<p>There’s stuff to see at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, right? I remember a Smithsonian issue a while back that had an article in it about that very subject.</p>
<p>I would love to do that hike, but I can’t even get excited about taking my dog out for a walk. You know, I think I’ll take the dog out right now. YOu’ve given me motivation!</p>
<p>I think the hike out of the canyon is in the vicinity of 6 or 7 miles. No big deal. I also think that the trails goes up about 2500 feet. That is equivalent to about 4000 steps. Sounds like an ordeal. What happened to the donkeys?</p>
<p>I’ve been on both rims and I’m still dying to do the hike. Unfortunately dh did it in Boy Scouts and doesn’t really need to do it again. Unfortunately both times I was at the GC I really couldn’t stay long enough for serious hiking. Six or seven miles if you aren’t used to it isn’t easy. I climb Camel’s Hump or Burnt Rock Mountain most summers I am in Vermont. One is 3000 ft elev the other 4000, but both you start at a 1000 ft up I think. They are five and six miles round trip. I don’t have any trouble managing the round trip in a day, but I’m always really sore for the next few days.</p>
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<p>We’re walking down the steeper South Kaibab, which is 6.4 miles. We’re walking up the Bright Angel, at 9.3 miles. I get on the Stairmaster and do a mile in 15 minutes and think that if I had to do 9 miles I’d die.</p>
<p>Donkeys…one member of our party exceeds the weight limit.</p>
<p>missypie:</p>
<p>It sounds like it’ll be a great experience. You get a different perspective on things when you immerse yourself in the midst of it and see it up close. </p>
<p>And I agree on the spoiler if one person constantly nags the other about ‘keeping up’. It’s better to agree to split or to have the faster person slow down but without comments. I’m a fast walker and haven’t always been so good about slowing down for someone who might be slower but I try to be better about this - at least I’m aware of it. I just heard a story from a friend who did an extensive hike with others through some wilderness areas in the Sierra and it was a problem in that party as well with the disparate capabilities of the people in the party.</p>
<p>I’m looking forward to your report a month from now.</p>
<p>missypie,</p>
<p>I usually don’t post, I just lurk. But my husband and then 11year old son did this hike 2 years ago and I wanted to ease your mind. This was in early July so it was really hot. They both used Camelbacks so water was easily accessible. They went down the S. Kaibab trail which took them 4 hours and up the Bright Angel trail which took them 11 hours. They also overnighted at Phamtom Ranch. They left at 4:30am for the trip down and unbeknownst to me at the time, left for the trip back up at 1:00am the next night. This was to get a jump on the heat since it was still around 90 at the bottom even at night. My husband was in his early forties and not a regular exerciser. The key is to take a rest/water/food break every hour, take extra dry sox to change into to keep your feet dry, and there is a special way to tie your boots for the trip down so that you don’t lose toe nails. I can’t remember the website that I found that tip on, but if you google hiking tips for the grand canyon, you’ll probably find it. Also, take a wet cotton t shirt in a plastic bag and alternate shirts if it’s hot. It’ll keep you cooler. And last, but not least, ALWAYS make sure there are at least two people in a group and stay on the trail.</p>
<p>Have fun!
R</p>
<p>missypie-</p>
<p>Here’s my big tip for you- not sure if you could handle it without this one ;)</p>
<p>When we were hiking down Bright Angel a few years ago (not all the way down, mind you), we saw a person <em>fairly</em> far down the trail coming back up wearing BEDROOM SLIPPERS. Not even shoes that LOOK like slippers, but true, honest, fluffy pink slippers. I have no idea how they made it that far!! So missypie and missyfamily, remember real shoes/hiking boots!</p>
<p>Missypie,</p>
<p>We did the same hike (Kaibab & Bright Angel) years ago. My youngest d at the time was 8. None of us practice before hand or were athletically inclined. We had a blast! It was hard at time. Going down was extremely tough on the knees and going up got tiring. Take plenty of water and trail mix. Stop often and snack and drink. I can’t emphasize that enough. The other thing I strongly recommend is that you start early. The South Kaibab gets very hot at the bottom and there is no shade. I would start as soon as you can see the trail. When you get to the bottom, resist temptation to wade in the river, it is way too cold; instead look for a side stream. This was probably the best adventure I had with my kids. We all felt amazing after having done it. (and very, very hungry and dirty). Have a great time and let us know how it goes!</p>
<p>Real shoes/hiking boots can generate some real blisters. Make sure your footwear is broken in or you too will want fluffy pink bedroom slippers.</p>
<p>missypie - to do a mile on the stairmaster in 15 minutes is very good. Many people have problems walking a mile on flat ground in 15 minutes. </p>
<p>Please take this into consideration… remember, the goal of the trip is to actually see the Grand Canyon. You can’t take in all the sights, if all you’re doing is looking down at your feet, so pause every so often (more often than ‘breaks’ every mile or two). Even if I were so inclined physically to make that hike in record time, I’d ask myself, why would I? When H and I were in Ireland last year, and doing a lot of hiking, even when it was easy, I always liked to stop every couple of minutes, just to look up and make sure I took in the scenery. Sometimes it also served as a brief rest, but I can’t imagine doing all this hiking into an area that can’t be accessed any other way. Take your camera, and use it as an excuse to stop often… that you want to take pictures. Just because you’re traveling to the Grand Canyon with your family, it doesn’t mean you can’t share the experience of the hike unless you stay together on the trail the whole way. Do it how you need to.</p>
<p>Missypie, I have hiked to the bottom, camped for a few days (and hiked along trails near the bottom), then hiked out. It is an amazing experience; sorry, edad, it is very different from looking from the rim to actually hike through the layers and down to the river that formed the canyon!</p>
<p>One thing I had trouble is that my legs were sore from going DOWN. It uses different muscles than going up. If you can set your treadmill to a downhill setting, be sure to do some of that before you go as well (half a workout downhill, half uphill for the next few weeks would be great). The hike out, while long, was not as bad as I had anticipated. Just take it easy, get an early start, and carry plenty of water. And since my muscles still hurt from the hike down, going uphill actually felt pretty good 
</p>
<p>My hike was in the winter (at Christmas time), and we went down a trail that is not as well maintained as some. Interestingly, it is warmer at the bottom than the top. You lose so much altitude, it is like going south. So when we went there was snow on the rim, but it was about 50 at the bottom. Have a GREAT time!</p>
<p>can’t remember if anyone has suggested it, but go backwards on an eliptical if you can. I’ve also seen some people kind of turn around and go ‘downstairs’ on the stair master (or treadmill). Depends on the model, and if it has that feature.</p>
<p>I have two random-ish suggestions.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>For the indoor workouts (hate 'em!) – books on tape. I can go for hours on the elliptical if I have a good book to listen to; otherwise, I’m bored to tears in a few minutes. Music isn’t the same because it doesn’t take as much concentration.</p></li>
<li><p>For the impatient hubby – give him the camera. Make it a DSLR with a superzoom (e.g., 28-300mm) and a macro lens, and a couple of really high-capacity cards. Throw in a tripod with a level. He’ll be so engrossed with the photographic possibilities that you’ll end up waiting for him… plus, the extra weight of the camera gear will slow him down a little. 
</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The scenery should be stunning this year; Arizona’s gotten a lot of rain and snow over the winter, which means tons of wildflowers are on their way. Hope you have a wonderful vacation!</p>
<p>We rafted instead of hiking in, but the view from the bottom is nothing like the top - well worth the effort! I hadn’t seen the milky way like that in decades!
The stream at Phantom Ranch has been dammed up with rocks to make little “swimming holes” every few hundred feet so you will have some great places to swim and cool off. The river itself will probalby be too muddy/fast/cold to really enjoy getting in. The cabins there are really cute.
Will there still be snow? My friend at N Arizona U says this is the best snowboarding in the years he’s been in Flagstaff.</p>
<p>Geek_mom, suggestion #2 is prceless! Worked like a clock for us.</p>
<p>Missiepie, I’ve enjoyed reading your accounts of the training process. Makes me want to get out of my chair by the computer and get my heart pounding and limbs moving. I hiked the Canyon twice while pregnant, 25 years ago, Kaibab over to Hermit trail. I was in good shape, second trimester. Made the waist strap ride a little high over my growing belly, and was fine. Going up the Bright Angel is long, but is well traveled, not as steep as the others, and I wouldn’t worry about the others in your group getting ahead or behind. Enjoy hiking at your own pace, admire the new views with each bend in the trail, and you’ll meet them at the top when you are ready to be there. </p>
<p>You will never be as stupid as I was on my first backpacking trip, age 15 in Havasupai Canyon, one of the Grand Canyon tributaries. Someone loaned me NEW hiking boots, and I thought I didn’t need socks as they were fur lined. Being from Phoenix, had never previously worn boots of any sort. I carried cans of soup in my pack. I had blisters inside of blisters. Every muscle ached the next day. Luckily I had 3 days to recover, and the hike out was a breeze in comparison. </p>
<p>You make me want to get back and hike the canyon again. Some year, soon.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody. The one (and only ) advantage I will have over the rest of the family is the down part. I work in a high rise office building, so once a day I climb the fire stairs. The great thing about that is that I can actually walk down. The first week that I did 10+ floors, I could hardly walk from the down part, but after that week, no more soreness. I really do need to get the family up here over the weekend a few times to train. I know folks say to go to the school stadium, but you don’t get the long, unbroken descent.</p>
<p>The one person who can’t believe she’s doing this is D 16. She is not fond of nature; she wants to be a Disney princess when she grows up (seriously). But she dances a lot, so she’s in terrific shape. (Summer vacation will be more her speed: Girls’ trip to NYC for shopping and Broadway.)</p>
<p>Every day I tell the kids to wear their hiking boots. Son has worn his to school but the girls won’t. I owned three different hiking-type shoes/boots - I’d wear them for a few miles each on the treadmill and after a couple of miles, each rubbed in a different place. I went to Academy by myself and tried on every pair in my size - maybe 14-16 pair - walked all around the store in them - finally found some super comfortable shoes. </p>
<p>Thanks to all of you for your encouragement.</p>
<p>So you’ll be bringing your laptop and blogging the hike, right?</p>
<p>Go Missy!!!</p>
<p>Go, M-I-S-S-Y, Go! </p>
<p>Thanks for letting me indulge my inner cheerleader.</p>
<p>Revive this post when you get back and tell us about it, okay?</p>