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I'm thinking of doing a South Kaibab - River - Bright Angel loop first weekend of January, instead of my usual South Kaibab - Tonto - Bright Angel loop. Is it really that much more difficult? And yes, I know River-and-back in one day is severely not recommended by NPS. ;)

A few years back, after listening to another backpacker blab about that particular route for about 5 days straight while on another GC trip, I decided to give it a try. It was to be my second ever hike into the GC. I was nervous that I'd be hiking out in the dark, even if I started first thing in the morning. I hit the South Kaibab trail at 8am and by 2:30pm I was back in my tent taking a nap. My girlfriend (wife now) was out doing some sort of trash clean-up with the AMC. She came to the tent around 4pm and said "I thought you were going on a long hike today." I said "I did. I'm done already." She asked if I ran. I told her "no" and that I even had lots of pictures to prove that I'd done it.

I say "Go for it!" It was really a pleasant hike. Have fun!

Hm, well I don't think I'm going to match you for speed, since I usually take a little under 8 hours for the Tonto loop. (Not really worried about finishing in the dark, either - I've got experience with that! :whistle:) My main concern is how the River route stacks up against the Tonto route - if it's not that much more difficult, I think my poor legs can take it.

Well I would say it's definitely harder than just the Tonto Loop, almost twice the elevation gain and loss. Just get an early start and bring a headlamp and some warm clothes. Plan on a real long day.

you might find that using a product such as "UltraFuel" or "Perpetuem" will aid in your energy output and recovery post-hike. Both products are like rocket fuel for the hiker. have a good one, sounds like a tough hike.

Te-Wa: That has to be one of the most hilarious avatars I've ever seen

Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely look into some of those UltraFuel-type products. I might just wait and see how ambitious I feel the morning of.