in. I have a feeling you are having a problem with this concept. Think about buying the Colin Fletcher book ... he makes hikes similar to yours, and you will enjoy both his advice (e.g., on consuming water) and his experiences. His ideas work well, and what he tells you will serve as a foundation for all types of walking.