<p>Absolutely! Last night I bought Fodor’s book on Arizona. In my obsession about the GC leg of the trip, I’ve neglected to plan the rest of spring break!</p>
<p>How about the name of some fun restaurants in Phoenix?</p>
<p>Hi! Back in the day, my BF & I hiked with another couple down to the bottom of Havasu Canyon (I was younger & fitter & BF was VERY strong and buff). The other couple was pretty out-of-shape & very sore. BF & I had a great time, exploring the falls & enjoying the scenery. The other couple was pretty onery and grouchy, especially once it started raining (it rained quite a bit). We hiked back up & then when we drove to Death Valley, where we planned to stay overnight, they hit the roof and insisted we rent hotel/motel rooms and not be out in the elements. They were very “cool” toward us after the trip, tho we thought it had gone quite well; guess it was more than they had bargained for.</p>
<p>I can’t remember any aches or pains to my 20ish body–maybe because BF carried the water for all of us as well as the tent. It did suddenly get dark, so having a flashlight handy would be a good idea.</p>
<p>It was a great trip but not one I think I could easily take with my 50+ body. <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>misspie - are you bringing crampons? When we went to the GC in April (years ago), the trail down was full of ice and it was 2 degrees (F) up top!
Does anyone know if you can room with someone of the opposite sex down at the bottom? I’m not much for camping and I would love to try hiking down with my H (and maybe our son and a friend). But I don’t want to stay in a girls bunker all by myself :-(</p>
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<p>H and I are still having the crampon debate. We were at the GC about 6 years ago at exactly the same time…there was ice, but only at the very top of the trail. Thus, H has determined that we don’t need crampons. I’ll probably just buy some, keep the tags on them, and if we don’t need them, return them to REI when we get home.</p>
<p>As for the dorms…that is one thing that worked out well for us…we have two males and three females in the family, so no one has to be in the dorm “alone.”</p>
<p>Well, now might not be the time to tell this story, but… when I hiked down I was with a group of about 8 people, and on the way down one of the guys in front of me was crossing an ice flow over the trail. He slipped, and I stuck a finger through a loop on the back of his pack. He grabbed a rock or something, and that combined with me hanging on to that loop gave him a chance to scramble past the ice without falling. Whew. Good thing he didn’t fall, or we both would have gone over the edge. It was pretty dumb to actually stick my finger into the loop, if it happened again I would just grab a handful of pack or something instead.</p>
<p>That said, we went down a trail that the rangers said was not really maintained any more (Boucher, I think it was). We came back up Bright Angel, and did not encounter any ice that was “crampon worthy”. Even the ice on the way down was not a big deal. It would be a big hassle to put them on and off, and you wouldn’t want them on 99.9% of the time on the trail based on our trip (in last week of December). If you need something to be comfortable, maybe just those little 4 point ones that go on the front half of your boot (they probably have a name, I just don’t know it), they are pretty lightweight (I carried a set of them in my backpack for many years, and I think I used 'em once ever…). A full fledged set of crampons would just be extra weight.</p>
<p>You could take the crampons, and ask at the ranger station about ice on the trail. They hike the regularly used trails every day, and can tell you if they are pretty much ice free. If they say they are clear, leave 'em in the car. If they say there are ice flows, pack 'em.</p>
<p>I just ordered Yak Trax for all of us - $14.89 a pair. That should be sufficient. Real campons are in the $150-$200 per pair range.</p>
<p>Bright Angel should be well traveled enough that ice would not collect. Boucher trail is rough, non maintained, different ball of wax, at least years ago.</p>
<p>missypie - Yak Trax are awesome. My h and I ordered them years ago so we could walk on the hiking trails. during the icy winters around here. We haven’t used them much - but they work really well on the ice and you hardly feel them at all.
When we were in the GC, the rangers were STRONGLY recommending crampons -even on the main trail…must have been a tough week.</p>
<p>Oh, I hiked in and out twice, on exactly those trails, back in the 80s. It was WONDERFUL!! Though I am in my late 50s now, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>missypie</p>
<p>If you’re prepared for the down, you’ll be in better shape than the rest of your family. Yak Trax are a super idea. A lightweigt walking stick with a retractable pointy thing (can’t think of the right word) would give you that extra security if there is some ice at the top of the Kaibab. It will disappear as you go down, but a walking stick would be nice to have anyway. We stayed 2 nights at Phantom Ranch (the maximum they would allow) each trip and loved it! You will love it too!</p>
<p>edad</p>
<p>Hate to break it to you, but going into the Canyon is absolutely thrilling and a completely different experience from standing at the rim, though that is incredible too.</p>
<p>OK - I have to chime in. Here’s my advice based on lots of hiking and trail running in the southwest:
- Really good, broken-in hiking boots are key.
- If wearing sneakers/running shoes, which work fine, just get some lightwieght gaiters to keep the sand out of your shoes and avoid blisters-try dirtygirlgaitors.com if you want to make a fashion statement with your gaitors.
- Hydrate!!! Every person should carry their own camelback and constantly sip. You should drink enough that you have to stop and pee every hour.
- Sunscreen and chapstick-carry both with you and apply often.</p>
<p>You’ll do great. Have fun!</p>
<p>I hope you don’t mind if I borrow your thread to ask a related question? </p>
<p>We’re heading to the Grand Canyon in late June and are thinking of hiking down to Plateau Point and back in a day - I did this years ago without too much problem, but am about 30 years older now! Do you experienced Grand Canyon hikers think this is doable for 2 middle aged adults (in reasonable shape)?</p>
<p>I did this many years ago and backpacked in the Canyon – aside from a torn meniscus, I was in superb shape before starting the trip (I’d played NCAA and AAU volleyball and was playing pickup basketball games at the Stanford gym which included defensive backfield and receivers from the Stanford football team who were much better athletes than I by light years). My recollection was that the downhill was much tougher than the uphill. I haven’t read the whole thread but I know hike with spring-loaded walking sticks that are the greatest. They take a lot of stress off the knees. Your kids won’t need them but the middle-aged folks will be much happier. Also, remember Vitamin I (buprofen). Works wonders. A phenomenal place and well worth the hike – being inside is different.</p>
<p>OK Miss Missypie - It’s been over a month since you last posted about this trip, and we all know you’re back. Curious minds want to know… how did it go?</p>
<p>She’s back and reported on another thread!</p>