My wife Wendy and I have been hiking in the Grand Canyon for a little under 25 years. We have stepped off both Rims hundreds of times and as of the writing this article (Fall 2011) have just under (40) Rim2Rims2Rims - several of them both ways, non-stop. We live at the South Rim in the Grand Canyon Village and hike or backpack into the Canyon 3-4 times a week. We are not Park Rangers, but do consider ourselves experts when hiking into the Grand Canyon. Quite often we see folks making mistakes, one mistake is usually okay, 2 or 3 combined mistakes can easily become a disaster. However, in this extreme environment even one mistake is enough to be fatal.
According to recent Grand Canyon National Park statistics posted in the Backcountry Office. 86% of the fatalities in the Grand Canyon are male, 47% are between the ages of 40-59. 38% of the fatalities happen on Bright Angel Trail in which 49% are heat caused and 42% are a cardiac event. These are folks that should know better, but fail to recognize warning signs well enough in advance to correct the problem.
HYDRATION
The byline is " Hydrate or Die!!". If you are hiking more than a half mile down the trail, you should have a liter of water with you. If you are planning to travel more than one and a half miles, you should be utilizing a hydration bladder. A trip to Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel Trail (4.5 miles one way) or Skeleton Point on the South Kaibab Trail (3 miles one way), even during the winter, you should have at least three liters of water available each way...double that during the warmer months. You should be sipping water all the time, do not wait until you're thirsty to drink. That is why a hydration bladder is highly recommended.
On a daily basis during the summer at least half the hikers we see on the trail are not carrying enough water. We see folks literally skipping down BA Trail with a half liter water bottle in their hand without a care in the world. A couple hours later we see them attempting to go back up the trail in very rough shape. This is why the GCNP utilizes PSAR - Preventative Search and Rescue Rangers, usually strategically stationed along the main trails. They will stop you and turn you around if you are not carrying enough water during the warmer months.
OUTERWEAR
The Grand Canyon offers perhaps the best people watching in the world....better than any Wal-Mart. The costumes that folks adorn themselves with for an outdoor hiking experience is simply amazing!! I have watched people hiking downhill dressed all in black with a black hat when it is 130 degrees in the sun at the Colorado River. They seem more concerned about making a fashion statement than their own personal well being.
During the summer, you should only be hiking in the cooler hours of the morning. You should be wearing some type of light nylon shorts that are breathable, a short sleeve COTTON tee-shirt in a light color, white is preferred. You should have on a lightweight hat in a light color. A bandana is highly recommended. You do not want to wear a wick dry nylon top, you will boil in it. You need to wear a cotton top so that the sweat will flow freely into the shirt and assist your body in the cooling process. During the winter, you need to be wearing layers that will easily peel off. The cooler times of the year is when you want to be wearing a wick dry top, with an extra fleece or wick dry outerlayer. Nylon pants that convert to shorts are an added bonus. Again, a bandana is highly recommended.
POLE LENGTH
This is one of my pet peeves and I stop several folks on the trail heading downhill every time I hike off the Rim. When traveling downhill, your pole length needs to be shorter. Quite a few folks on the trail actually have their wrist higher than their elbows - ouch!! (This will give you a serious case of tennis elbow.) I prefer to keep my pole(s) a couple inches below my elbow. This allows the hiker to reach down and take the pressure off of your knees by distributing weight onto the pole(s). I also only use one pole going downhill, on maintained trails such as the Kaibab or Bright Angel, this is not such a big deal. However on non-maintained trails such as Hermits, Grandview or Tanner it is best to use one pole. The reasoning is that you will be switching that pole from one hand to the other almost constantly as you reach, pull and grab with your free hand.
PHYSICAL ABILITY
I recently completed another Rim2Rim2Rim with 20 of my friends of all different levels of ability. My one friend from Indiana had never done any extreme hiking before. He trained for two years and did a fantastic job completing the hike in 19 hours. Two years of training might seem like going a bit over the top for one hike, but he has already booked for next year and having completed the circuit once already, he will no doubt knock off a couple hours on his time.
If you are going to hike more than a couple miles into the Canyon I strongly recommend that you begin training 4-6 weeks in advance. I recommend hiking 5 miles a day every other day and gradually working up to the steepest possible incline. If you must work out in a gym, forgo the elliptical trainer for a stair stepper. Remember going downhill is optional, going uphill is mandatory.
ACCLIMATIZATION
The South Rim averages around 7000' and the North Rim averages around 8000'. Unless you live in the mountains above 5000' you are going to have issues with altitude. The best way to combat altitude issues is to acclimatize properly. I have done extensive mountaineering in the Andes above 20,000'. We always figure after 3 days you're 70% acclimatized and after 10 days you're 100% acclimatized. So, I would recommend spending at least two nights sleeping at higher altitude prior to doing any serious hiking in the Canyon.
In addition, there are a few tips that are well known in mountaineering circles. First off, due to the higher elevation and the dryer conditions you need to double the intake of water. Energy drinks and Goo packets are okay, but nothing beats drinking large amounts of good old fashioned water. Another really good tip is to exhale through pursed lips. This tends to create more oxygen in the bloodstream which will make your uphill battle easier. Finally, if the going is really tough, you can always utilize a "rest step". A rest step is only used when going up steep terrain. You are just simply locking your uphill knee in place for a fraction of a second once you complete the uphill step. This will allow all of your weight to balance on your skeletal system rather than being in constant motion. If you have ever watched a Sherpa going up a large Himalayan peak you will see that they have perfected this technique. Sherpa's rest their way to the summit.
MENTAL ATTITUDE
My wife Wendy considers this to be the top priority other than water. Hiking in the Grand Canyon can be a long and arduous undertaking. Quite often hikers are struggling uphill for hours and tend to lose focus. When they lose focus their pace fluctuates wildly...they speed up and slow down, resting at every switchback. You need to pick a pace in which you're comfortable, no matter how slow and maintain a constant speed. This is much better for you than constantly taking a break.
Mountaineers have something called "summit fever". This is when you're focusing on attaining the summit and are able to block out some of the pain from going up steep inclines for hours on end. It's similar to a "second wind" that marathon runners look forward too. In the Grand Canyon especially, you want to finish strong. If you're lackadaisical and lose focus, the Canyon will eat you up and you will be shattered resting at every switchback.
Keeping a strong mental attitude works hand in hand with your abilities. If you overestimate your ability, it will be difficult to maintain the proper mental attitude. If you're comfortable with your progress and can maintain a steady focused pace you will breeze up the Canyon wall and before you know it will be standing on one of the Rims.
Remember - It's just a walk in the Park!!
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