Good morning everyone. Good golly it’s almost afternoon. Time flies when you’re having fun, and that’s exactly what we’re doing answering your questions about the Grand Canyon! Have you asked yours yet?
The other day I was talking on the phone to a lady who had lots and lots and lots and lots of questions about the Grand Canyon. After awhile she said, "Wow…is there a question about the Grand Canyon that you CAN’T answer?" After I quit blushing, I said something to the effect of, "well if anyone ever asks a question about the Grand Canyon that we can’t answer right off the bat, we know where to go to find the answers." See, all of us at GrandCanyon.com live in the Grand Canyon area. Not Denver, not Phoenix, not LA… HERE, in the Grand Canyon area. Page, Arizona, to be exact. We have all kinds of connections and resources at our disposal to answer your questions about the Grand Canyon.
The other day, though, someone actually asked me a question that I flat out refused to answer, and I got to thinking that this was just about the only Grand Canyon question that we here would not and could not answer. What is it? Here it is:
“What kind of shape do I have to be in to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in one day?”
Sorry, folks, don’t ask us that question ‘cause we won’t answer it. Here’s what we’ll say to you instead:
DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!
Now don’t get us wrong, we all love hiking in the Grand Canyon. Some of our staffers have done the 
ultimate Grand Canyon hike – Rim to Rim – and all agree that it was one of the proudest moments of our lives. Hiking in the Grand Canyon is one of the best ways – if not THE best way – to appreciate the beauty and complexity of this unique environment. As you descend further and further below the rim, you discover that the Grand Canyon is actually made up of dozens of “sub-canyons,” and each of them is a world unto itself.
Unfortunately, the Grand Canyon is also one of the most challenging hikes a person can undertake. Working at the Bright Angel Transportation Desk, where Phantom Ranch hikers check in, I actually heard women say that childbirth was easier. Seriously.
At first, a hike in the Grand Canyon seems easy. *bonk on forehead* Hel-LOOOOOOOO!! You’re walking downhill! The hard part comes afterward, when you’re already tired, sore, and facing a grueling uphill climb. Add searing summer temperatures to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for potential disaster if you’re not prepared. And if you think that this warning only applies to people who are overweight, “older,” or otherwise out of shape, here’s an interesting factoid for you: the National Park Service Rangers, report that most of the call-outs they get about people in trouble in the inner canyon trails are young, so called “healthy” men who let testosterone do their thinking.
I can even testify from personal experience (or inexperience) on my first trip to the Grand Canyon when I blithely followed my boyfriend (was in much better shape than me, didn’t bring any water with us, and suffice it to say is now my ex-boyfriend) down the North Kaibab Trail about 1 mile and thought I was going to die coming back up. And if you think someone will send a chopper or a mule down for you because you’re tired, think again (these sorts of rescues are very expensive and insurance usually won’t cover it!). I actually know a park ranger who rescued someone who’d pooped out about half-way up the Bright Angel Trail. This guy swore up and down he couldn’t take another step, needed a helicopter or he would surely die. The ranger approached the man and said, “look, I know you’re tired, I know you’re sore, but here’s some water, we’re gonna hike out of here, we’re gonna do it together, one step at a time.”
Just recently, retiring Grand Canyon Park Ranger Bob Audretsch shared an account of how he came close to death in the Grand Canyon:
“Although I was in excellent physical shape, I was not used to the extreme dryness. While ascending the North Kaibab Trail in mid-afternoon, I imagined three little green men calling me to follow them off the trail. Realizing that I was hallucinating, and in order to occupy my mind, I began to count my steps and imagining numbers being written on a blackboard. I arrived at the rim safely having counted to over the number 7,000.” – excerpt from an article by Jackie Brown, The Grand Canyon News
Here was a young man, in the prime of his youth, and he was lucky to have made it out alive! Which brings up an important point: even though you might be in tip-top shape, say a triathlete, mountain climber or competitive athlete, you are still taking a terrible risk attempting to go from rim to river and back in a day, especially in the summertime, when temperatures in the inner canyon can reach in excess of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity is somewhere around zip.
When planning a Grand Canyon hike, one must figure on doubling the time to hike out that it takes to hike down, so one hour down = two hours up, and so on. Water and food, preferably high energy, salty snacks, should be carried if you’re planning on going any further than one mile or spending any more than one hour’s time. Good sturdy broken-in shoes must also be worn. Some have hiked successfully in cross-trainers; me, I prefer boots (weak ankles). Heavy duty bandages, such as mole skin, should also be carried for the inevitable blisters you’ll get. If hiking in the summertime, get started early in the morning to avoid the severe heat of mid-day.
On average, it takes about 4 hours to hike from rim to river via the South Kaibab Trail, a bit longer via the 
Bright Angel. On average, it takes about 8 hours to hike from river to rim via the Bright Angel, the route you should take your first time out because it’s more gradual and there are water stops on it (though you absolutely should still carry your own). Would YOU want to hike 12 hours straight on some of the steepest terrain God sent? If you want to go all the way to the river, plan on at least an overnight, two if you can swing it. Options for overnighting at the bottom of the Grand Canyon are the Bright Angel Campground, which requires a back-country permit, or lodging at Phantom Ranch.
I say give me Phantom Ranch any day! This cozy facility, another of Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter’s designs, offers bunkhouse style accommodations for hikers. All linens and towels are provided and there are showers down the trail. Plus if you reserve meals at the dining hall, you can feasibly get away with a substantial daypack to do this hike instead of a full pack with a tent, sleeping bag, etc. Believe you me, every ounce makes a difference when facing a 10-mile uphill climb. Besides, the food is deeeeeeeee-licious! They serve a steak dinner at 5:00 PM and a hikers’ stew dinner at 6:30. Then they have two servings for breakfast, 5:00 AM and 6:30 AM. Hikers are well advised to choose the 5 AM seating. The menu consists of eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc. They also serve beer, wine and lemonade in the dining hall and have little “social hours,” which are fun opportunities to meet people from every corner of the globe.
For more information about Phantom Ranch (and again, the meals have to be reserved too), visit www.grandcanyonlodges.com This is the official website of the in-park concessionaire, Xanterra South Rim LLC, who also oversee the 6 Grand Canyon hotels inside the park. Reservations for Phantom Ranch open up 13 months out, and if you really want to do this, you’ll try to snag your date the first day reservations open up. You can request accommodations at Phantom online, but most say you’ll get best results by phone at 888-297-2757 or 303-297-2757 from abroad.
If you strike out at Phantom Ranch, you can try for a backcountry permit for camping, which are administered by the National Park Service. Reservations for these are taken 5 months out, and there again, you want to get on it that first possible second you can. To learn more about that process, visit www.nps.gov/grca and click on the link for “Fees and Permits.”
And if all else fails, plan for a day hike. Cedar Ridge on the South Kaibab Trail is an excellent short hike 
offering outstanding views. The hike is 3 miles round-trip, requiring 3 hours to complete on average. The Kaibab Trailhead is at Yaki Point, which is only accessible by shuttle. If you’re up for more of a challenge and would like more suggestions on Grand Canyon day hikes you might enjoy, visit the Grand Canyon National Park Service website here ->: http://www.nps.gov/grca
As to going to the bottom and back in a day, just don’t do it. It is not worth the risk and besides, you won’t be able to enjoy the scenery, and isn’t that what your Grand Canyon vacation is all about?
‘til next time, make it a “grand” day!
P.S. The Grand Canyon’s most distinguished “works of man” were actually “works of woman!” Stay tuned to find out more!
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