Northstarmom

I have finally learned the steps of the "walker dance" that I'm doing as part of the ensemble of a local production of "The Producers." I had no idea that musical theater is so hard. It is very hard to sing, dance, and stay in character even if your character is just being a little old lady who doesn't say one line! This certainly has deepened my appreciation of theater and, I think, has rejuvenated some of my brain cells!

missypie

You said it. Last night we were talking to younger D about the difference between movies and Broadway....how in the movies, you can dub in the vocal part but on Broadway, you actually do need to sing and dance at the same time!

toneranger

Hey missypie, that plan is crazy. I remember the rangers at the GC STRONGLY recommending against hiking up and down in one day. That would challenge even the fittest of hikers. I think you need to tell them they're off base...and recommend that they talk to a ranger. Rangers are quite tired of performing rescues and sound like your family would be on their list!
Northstarmom...that's great but I have to say I really didn't like that scene in the play. My elderly MIL uses a walker and I found the whole thing to be very insulting! Just me though I guess, cause everyone around me was laughing!

missypie

My SIL is just a fount of misinformation about this hike...even though we just did it six months ago, she knows everything about it (having never done it herself) and we know nothing. The one thing I can think of telling her that might put a bit of rationality in her plan is that if a hiker has to be rescued, they do send the hiker the bill.

HImom

Back in the day--about 3 decades ago--when I was in grad school with my beau, we and two friends (all of us appeared fit) hiked to the bottom of Havasu Canyon (a smaller branch of the Grand Danyon). We hiked from the time we reached the rim & just got to the bottom when it turned pitch black (it was Spring Break). BF & I did OK but the couple who came with us had a very hard time. It was NOT an easy hike, even when you're a young adult & quite fit. Going back up was not easy either, but then everyone here can already imagine that. We would never have contemplated going back up on the same day after getting to the bottom.

We camped for the better part of a week & then headed back up. It was still a tough hike, both directions.

Hope your SIL has a plan B (maybe a plan C, D, & E). I know people like your SIL--don't we all!

missypie

That's what is so funny...the hikes she is remembering being so easy were truly 35-40 years ago. My kids didn't "train" at all for our GC hike (other than to break in their hiking boots) and they all could have made the hike several hours quicker than H and I (at our "advanced" ages.) H works out a lot and has for years...but he's on the large side...his issues on the hike were not cardio but rather knee/joint related. BIL and SIL have been overweight their entire adult lives and I don't think they realize the strain that may have put on their knees over their years...hiking down may be easy from a cardio standpoint but it can be very painful for those with bad knees.

HImom

People are funny and often imagine they're significantly "fitter" than they are and able to handle rigors of physical activity better without any untoward consequences. These are the ones who end up making unexpected visits to the docs & ERs.

Have never figured out how to help folks who insist they know everything. I just wait and let them figure things out themselves. No alternative anyway.

missypie

Hiking down the South Kaibab trail (the one they tell you not to hike up because there is no water available on the trail), we passed a couple of people hiking up who did not look well...I could tell from their coloring that their bodies were not up to the task. But they were still on their feet and I'd say a silent prayer for them as we passed. Maybe if enough people say little prayers for BIL and SIL they'll live to tell the story!

toneranger

OK...they'll need to bring lots of water (even though it may be cold) and a flashlight since they'll likely be hiking in the dark. Lots of critters come out at night and it's harder to see the scorpions and tarantulas.
Oh...and don't forget the credit card...I read that a helicopter rescue costs $2500
You know, it's tempting to laugh but they really do need our prayers.
People die on that hike...even healthy young folks.
Hiker dies at Grand Canyon after water runs out

HImom

I believe the Havasu Canyon trail is considered much easier and might be an option for someone who wanted part of the experience without quit as much pain (tho no water I recall anywhere on the trail).

The problem with hiking on a slope is that even if you can make it down, you will have to go bacu UP, which can be even more arduous. <sigh> There is no one preventing folks from making dangerous mistakes with their lives and health.

missypie

Right...like I said, it would be funny if it wasn't potentialy fatal. If you decide to run the Boston Marathon and you're not up to the task (assuming you don't have a heart attack), when you want to quit you just stop. There is water nearby and transportation available to get you where you need to be. If you sprain or strain something, you're on a public street and someone can easily pick you up so you can get medical attention. At the GC (or many other "natural" desinations) there is limited water and you can't just stop hiking whereever you are...and a rescue isn't quick or cheap.

I own the book about fatalities at the GC...I so did not want to be added to the next edition. (A good number of the fatalities are photograph related...folks who just have to hop over to that next rock to get the perfect shot...oops...)

missypie

HIMom, that would be a good option for someone who was thinking. It's really a good lesson for all of us who are dipping our toes into new activities....maybe toe dipping is a good thing compared to a Grand Jesture.

May we all find a happy medium between being afraid to try something new and engaging in risky behavior!

HImom

I really loved our Havasu Canyon hike but know I would need to do a LOT of prep before I would even contemplate a repeat. We need to realize our bodies do age and respect limits unless we work out with a personal trainer that helps us defy age significantly (and even then, there are limits).

I am reasonably fit but still feel a lot more from exerting more than usual -- back decades younger the body was more forgiving and the aches were minor annoyances rather than a possible trip to the doc or more they are today.

The worst thing about "know-it-alls" is somehow its everyone else's fault if things don't turn out as they envisioned it. They are great at placing the blame anywhere but on themselves.

Treetopleaf

Maybe there is an online forum about hiking the GC, where they can get some ideas about the difficulty?? (i.e. horror stories)?

Laugh at me along with me - when young and in OK shape, I decided to ahem make my H and sis, along with her little boy, hike a paltry 4 miles total, though the dunes to the lake, 2 miles along the lake, then return. HA! We took turns carrying the kid and were too tired to return. I volunteered to hike back through the dunes and get the car for the rest. Imagine Lawrence of Arabia, I felt like that - nothing but dunes in sight, sun beating down on me. Then I suddenly saw a very overweight woman in flimsy sandals. I couldn't imagine how she had hiked to that point. That's when I realized that she was standing on the edge of the campground, staring out at the dunes.

I wanted to hug her.

missypie

[quote] Maybe there is an online forum about hiking the GC, where they can get some ideas about the difficulty?? (i.e. horror stories)? [/qupte]

That would require her to pay attention to other people's experiences. One thing that is so difficult about the GC is that it is very difficult to train for down if you live in fairly flat terraine. You can train for up on a stairmaster or treadmill on an incline, but not for the down part. I walked the fire stairs in my office building...the first week it killed my quads, but I was fine after that.