Rim to Rim in August

[ShihanPaul]

Hello,

My sister and I plan to hike North rim to South rim in mid August 2010. I have spoken to a Grand Canyon ranger about what to expect during this hike.

Has anyone did a rim to rim hike in August? Can you give me some insight on what we will experience? Was it worth it?

I do 2 to 3 hikes a year and I'm in good shape. However I have never hiked the Grand Canyon.

Thank for your help and suggestions.

[JimmyLyding]

It is really easy to become fatigued when hiking in the heat. Then it's easy to become disoriented. Then it's easy to make a very bad mistake.
http://www.amazon.com/Over-Edge-Death-G ... ikearizona

[joebartels]

I’ve never been very competitive

spoken like a true Steeler fan

@rlrjamy must be a royal arch, you capitalized it

[azbackpackr]

You mean, a Royal (pain in the) Arch?

I do believe I have come up with a new name for that hike! I'm probably not the first one to think of it, though!

[Sredfield]

Can you give me some insight on what we will experience?

Something akin to your perception of hell, except with a view.
Don't go in the canyon in August.

[azbackpackr]

I wonder if they are going to look on here again?

[PLC92084]

I wonder if they are going to look on here again?

It's not like you said "Welcome to Arizona... Now go Home!!" It was more of a... What the heck are you thinking? That's a dumb idea!!

...but in a polite way...

[azbackpackr]

Well, sheesh, don't all these heat exhaustion deaths make the national news at times? I really do wonder what the ranger told them on the phone.

Speaking of hiking in extreme heat, there are folks (mostly Phoenicians, I believe ;) ) who can tolerate it fairly well. I will be the first to say that I really admire that capability. It certainly would stretch the desert and Canyon hiking year quite a bit. I do realize that part of this capability is due to training for it. But there is also some genetic thing at work there as well, I believe. Some people just have a higher tolerance for heat. I used to hike to Hutch's Pool, Romero Pools, Sabino and Seven Falls in summer with my kids. We would hit the trail by 5 or 6 a.m. so hiking in to the swimming hole was ok. Then swimming all day. But the hike out was brutal for me, even though I spent a lot of time outdoors during summers in Tucson. I would bring extra water bottles and wear cotton. I would fill the water bottles with the creek water and dump them on myself periodically during the hike out in the afternoon. But later on that night I would always come down with a horrific debilitating nauseating killer migraine. (This was before Imitrex was invented.) Ugh. My husband finally asked me why I was doing that to myself! (The first part of it was so much FUN, though!)

Later on we discovered there was a pretty good pool not very far at all up Sabino. Deep enough to jump off a rock. This solved some of the problem since then the hike back out was only a couple of miles. (No, I didn't ride the dang tram, are you kidding? Too expensive with my kids plus their friends.)

[ShihanPaul]

Hello All,

Thank you for all your comments and suggestions. I must have used the wrong terminology or forgot to mention an important detail. I will be doing this hike in 4 days and 3 nights. Camping at Cottonwood, Bright Angel, and Indian Garden.

I like to savor my outdoor experiences and would probably never attempt to do a hike like this in one day. I do hope this changes some opinions.

After speaking to the Ranger, he also suggested to hike the Grand Canyon in October. But said my 3 night itinerary sounds doable if I am fully aware of the dangers. We then spoke for at least 30 minutes about precautionary measures.

I do have hiking experience. When I was younger I hiked the Himalayas for a month with Innerasia Expeditions. I met the late Lute Jerstad there. Summited Kilimanjaro. Hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail, Colorado Trail, Pacific Crest, Buckskin Gulch, and most of the Adirondack high peaks.

I do local hikes at least once a week, workout 6 days a week. I run the NYC Marathon each year and average at least 15 miles a week.
I'm from the Caribbean so I'm no stranger to the heat.

Again thanks for all your help.

[azbackpackr]

Well, that is reassuring! It sounds like you are much better prepared than we had believed. Please excuse us, but there are a great many people who do try to hike the Canyon unprepared in many ways. We just don't like to see so many people suffer and become ill, or even die, every year.

Have a great trip!

[PaleoRob]

There was that Boston marathoner that died on a rim to rim a few years back, but hers was a one day trek. With a few days in the canyon and the proper safety precautions, it can be done. I would prefer not to myself, but if you have only this time to do it, then go for it.

[Sun_Ray]

R2R is the only place a Park Ranger has looked me in the eye and asked and really mean't it...."how are you doing?", "how much water are you carrying?" and are you going up S. Kaibab or Bright Angel? They get tired of rescuing hikers.I didn't think I looked that bad.

[joebartels]

@ShihanPaul The strongest hiker I've ever hiked with was an islander. Hope you enjoy your hike and post a triplog when you return so we can hear how it went.

[fricknaley]

@ShihanPaul The strongest hiker I've ever hiked with was an islander.

no, joe, i'm from indiana. i thought i told you that.

[joebartels]

Doh!

[JimmyLyding]

Looks like our friend from the Bronx has a resume that most of us would be enviable of. Besides what other recommendations you've read here, I recommend using electrolyte-infused drinks. Straight-up water would make your trip miserable. Good luck, and don't forget to let us all know how it turned out (unlike that dude from Texas steelfrog!).

[nonot]

That's reassuring. Start early each day, at sunrise. You only have to hike a few hours a day. Find ways to stay in the shade and in/near the creek during the hottest parts of the day.

[ShihanPaul]

Thanks for the Garmin maps! The ranger I spoke to said I should start hiking at 3am and stop by 9am. Or hike at night.
He also suggested not to bring a sleeping bag. I guess a liner and pad will suffice. This should be interesting.

[DarthStiller]

3am to 9am is a bit extreme. I hiked down to Ribbons Falls and back from the North Rim last August as a dayhike and we started at 5am. You do have to be careful, but I think the Ranger was being a bit overly cautious. There is a water line that follows the trail and there are spots where you can refill. once you're on the bottom, you can always get water from Bright Angel Creek if you have a way to treat it. Have fun and be careful. and post the triplog and pics.