Wintersong

Fab pics! Not my cup of tea (I preferred taking in the Grand Canyon from the front seat of a helicopter!) but looks as though it was a great experience

SultanOfSwing

Sound like fun. Though you've really been spoiled by living in the southwest if you think 27 is cold

Giantaxe

Yes, everything's booked to do the hike the third week of May. That's shortly after the north rim re-opens. We've been doing 20+ mile training hikes most weekends since January, focusing on locations where we can do a lot of climbing in the latter part of the hike to try and mimic the rim to rim hike in that regard. I'm both excited and nervous!

Steerpike

Where are you staying, on the North Rim? Was it easy to get a reservation?

If you are comfortable with 20+ miles, I can't imagine you'll have much difficulty in the Canyon. Very oddly, I got TWO blisters on my toes in the last month, wearing the same socks (2pr), same boots, and only hiking a few miles due to the crappy weather in CA. So I'll be carrying my fancy blister plasters, and using foot lube.

Be ready to carry at least a gallon of water; if only to pour over your head! There's drinking water at Indian Garden, 3-mile and 1.5 mile resthouses, so plenty of water available for the ascent up Bright Angel, but - they are not GUARANTEED (pipes burst, etc) and you don't want to get caught without water! If you choose to hike up South Kaibab (not recommended!) there is NO water on that trail so you'd need to carry enough for ~5 hrs.

If I find myself there myself we'll have to have an impromptu BE gathering at Phantom Ranch!

EDIT TO ADD: - Giantaxe - are you aware there is now a permit system in place for 'organized groups'? I quickly reviewed the requirements and it doesn't apply to solo hikers, so I'm ok, but it seems like they are trying to control the number of organized day hikers crossing the Canyon. See this page: http://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/manage...P_JUMP_2602654 It looks like you are ok if there are fewer than 12 in your group. "Who is required to obtain a permit: Any organized, non-commercial (12-30 participants) or not-for-profit group (up to 30) conducting rim-to-rim and extended day hiking and running, including rim-to-river-to-rim, and rim-to-rim-to-rim that are operating in the inner canyon". I was hearing rumors about this a while back; the increasing popularity of rim-to-rim running is apparently driving this, with organized runs creating some degree of 'conflict' with other trail users.

Giantaxe

We're staying at the Yavapai Lodge on the north rim, which I think is the only non-camping accommodation there. We booked it in January without an issue.

Yes, there are only four of us doing it. The park service discourages people going rim to rim, but obviously a lot still do it, including all the runners that do rim to rim to rim.

I think water (and the weight of it) is my biggest concern. I have a 4 liter camelback and will carry several additional bottles. I sweat a lot! We'll leave the north rim at dawn (5:15am) and hope to start climbing from the river by midday. The average max at the river for that date is 88, so we would really like to be climbing up from the river before the hottest time of day.

Edit: we're doing the hike on May 19th.

Bob

Not hiking and this is in Utah, but still...very impressive trail stuff. Weird but lovely scenery. These guys are seriously good though and they're riding bikes that are probably tapping the $10K mark.

Steerpike

Are you sure you have a 4L camelbak? I've never seen one (and was looking at them at REI today!) - Accessories -> Reservoirs | Camelbak Official Store . It looks like 3 Liter, 100 FL oz is the biggest. That's what I have.

Anyway - don't know what you'll need on the way down, but you are going to be starting out at around freezing so I doubt you'll need much. According to the NPS website, there's water at 1.7, 5, and 6.9 miles into the hike, then nothing until you reach Phantom Ranch at 13.6 miles. So assuming (verify!) there's water at the 6.9 point, you have about 6 miles of gentle decline to cover without refill, which sounds eminently do-able.

From Phantom Ranch to Indian Garden is about 5 miles. This is the hardest part because you are slogging it out of the canyon and it could be in the 90s. But even then, I don't think you'll drink your full camelbak! After that, the rest areas (with water) are basically every 1.5 miles so 'piece of cake' (as long as the water is 'on'!), and it's noticeably cooler after Indian Garden. I will say, the water in the 'system' there is rather nasty tasting, not that you will care that much, but having your own water for as long as you can will probably be a plus!

By far the nastiest bit is the climb up to Indian Garden. It could be 90F, steep, full sun, and hardly any shade, and seems to go on forever. I would carry an empty plastic bottle just so you can fill it with water from the streams you will pass, on the trail, so you can pour it over yourself to cool down. I soaked my hat, bandana, and shirt in the water and it cooled me down for several minutes, but after that, you'll be glad of the bottle with the extra water (don't drink it ). Indian Garden is a beautiful Oasis - stream running through, plenty of shade trees, benches - I rested there for an hour and just 'recovered'. After that it was fairly easy, and I felt positively chilly getting back to the top.

I went out and bought a warm pair of pants today, and some 'pocket warmers' from REI, as I am NOT looking forward to the 25F start on Thursday morning!

rbackhouse

Are you sure its on the North Rim ? Looks to me like it on the South rim

rbackhouse

I'm doing a trip with the kids out to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon North Rim in mid june. When I booked the Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim back in November last year there was slim pickings. One nighters were the only option.

Owen778

Agreed. This place claims to be the only lodging on the North Rim. Though Google claims that it's permanently closed, which is confusing.

Lodge at Grand Canyon North Rim Cabin Rentals - Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge

Edit: looks like Google is wrong and it's just closed for winter. More info is here:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisi...P_JUMP_1968002

Kaibab Lodge is a few miles north of the North Rim, but outside the park.

rbackhouse

That's where we are staying. Luckily I knew I had to book early

Giantaxe

It's marked as 3 litres, but if you fill it very carefully you can get more in it.


Yes, got my hotels the wrong way round there!

Did 23 miles and 5200ft on last Sunday's training hike. We're going for 24/25 miles and the same amount of climbing this coming Sunday. We can't mimic the Colorado River temperatures in the Bay Area at the moment, nor the rim altitude, but it's interesting how by progressively working the mileage up, our bodies have become quite used to this kind of hike severity.

Steerpike

I had a lovely hike down the South Kaibab and back up the Bright Angel last Thursday - about 18 miles. You won't be seeing the South Kaibab on your hike, so hopefully the North Kaibab will be even more spectacular!

I completely filled my Camelbak (same as yours). It was below 30F when I set off, which I imagine will be the case for you at the North Rim in May. I didn't even bother filling it at the River / Phantom Ranch, because I'd drunk very little on the way down (and I drink a lot too!) (it was in the 70s at the River). You can buy ice-cold lemonade at the 'cafe' at Phantom Ranch (they had cans too, not sure what of). I hiked back up to Indian Garden, and saw signs that the water was off at 1.5 and 3 mile rest areas (due to freezing) so filled up the Camelbak at IG; I still had about 1/3rd water left.

I had NEVER hiked more than about 12 miles prior to doing any of my Canyon hikes, with the exception of the one Half Dome hike the year before (about 18 miles). This year, the winter weather and general laziness has kept me quite inactive, and I've barely hiked more than 5 miles a day in several months. I did do one 10 mile hike a month ago, but that was it for 'training'. So you should be super fine.

I think the key tricks for the heat are to break often, find what little shade you can, cover yourself as much as you can (wide brimmed hat, not just a baseball cap), consider long sleeves, and strong sunscreen. It's the damn sun's rays beating down on you that get you down, rather than the air temperature. You have about 2 hours after Phantom Ranch before you get to Indian Garden, and that's the brutal part. Once you get to IG, you are home free. So take those 2 hours easy - pace yourself - and don't let the heat get to you.

Pay special attention to electrolytes - if you drink a lot of water, you risk depleting yourself. I nearly passed out in Scottsdale one summer on a hike at 'only' 85F; I drank a ton of water, but did not pay attention to diet. On the last 20 mins of a 5 hour hike, heading downhill, very close to the end, I got all dizzy and started throwing up - nothing but water - lots of water! I rested for a bit, and then got back to the car ok but it could have been much worse. My hiking buddies told me to start taking electrolyte tablets, which I do now. I also pay more attention to what I eat on a hike - lots of salty snacks (salami is great!). I also fell in love with Cliff Bar "Shot Blocks" (which are like big wine gums, but seem to work on a hike!).

One more thing - there is a missing sign after you leave Phantom Ranch, heading towards the Colorado River. You need to turn right towards Bright Angel Trail, but there's no sign for that; you should follow a sign for 'Bright Angel Campground' and that gets you to the Silver Bridge, and then you are fine (but there are multiple signs for the campground, and you don't want to be wasting time taking the wrong one). I spoke to a few other hikers and they agreed there should be a sign. If you do miss it, and end up crossing the 'Black Bridge', then you can still get to the Bright Angel trail on the south side of the river. As long as you are aware of this issue, you should be fine - just ask if you are on the path to Bright Angel Trail. The image below gives an idea of what you need to do - follow the blue line towards Silver Bridge/Bright Angel Trail, NOT the red line that takes you to Black Bridge / South Kaibab Trail.

Bob

Stinger and Huma, are both pretty tasty shots of energy, really small packets that fit in a back pocket.

Nuun, is also a good shot of electrolytes. Use those when mountain biking.

There are loads of varieties, so I get which ever is on sale at the time in the local sports shops. Some flavours are nicer than others, but nothing has been horrible.

Steerpike

I don't profess to be an expert in this matter but my serious hiking buddy in Scottsdale recommended Endurolytes - Electrolyte Replacement Supplement | Hammer Nutrition . I like them because they are a simple capsule you just pop down the hatch, and don't have to dissolve in water and you don't have to deal with any taste.