[Muloki]

I'd like to hear from you guys what this hike was like for you:

What physical condition were you in when you went?
How sore were you?
What time of the year did you go?
Was there any gear that you were glad you brought or gear that you wish you brought?
Any other tips would be appreciated!!!

[azpride]

I went last summer in I think June. I'll be honest... I was in horrible shape and didn't do any warm up hikes. We packed our crap in and out. No mules or helicopters. It seemed like most people used mules. We were dragging pumpkin out, especially up the switchbacks. It was seriously pathetic.

We hiked down on Friday evening and then back out Saturday night.

[big_load]

This hike is fairly easy for someone in reasonable shape, but it can be much worse. Mrs. big_load and I did it a few Novembers ago and it was a piece of cake, except for driving out in 6" of snow in a rental car.

However, her brother nearly died there in early summer. He's an experienced AZ dayhiker (but not much of a backpacker) with an uncanny physical resemblance to Homer Simpson. He was chaperoning a church group and was on the way down when, addled with fatigue and dehydration, he decided the best way to relieve his misery was to dump his remaining water. I'm not clear on the subsequent details, but they involved finishing the trip on horseback.

[azpride]

Hahaha! Seriously? Well, it's probably best that they just went out on horseback. If you can't handle the steady downhill to the village, then the ascent back out is out of the question. Three out of the five people in my group ran out of water halfway out of the canyon, myself not included. I did, however, obviously have to give up a fair amount of my own water once it came time to tackle the final mile of switchbacks. In my haste to finish packing everything the morning we left home to hike down, I forgot hiking boots, so I had to hike the whole trip in skateboard shoes with holes.

Anyway, that goes to show how inexperienced and unprepared I was last year. Don't judge! We all learn eventually...

[azbackpackr]

I've been about four times in the past 6 years. Two times stayed two nights. Always in April or early May. The other two times stayed three nights so we could dayhike to the Colorado River. I'm a fairly decent hiker and pretty well-experienced backpacker, (35 years worth) so it was never that hard for me. I think of it as a pretty laid back sort of hike. A couple times when I went I was sort of out-of-shape for me, so I had to stop a couple times for 5 minutes or so when hiking out.

It is a hike that a lot of people do who do not otherwise go hiking or backpacking. This is understandable due to its being one of the most beautiful places on Earth!

With my background, however, it's just one of many backpacking trips I'll be doing in a given year.

Thus, it is with some amusement (and occasional annoyance) that I react to comments from others on the trail, and when arriving at the rim. I don't know of many other hikes one could do that, when you get to the top there stands some (random) chubby greenhorn newbie chick who has never met you before cheering you on, going, YAY! YOU MADE IT! It's really sort of offensive.

Most people along the trail assume you're just like them--that you think it's hard, too. That it's your first time out there, too. That's one of the things I dislike most about going there. It's really not a serious backpacker's kind of place to go.

It's okay to be a newbie, don't get me wrong. Everyone's a newbie at something. But why is it that newbies always seem to make so many incorrect assumptions about other people?

[joe bartels]

ummm... hence the term... "new...bie"
maybe
perhaps
ah!
I'm outta here

[Trishness]

I'd like to hear from you guys what this hike was like for you:

What physical condition were you in when you went? Very good to excellent
How sore were you?
Not at all
What time of the year did you go?
April
Was there any gear that you were glad you brought or gear that you wish you brought?
Hammock
Any other tips would be appreciated!!!

Be prepared for the climb out. It's a killer. Everyone needs to check their water before ascending. Avoid the porta-potties they are totally disgusting.

[azbackpackr]

Arrive on Monday to avoid crowds. Also, they usually helicopter the porta-potties out on Mondays, so they are clean for a few days! By the weekend, they are yucky again.

Despite what I said before I'll definitely go back again, probably next year. Haven't hiked to the Colorado River the past couple times, so will plan a longer stay. I like to just hang out when I get there. I'm big on swimming. Last time I went I was recovering from a long bout of winter cough virus. So not much swimming that time. Part of the fun is I seem to usually go with some of the same people who are fun to be with.