Thanks everyone for all the valuable infomation. I will definately take everything your have said into my planning. Being in central PA, we lack the high mountains, but we have a few very steep climbs of about 800', one is a series of sharp switchbacks on a boulder strewn powerline, the other is cal...

Rob, Thanks for your response. Please let me clearify a couple of thing. This is a year away and still very much in the planning stages. When I said "depending on how we feel and our supplies", I only ment that it is not possible to foresee a hurt knee or twisted ankle, or even a blah stom...

I hope this is the correct forum. My wife and I are in the planning stages of a loop hike in September of 2012. We are novice backpackers, both in very good physical condition with all the necessary euqipment to make the trip. Be noted, we have never hiked the Canyon and may never get back again. Wi...