Anyone ever backpacked in the Grand Canyon?

[Tri Girl]

Thanks, Spoke! I'm relieved to know that even someone who lives at altitude and hikes mountains on a regular basis will have trouble. Then again- that frightens me a little bit. I will be working VERY hard this off-season to be as ready as I can. Great advice. Thanks!

I wound up getting this Go Lite bag. It fits good and when loaded with 20 lbs- it feels really good. I know I need to get another 20 in there, but so far so good (I've started walking with it already). I got fitted at a backpacking store (telling them that I probably wouldn't buy it there because I wanted to be honest- and they were very kind so I wound up buying my hiking boots from them), so I had an idea how the pack should fit.

The capacity is about 3800 cubic inches, but appears it will fit everything I need with a little room to spare (for the extra gallon of water in addition to the gallon I have in there).

[Yelsel]

Whew, if you are from Yuma, you really do know about the heat, and have a setup for desert hiking. The main difference is that there is no shade at the bottom of the canyon, not even a creosote to wiggle under (that's why I recommend the tent fly for shade, rather than the main body with netting... you don't even need a tent at night.)

You can put the treadmill at an incline and turn around and walk; I have friends who do this for running. Step-downs (as well as step-ups) with weights / backpack are good practice - and you might be surprised at the difference in strength between your legs. Walking down real stairs, at a stadium. Long series of strength moves - such as single-leg bodyweight squats, or yoga - to develop muscle flexibility and endurance. Also work on building up side leg muscles - adductors and abductors - since biking essentially ignores these. The machines are dangerous, use a low pulley or exercise bands instead (GoFit ProGym is a good home/travel set and only about $25.) The best thing is hiking though!

As a geologist I've done quite a lot of work in the desert; heat really does make one stupid, so I've learned to keep an internal running commentary on what I am doing and what state my body is in, which also helps for recreational hiking.

[Pedal Wench]

I use stairs for training = up and down, for hours. Put on some good music, fill up your backpack with waterbottles, and have fun. I also just find a hill in my neighborhood and go up and down for a while.

Good point about rodents. We use a crittersack and try to hang our food from a tree or a hiking pole stuck in the rocks. We usually leave the rainfly, but bring a full tent because I don't like the creepy crawlies - and do shake out the scorpions out of your boots in the morning!

re: hiking boots. On the main corridor trails, you could get away with light hikers or even good trail running shoes, although I like something with ankle support. The secondary trails get a little trickier, but even those could use lightweight shoes. One thing I've noticed that should be checked ahead of time - I've discovered that my favorite shoes are 7-mile shoes. With a weighted pack, they're fine on short hikes, but after 7 miles or so, I can feel every pebble. So, check your equipment.

[Tri Girl]

You ladies are the BEST!!! Thank you for your continued advice! I truly appreciate EVERY piece of warning, advice, hints, tips, ideas, etc.

Thanks for the reminder about critters. I always think of it when mountain hiking, but may have neglected to think of it for the canyon (don't know why- I know critters live in the canyon ).

I'm with PW. I'm soooo creeped out by creepy crawlies that I'd probably worry all night about getting crawled on while I'm asleep- but I may just need to get over it. If I knew a scorpion was crawling on me- I probably wouldn't close my eyes- EVER!
I'll probably wind up bringing both tent and fly- one to use for shade and one to keep the bugs/critters off me.

Good tips on the adductors and abductors- two areas I might have missed.


Thanks again! Keep any advice coming. I'm open to it all, and taking very good notes!

[Yelsel]

First off - Tri Girl, I expect lots of pictures!

Another bit of advice - get familiar with the geology (me? no, I'm not biased). Really, it is a nice marker of how far you've descended / ascended, and is tied with the temperature gradient and ecology as well. Plus you will end up with favorite and least-favorite units.
http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org...c_layer.htm#hs

I love the Hermit Shale, because I feel very comfortable on shale scree, and the trails are usually right by the edge of a dropoff so it is very scenic - but other people hate it for that reason! I hate the evil Supai, because it tends to erode easily and cover / wash out the unmaintained and wilderness trails, and it is a long unit to traverse (used to get between gaps in the steep resistant layers, the Kaibab Limestone-Coconino Sandstone, and the Redwall Limestone). The Supai does have some use though, the Redwall Limestone gets it red color from the oxidized iron in the Supai above, forming the gorgeous thick red band in the mid-canyon. (Limestone is gray, and if you see a fresh face of the Redwall it will be gray also).

The Bright Angel is not a very fun trail; the mule trains grind it to a powder, it is as wide as a superhighway relatively speaking, it is not scenic, and has umpteen million switchbacks. The upside is that it is very safe, relatively speaking; lots of water (Indian Gardens, 3 mile, 1.5 mile lookouts), lots of people, and could get bailed out without a helicopter if there are problems. Plus now they have something to dry the mule urine - I remember stinking pools of it, ew! So think up switchback games to play -- we went through the alphabet 3 times before even reaching 3 mile lookout. So even though it is long, it is fairly easy as trails go, and there is not really a need to stay overnight at Indian Gardens (which is not that high up anyway, just on the Tonto Plateau). If I were going rim-to-rim, I would go South Kaibab to North Kaibab, even though the north rim is higher.

You should consider trying to get permits for the Clear Creek area - that is the most interesting place to get to from the corridor trails on the south side. This is a great launching point for dayhikes to a waterfall and to a native site. I've only been on a day-hike partway there, since I haven't been in the corridor in forever... but someday I'll get back there and fill that in. From the North Kaibab, I suggest a day / side trip to Ribbon Falls (easy to find) and upper Ribbon Falls (not so easy to find).

The entire time I've lived and worked in the desert, I've only seen one scorpion -- and that was at 8,000 feet in the White Mountains of California -- fortunately I looked before peeing that night! I like sleeping in the open... one of the few times I bailed and slept on a handy picnic table was during a huge migration of sidewinder snakes in Devil's Punchbowl (Mojave Desert). I am a severe arachnaphobe, but for some reason it doesn't translate into being afraid of sleeping in the open.

[GrassyRidge]

I freely admit I've never done the Grand Canyon- it IS on my bucket list! So I've saved a lot of this info on my computer yes, I am a dork!

I have done 1500 miles of the Appalachian Trail on the East Coast. One of the nest places I found on hiking and pack info is the WomenHikers group on yahoo groups. It's kind of like the TE for women who backpack.

I second that your pack and your boots are the two most important things you buy, don't skimp. You may want to check out ULA packs, and find out where your local (or not so local) Gatherings are to check out gear.

BREAK YOUR BOOTS IN. depending on what you choose, if you go full-grain leather, pour hot water in, let them sit for 30 minutes, pour them out, then wear them around the house till they dry (yes, change socks frequently). They will mold to your foot, and voila! no blisters. I tend to go the hiking shoe route, they are lighter and work better for my feet (300 miles with full-grain, no blisters but major heel pain from the weight), but that is truly personal preference.

I can't wait to hear how it goes, Happy Hiking!

[Pedal Wench]

You should consider trying to get permits for the Clear Creek area - that is the most interesting place to get to from the corridor trails on the south side. This is a great launching point for dayhikes to a waterfall and to a native site. I've only been on a day-hike partway there, since I haven't been in the corridor in forever... but someday I'll get back there and fill that in.

My favorite bit of advice regarding the hike to Clear Creek was given to me by Schor (permanent volunteer at Phantom Ranch.) He said, "Just when you think you should be there, you're only halfway there." Dang it if he wasn't right!

The only time I HAVE seen scorpions were under my tent at Bright Angel and Cottonwood.

[Crankin]

Tri Girl, you made me laugh with your "armpit of AZ" comment.
Glad to hear even the natives say that.

One time, on the way back from San Diego, we stopped in Yuma to eat lunch. We were outside at a Jack in the Box and this homeless guy came up to our table, begging food. When we ignored him, he yelled, "Anybody home?" Finally, my 4 year old gave him food.
"Anybody home?" became a family joke.
I have been to the Canyon once, and it sure wasn't hiking! The teachers I worked with at one time did a hiking trip there, every spring break, but I was always afraid I would have to call that helicopter and get charged $1200.00 for a rescue.