I just hiked 40+ miles into and out of the Grand Canyon.

Did you get laid?

And were there rattlesnakes?

Was it worth it?

R3 Yes, but I don’t think I could physically do it again Ns I’m in decent shape. It was a group hike and we had a fantastic guide but the final mile up the Hermit Trail was brutal. Overall, the hike was more difficult than I expected but there is something magnificent about hiking along a canyon at 6 AM and watching a lunar eclipse over the Grand Canyon. Hard to replicate that.

How old are you?

How much did your pack weigh?

How many liters of water did you carry?

How cold was it at night?

You didn't ride a mule? Did you see the rumored Egyptian Tomb or anything wild and weird? Bigfoot? UFO?

Oh, that sounds gorgeous, the eclipse.

Are you fit fat, then?

What wildlife did you observe?

Good questions!

I am 56 and work it regularly but have only done day hikes before (Big Bend a few times, Palo Duro, Enchanted Rock many times).

We all packed in all the food for the five days/four nights so the pack started around 40 lbs and lightened over the trip. I had to cull so much which the guide helped with, thankfully.

As far as water, we carried in about four liters each but there are several places to refill. Indian Gardens on the Bright Angel trail was our first place and it was actually a spigot. Every other water refill was from creeks and the Colorado with a few drops of bleach.

The first night was icy because it snowed in north central AZ the day before. Slept with gloves and hat on, sleeping bag liner, etc. Other nights were in the 40s and 50s, so not bad, really.

But did you get laid? Every journey in life is pointless without sex.

Where did you poop and how did you wipe? I assume you brought toilet paper? Wet wipes to bathe yourself?

R6 I think the mules only carry people down and up OR to Phantom Ranch. We slept in tents the entire time. We heard about the Egyptian theories and it’s something I want to rabbit hole now that I’m home. No UFOs but I have seen the Marfa Lights, FWIW.

R8 Mule Deer, Deer Mice, Rock Squirrels, a tiny scorpion in the final two miles, bees, a gorgeous red-tailed hawk that flew over us for a few minutes (we have them here in Austin but it’s different when they are swooping over you in the canyon) and many ravens. I always forget how massive they are until one is up close. Thankfully, no tarantulas.

R11

Yeah, that was the worst part. We each had to bring half a roll of TP and there are a few toilets here and there but they are VERY rustic. Two or three were just boxes with a toilet lid on top and a three sided “barrier”. Totally exposed but what a view!

Thanks for doing this so I don't have to.

I hiked down into the Havasupi village/trail/camp way back in 1989, not sure if that’s the same trail you took (I don’t remember the distance). I was 22 back then and it was very strenuous. Sore and blisters for days. But what we saw and experienced on the trip was incredible. Fantastic experience. Congrats!

We went in ‘71. The view was breathtaking.

Jan like the rim. 😏

I loved the Bradys vacations.

Has anyone ever fallen into the Grand Canyon and survived?

I just hiked my caftan up and got to heaven without taking a step!

What was the night sky like? Was it lit up with stars? What is your opinion of the Marfa Lights, having seen them?

R16 Good for you, too! We took Bright Angel down to the Tonto Trail then to the river (I think - the canyon is so massive that I just followed the guide and tried to remember everything she told us). We stayed at the river for about 18 hours then worked our way back up to the South Rim via the Hermit Trail, which was a motherf*cker.

It sounds exciting, OP. It really does.

R21 They were spectacular, as you can imagine, but a couple of nights were cloudy. And to be honest, we were so exhausted that we often were asleep by 7 PM.

Marfa Lights are actually less commonly viewed than most people think - only about ten times a year, so we were really lucky. It was NYE about 12 years ago and our friends (and adjunctly we) had been disinvited from a party at the El Paisano. Anyway, we drove to Alpine to eat crappy food and on our way back, decided to stop at the viewing station. We had brought our big telescope and set it up. It was pitch dark and freezing - probably in the teens - and there were about 30 people there, so everyone shared blankets and binoculars and telescopes. The lights themselves are really, really cool and yes, there are plenty of theories but they actually do dart all over the place and it’s hard to justify the colors and movements. It felt very special.

Congrats OP. I am 60, female and fairly fit.... but not from hiking. I do gym workouts 4 x per week and walk daily about 12k steps, mostly flat. Is this hike something I could do? Would I have to train for it? Did you train at all leading up to it? Do they have shorter, easier hikes for novices?

R24: no rattlesnake sightings (or soundings?)

Lol, yes I imagine you'd be tired by 7:00. Thank you for answering about the Marfa Lights. I've always been curious about them. Have you hiked in other places in the US or anywhere abroad? Aren't you worried about bears or snakes?

How did you meet the group you went with? Strangers or friends?

R27 Only day hikes so I wasn’t sure what to expect and holy shit, was it tough. I’ve hiked inside Big Bend several times and Palo Duro Canyon once. I’ve also climbed Enchanted Rock many times. I’ve only really hiked in TX, though I’ve hiked in Maryland a couple of times, like Sugarloaf Mt, which is close to Camp David, IIRC. It’s been decades.

R28 Our friends booked a trail hiking company so it was two couples who knew each other, a young man (who was so cool), and our guide.

Would it be easy for someone to get lost or get killed if they hiked alone? One of the recent threads posted on DL, is about a Woman who went hiking and went missing and has been for 5 days.

[quote]Every other water refill was from creeks and the Colorado with a few drops of bleach.

Then you've protected yourself from COVID!

[quote]Did you get laid?

Yes, but it was with a mule.

R32, lol!

Sounds fantastic. I'd love to do something like that.

I also would love to do a 2-3 day river rafting trip in Northern CA.

Calm the fuck DOWN, R27/30.

[quote]Jan like the rim.

So did Mike.

R34 I was a river guide for many years. These are my favorite trips in Cali and Az. Try the Tuolumne river. It is one that comes out of Yosemite valley. That one is real gem . The two day trip is a good trip, real wilderness no roads no corruption of urbania. It is class 4 so the rapids are solid but not terrifying. Spring is the best time of the year. Summer is too hot for hiking around in my opinion. Summer is good if you love the heat though. The klamath river is good too. It is up by the border with Oregon go when the river is high. That ones pretty good though a road runs along it. It's almost wilderness. If you really want to enter river world your gonna have to book a 20 plus day trip on the Grand canyon. About day 6 you will finally arrive after you come down from the civilization buzz. It will be incredible, hard cold and uncomfortable. You will be changed forever. You will be really sad when it ends.

What is wrong with you, OP?

[quote]I am 56 and work it regularly

Hey, guuurl, work it! You know what time it is.

OP, you do know you didn’t have to do that hike, don’t you?

It reminds me when I see the marathons on the telly. I hope people told them they didn’t have to run.

Did you get hit by any golf balls?

Fuck off R35! I'm calm!😠

Heard some people have hiked the Grand Canyon in their birthday suits. Did you see anything liike that?

I’m loving these goofy comments and of course, expected no less from y’all. (Yes. I’m a fucking Texan and yes, I voted for Beto. He got 73% in Travis County.)

Yes, it would be very easy to get lost there - the trails we hiked were not very well marked (to me) and it is far more vast than you can imagine. If you’ve never been there, it isn’t just a south rim and a north rim, though those exist and are the easiest ways to think about the canyon - there are buttes and mesas and slot canyons undulating throughout the entire canyon. It’s overwhelming and could be confusing unless you had GPS/map/experience.

No, not afraid of bears or snakes. We have rattlers all over TX and the GC bears are black.

R43 No and for the love of God, why on earth would that be a thing?

R9 so u did not vote, no wonder beto lost

R37 That must have been a thrilling job.

We camped by the Granite Rapids beach, which is level nine (GC goes to 10) and our guide said that - as far as she knew - it was the only place along the Colorado where one could hear rapids and waves in the same spot. Also, a friend’s sister was involved in a terrible CO river catastrophe in the GC early last year - her boat overturned, she and a boat mate got stuck underneath and had hypothermia, and another boat mate was thrown and died. Just settled a lawsuit a few months ago.

Let me know when they've installed an escalator.

[quote]the GC bears are black.

What are you trying to say?

Oh, yeah; I’ve got my eye on you, Bub.

OP I read the thread but forgive me if I missed it, how long in time/distance were the descent and ascent alone to/from the basin? I assume you didn’t overnight on the way down or back up…?

I average 12 miles/day over reasonably groomed trails and uneven terrain, but I’m curious about pace with extreme elevation.

R47 reading your post again, I guess I did miss it. You camp along the way. Catching up…

R50 I probably didn’t answer your questions specifically, so hope this will help. And BTW, I didn’t even think about elevation issues until the last day when someone mentioned it - I didn’t have any headaches or shortness of breath so I guess my day in Flagstaff before hiking helped?

I will say that much of the trail isn’t very groomed. In fact, there were many, many scrambles and some were fairly treacherous - not so much that we would fall into the canyon (though that fear was there a few times) but the steps were a solid two feet up or down. Our hike was considered level four or black diamond but it sounds as if you’re familiar with that type of terrain.

R46 Early voted.

I deeply care about your experiences, OP.

OP/R52 thank you. I guess I’m not asking clearly enough. What distance did you travel to get to/from the basin alone? I know the canyon is ~1.2 miles deep, but I assume the trail is several miles long to get there… then I can deduce how far you traveled while on the canyon floor.

I’m curious about the descent/ascent. Do you camp while coming back up, or do you cover the whole >1 mile elevation ascent in one day?

This is good info, OP. I did a little Grand Canyon hiking this spring, (partway down Bright Angel and South Kaibab). Great experiences that left me wanting to come back for longer trips. You’re right, the trails are well maintained but the terrain is rough. The Canyon makes no concessions and it does not care about you!

R55 Oh, sorry. The last mile took about an hour, maybe a bit more. We left our final campsite at 430 that morning and I think we reached the top around 1230? That includes several stops, including 30-45 minutes for breakfast.

It was five days and four nights so day one was getting down the Bright Angel. Here is the description from Wildland Trekking:

This deservedly very popular, point-to-point Grand Canyon hike off the South Rim is excellent for guests looking for a more remote, diverse and absolutely stunning tour of the Canyon. It features fantastic views, historic ruins, a canyon narrows section, and time at one (on the 4-day itinerary) or two (on the 5-day itinerary) of the more spectacular and more photographed rapids on the Colorado River. This is probably the most scenic hike in the Grand Canyon and offers tremendous natural and cultural diversity.

The first day takes us down the famous Bright Angel Trail past Indian Garden. From here we’ll hike west across the Tonto Trail, paralleling the Colorado River a thousand feet above it. The breathtaking views on this trip are punctuated by side hikes down narrow canyons to two impressive rapids on the river. We’ll enjoy majestic creek-side camps, desert wildlife viewing opportunities, ancient fossils, and some of the best hiking the Grand Canyon has to offer!

thanks OP!

Congratulations, OP! You're at that age where, if you don't do this stuff soon, you won't be able to do it -- so kudos!

In 2019, I rode my Harley Ultra Classic (an 860-pound tank of a motorcycle) all around the Grand Canyon and ended up in Williams. I have no idea what roads I rode on, but the downhill (down mountain?) from there was terrifying. Narrow two-lane road, riddled with sharp curves, and the RVs coming up the other side were full of drivers who I could tell had rented the RVs just for the trip. In other words, they couldn't stay on their side of the road in the turns. I stayed as far to the right as I possibly could and held on tight.

That said, the scenery was breathtaking, and I'm glad I did it when I did, because the next year was Covid and the year after that I broke my shoulder when a pit bull attacked me. Now I really can't handle that big bike that well anymore, even though I still ride it.

Do as much as you can while you still can, OP. And again, congratulations!

Idk, I find r50 cute as a button.

Maybe it’s me.

What kind of food did you bring and eat? Did someone have a little camping cooker or were you allowed to start a small fire?

We had a professionally guide! We all carried a portion of the food in and of course, we had to bring every single morsel back out. Our guide cooked every meal and frankly, she did an amazing job. I’m vegetarian and she made all vegetarian meals but had prepared chicken and salmon on the side for the others. And she carried pots and pans! She was really incredible. One breakfast was just bagels and peanut butter but we scarfed them down because the hike was so strenuous. And yes, we carried wee sterno cans that she would light so most of the food was hot! It snowed the day before we started and our first day and night were icy.

As far as what kind of food? Veggie wraps, granola, lentil stew, curry stew, bagels, quesadillas, fresh popcorn with butter and hot chocolate mixed in (unbelievably delicious)…

R59 Wow, what a year you had. So sorry about your injuries but glad you were able to enjoy it. I’ve been there twice before but never deep inside and I’m still processing the experience.

Thanks, R63/OP. I rode from FL up into Mississippi and Arkansas and then got on I-40 and rode through Amarillo into NM, AZ, NV, CA, and then up into St. George, UT. In July, like a fool! I got stuck behind an accident in NM where a huge (gas?) tanker was on fire and the fucking rubberneckers had to drive past it r-e-a-l s-l-o-w just to eyeball it. I was screaming out loud, "If you drive a little slower, maybe YOUR car will blow up!!" I rode my bike through the fire's black smoke when I couldn't see a thing. Speaking of terrifying! "Cagers" have no idea how hard this sort of thing is for motorcyclists. I seem to remember it being 103 degrees. And those big Harley engines throw off a ton of heat, especially when they're sitting still in traffic. Honestly, by the time I got home from that trip, I didn't know how I'd done it.

And I just looked on Google at the route I took from St. George to the Grand Canyon. It was 89A to 89. I spent the night in Winslow AZ and took a pic of the famous corner. I also somehow ended up riding across the Zuni Reservation and past a site called El Morro. No vehicles at all. I peed behind a bush in the middle of the desert.

It was a helluva trip -- and yes, I ride alone. I'll never forget it.

Did you see any bodies OP ?

R64 Wow - that is a big story in just a few sentences!

Im curious about type of footwear? Did your feet not hurt or were you used to hiking a lot already?

Great job, OP! I hiked about 5 km today. It was very tiring as I wasn't in the best shape, lol. I need to add I hiked to a mountain top, so it was a steep climb.

good for you OP! I wish I could do something like this but I'll never be able to. I mean, where to pee or poop? do you have to pick it up? I need a clean toilet.

What about the native americans? Did you see any of them? anything magical happen? no bugs or critters etc?

Way to go. It must have been very beautiful

I'm going there in Aug. How far down and back up can one do in one full day?

Seventy-one comments and nobody's snarked about Palo Duro?

I'm a tedious shit!

Ask me any questions so I can prove my superiority!

I admire you, OP. All I can do is cook, clean and deal with family shit. You're incredible.💓

Do they not have sherpas here?

Did you watch 127 Hours movie to prepare?