Too old for Grand Canyon mules?
 

I'd like to hear how some older folks have made out on this trip. My 85 year young mother is interested. Don't laugh! She just got back from a 10 day bike trip. They road at least 30 miles each day...close to 60 on one! (Would have KILLED me!)

I want your mother as a role model. Just for her to consider such a trip shows a real zest for life. It is wonderful. She's lucky to be in such great shape and you're lucky, too to have a mother with so much spirit!! Sorry, I can't answer your question for you, but I had to comment.

Tell her to saddle up and head out!

Here's the qualifications, right from the mule's mouth:
http://www.grandcanyonlodges.com/Rid...tions-719.html

It would appear the only potential problem is that your 85-year-old mother should not be pregnant.

Make sure you take pictures of her, and send them to your local newspapers. She deserves to be in the news! She rocks!

LOL Paul!

I think that the major problem that she might have is the temperature. Someone her age usually has a problem trying to withstand either extreme. It summer, it can get very hot. Also, be very careful to see that she drinks enough water. Age also makes it much, much more likely that she might get dehydrated very quickly.

We did the overnight tour at the age of 40 and I agree with aileen679. Heat is the most dangerous of issues for your mom. It's about 6 hours down to the ranch and the ride is beautiful and meandering. However the heat was intense. Several people were ill by the time we bunked down for the night because they were sunbathing on the way down, but age had nothing to do with it. Suggest she wears a hat, uses great sunscreen product and DRINKS alot of water. She will be fine.

Drink water, more water, and more water. On my honeymoon, the only trouble we ran into was a couple of 60 somethings straight out of Central Casting for a NewYorker. They didn't drink water and got dehydrated and fainted.

Hope she's not pregnant at 85! Otherwise hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and let the good times roll!!! I would much rather trust the mules footing than mine!

Thanks everyone!
I know that hydration is a BIG concern. But, she has been on enough extended bike rides to be very careful about that. (At age 67 she got a trophy for being the oldest rider on a one day, one hundred mile bike ride.) The six hours in the saddle might be the bigger problem. Even as someone who has owned several horses,but, hasn't ridden for several years, I can just imagine the sore muscles. Ouch!
As for the heat, I'll have a chance to see how she handles that in February. We're going to Costa Rica for ten days. We'll be exploring the jungles on both coasts. Hot AND humid. Plus, the rainforest lodges we'll be staying at don't have AC - just ceiling fans. I guess if we both enjoy that trip, we'll think about those mules.

I'll tell her to keep taking her birth control pills....just in case!

INCREDIBLE. Tell your mom I love her...I am a little more than 10 years behind her and hope that I can be where she is when I get there. We just came back from Costa Rica. We were there in August. The heat was not oppressive, but it was there. Fans work. Air conditioning to me is too artificial. When it rained, it rained HARD, but only for about an hour. I LOVED the thunder.

I didn't do a rain forest zipline tour... but I would be willing to bet your mom will. Report back?

OH...I have ridden horses..once on a pack trip into the Windriver range in Wyoming. I wonder....is it possible to get a "padded saddle"? <grin>

Not trying to be Captain Obvious or anything, but if you're worried about the heat, don't go in summer. Putting an 85 year young person on a mule and exposing her to a day of 100+ temps doesn't sound wise. 75% of the year is acceptable temperature wise, so go then.

Drinking more and more water isn't always the answer - she has to have food to go with it, and she has to be able to keep it down if the heat is making her nauseous. Even then, if the temp doesn't drop below 100 at night (which does happen some times in summer) there will be no relief from the heat no matter how much water is consumed. I'm sure your mother would survive the trip in summer, simply because she'd have a guide that could call for a medical evacuation if needed, but cooler temps would probably make for a more enjoyable time.

jtrandolph, Sounds like you're on track to follow my Mom's lead. I'm curious. Where did you go and what did you do in CR? I've been twice before and just love it. But, it will be Mom's first time.
Oh, how I would have loved to be on that Wind River trip with you. I spent my most memmorable summer working in Jackson, Wyoming. (In my youth - back when the dynasaurs still roamed.)I spent much of my free time on horseback. I can still smell the mixture of trail dust and pine trees. Uh oh! I think I feel another trip comming on!
Happy trails!

You'd be surprised, but 6 hours in the saddle can be really hard on the pelvis bones. Do your Mom a favor... before you leave on the trip, visit a equestrian/saddlery store in your area (or online) and buy her a "seat saver" fleece seat cushion. It straps onto the saddle with elastic, and it REALLY helps. Be sure and get one for a WESTERN saddle (not English) as that is what they have at the Grand Canyon.

If it were me and I really wanted to go, I would go equipped with a letter from my MD stating I could make the trip - would not want to arrive at mule departure point and have some Park Service guy refuse to take me because of my age - I am sure there is some clause in the reservation form stating they can refuse service for some reason or another (I know all about age discrimination laws, but unless you are planning to bring a lawyer with you to fight it, I think an MD release might be a reasonable precaution)

Both excellent ideas. Thanks!

I did the mule ride. Sorry, but I did not think it was great. Back and forth on the same small part of the canyon, very, very hot, very, very long day. No interaction with other people since we were on mules. I found it much less interesting than any of the short hikes we took there. I think she might enjoy hiking at her own pace much more interesting.

I did it. I wouldn't advise it for an 85 year old - no matter what shape she's in. You are basically putting on brakes all the way down. Muscles I didn't know I had hurt like heck. I think the hike down a little ways and back would be much better.

IF you go, do take a Doctor's note - but I'm not sure that will work if they are concerned. They want to keep their perfect safety record.

Cactus -- is she looking into the overnight ride or the day trip? Elainee's response deals with the day trip. On the overnight trip, you go down on Bright Angel, overnight, & then back up South Kaibab. 5 hours each way. Very hard on the body but I am not an avid hiker or biker!!!

I understand though that if you are an AVID hiker in very good shape, riding the mules is harder than hiking. I knew that riding the mules was the best way for ME to go below the Rim. It sounds like your mom is in excellent shape to hike or ride the mules. Remember that hiking back up into elevation is also very hard on the body & hiking down is very hard on your legs.

Good luck to your mom, whatever she decides to do.

Yeah Mom!

cactushugger,

We have a daughter who lives in Costa Rica, so we spent three weeks there, sightseeing when she and her husbans were working. He did have time to take us on a city tour of San Jose and we had three days with them to visit Arenal. On our own we went to Manuel Antonio and Volcan Poas and the La Paz Waterfall Gardens, with stops in craft villages. Another trip took us to Volcan Irizu and through the Orosi Valley. (We didn't do jungle lodges in CR as we had done that in Peru a few years ago after a trip to Machu Piccu) While we were in Tamarindo we rented a 4 x 4 and did some traveling around that area, beaches and a pottery village. We loved the wildlife and the scenery.

jt, It sounds like you hit some of the highlights in Costa Rica. We'll probably do th Orosi Valley tour too.

Thanks to everyone else who replied. I think I'm going to steer Mom away from the mules. Too hard on the body! We'll go during a cool season, so, I think day hikes will suit us better. We're both very interseted in evrything outdoors: birds, reptiles, plants, geology, etc. I think we'll really enjoy having the freedom to stop and observe at our own pace. I don't know when this trip will take place, but, I'm ready TODAY. Thanks for all the help.
Happy trails!

Hi Cactus, hats off to your madre for wanting to brave a Grand Canyon mule ride. I think you've made a well thought out decision to encourage her to hike instead.

I've taken the mule trip myself, and have knwon a few 75+ folks who've taken it and lived to tell about it, but only after careful consideration of what they were getting into. To quote an old wrangler, "this ain't no pony ride at Disneyland - you will be tired, you will be sore!"

What made the trip bearable for the seniors I knew that took the trip successfully was they did it during the cooler parts of the year (late fall, late winter, early spring, etc., summertime? H**l no....), were in VERY good health and had cleared it with their doctors beforehand. It is a difficult trip physically, if you have back, neck, hip or knee problems forget about it. Ditto if you're afraid of heights. I've hiked the canyon and ridden the mules, and I was 10X more tired after the mule trip than I was doing it under my own steam - and I was in my 20's at the time!

A previous poster had made a comment about a saddle cushion - sorry to bear some bad news, but I'm not certain that those are allowed. I've seen riders try to bring those sorts of things on the trip and the wranglers had to "confiscate" them. This was awhile back, though, and things could be different now. When in doubt, check it out.

In short, the mule ride is fun, but any potential Grand Canyon mule rider should consider the risks and rigors of the trip very carefully before committing - regardless of age! Plus, the trip is incredibly popular, so one must make reservations well in advance (9 months to a year) Online visit www.grandcanyonlodges.com or call Xanterra South Rim LLC 888/297-2757.