The Hiking Thread

[WestwayKid]

Do we already have one? I couldn't find one, so...

I've been training for my upcoming Grand Canyon hike by hiking the local ski hill. It's .25 miles up and from what I gather, a much steeper grade than the Grand Canyon.

I enjoy hiking, but this will be my first serious hike and as I get closer to it, I'm getting excited. We're hiking down from the South Rim (South Kaibob Trail) and then spending the night at the Bright Angel Campground before hiking back out the next morning via the Bright Angel Trail. I've had a good time researching and buying backpacking gear: tent, sleeping bag, and so on - all small enough to fit in a 50L backpacking backpack.

[Flex]

Do we already have one? I couldn't find one, so...

I've been training for my upcoming Grand Canyon hike by hiking the local ski hill. It's .25 miles up and from what I gather, a much steeper grade than the Grand Canyon.

I enjoy hiking, but this will be my first serious hike and as I get closer to it, I'm getting excited. We're hiking down from the South Rim (South Kaibob Trail) and then spending the night at the Bright Angel Campground before hiking back out the next morning via the Bright Angel Trail. I've had a good time researching and buying backpacking gear: tent, sleeping bag, and so on - all small enough to fit in a 50L backpacking backpack.

Sounds great! I've never been to the Grand Canyon - I'm heading somewhat near-ish there in May and was considering trying to head to the North Rim but it looks like it will still be closed when I'm passing that direction. When are you heading to the South Rim?

I love hiking. Used to do a lot more of it before moving to the 'burbs and having a kiddo (its easier to do when you live in an area surrounded by national forest), but I anticipate now that he's more mobile we'll be doing more (short) hikes with him and/or some longer ones with him in a shoulder carrier more often (I did that a few times last year and as long as the hike was under 5 hours or so it wasn't too bad. But, like, he's bigger and heavier now so we'll see). In May I'm going to spend a day (by myself, no wife or kid) in Zion National Park and want to plan a nice day hike (open to any suggestions! I was only there once years ago when a I was an unappreciative shithead teenager so no experience would be duplicative).

I've done a few backpacking overnighters, they're a lot of fun. it's a great sense of accomplishment to spend the evening relaxing in an area that you had to get to under your own power. I'm mostly a car camper and then going on surrounding day hikes kind of guy tho.

[revbob]

Do we already have one? I couldn't find one, so...

I've been training for my upcoming Grand Canyon hike by hiking the local ski hill. It's .25 miles up and from what I gather, a much steeper grade than the Grand Canyon.

I enjoy hiking, but this will be my first serious hike and as I get closer to it, I'm getting excited. We're hiking down from the South Rim (South Kaibob Trail) and then spending the night at the Bright Angel Campground before hiking back out the next morning via the Bright Angel Trail. I've had a good time researching and buying backpacking gear: tent, sleeping bag, and so on - all small enough to fit in a 50L backpacking backpack.

I usually post stuff in th old man thread or something like that. I usually hike with my wife. We go to this one local place that is a relatively quick hike around 2 miles round trip. It used to start out with a pretty steep climb, a punch in the gut if you weren't ready for it.

[WestwayKid]

Do we already have one? I couldn't find one, so...

I've been training for my upcoming Grand Canyon hike by hiking the local ski hill. It's .25 miles up and from what I gather, a much steeper grade than the Grand Canyon.

I enjoy hiking, but this will be my first serious hike and as I get closer to it, I'm getting excited. We're hiking down from the South Rim (South Kaibob Trail) and then spending the night at the Bright Angel Campground before hiking back out the next morning via the Bright Angel Trail. I've had a good time researching and buying backpacking gear: tent, sleeping bag, and so on - all small enough to fit in a 50L backpacking backpack.

Sounds great! I've never been to the Grand Canyon - I'm heading somewhat near-ish there in May and was considering trying to head to the North Rim but it looks like it will still be close when I'm passing that direction. When are you heading to the South Rim?

I love hiking. Used to do a lot more of it before moving to the 'burbs and having a kiddo (its easier to do when you live in an area surrounded by national forest), but I anticipate now that he's more mobile we'll be doing more (short) hikes with him and/or some longer ones with him in a shoulder carrier more often (I did that a few times last year and as long as the hike was under 5 hours or so it wasn't too bad. But, like, he's bigger and heavier now so we'll see). In May I'm going to spend a day (by myself, no wife or kid) in Zion National Park and want to plan a nice day hike (open to any suggestion! I was only there once years ago when a I was an unappreciative shithead teenager so no experience would be duplicative).

I've done a few backpacking overnighters, they're a lot of fun. I'm mostly a car camper and then going on surrounding day hikes kind of guy tho.

We're heading out there on 5/4 - spending the night in a hotel near the trailhead before heading out in the morning.

I've done a lot of recreational hikes in state parks around Wisconsin, but I think this will be a challenge and I'm looking forward to it. My hope is that I like it so much that I want to keep doing it. My sister hiked Zion last year. I'll ask her if she has any suggestions.

The overnight portion will be interesting. They have a very rustic campground at the bottom of the canyon. There is a small lodge, but I guess it's hard to get into (lottery system).

[Sparky]

Sounds like a fun trip, I've never been to the Grand Canyon, my sister and her husband backpacked in & out a couple of years back, looked like a fun trip.

Just use better sense than these guys:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripid ... 7080&ei=47

[BostonBeaneater]

I love hiking and try to get out to cool places as often as possible. We did Zion and Bryce in Utah a year and a half ago, great trip. This photo is from a 10 mile hike at Zion.

[Flex]

I love hiking and try to get out to cool places as often as possible. We did Zion and Bryce in Utah a year and a half ago, great trip. This photo is from a 10 mile hike at Zion.

WhatsApp Image 2023-04-13 at 9.57.57 PM.jpeg

Very nice. If I get to it early enough maybe I'll try to find the "beanie was here" signage...

In the spirit of this thread, I checked out a short "hike" near my house over lunchtime that I'd been meaning to scope out. A short 3.6 miler in prairie grassland but it goes into a pronghorn habitat open space and, sure enough, it was just me and a few pronghorns and some western meadowlarks with nary another sound but the prairie winds. Real nice time. No shade tho, so once it warms up more it's gonna be a cooker (and, also, probably swarming with rattlesnakes). Glad I was able to hit it. Might try it again closer dawn or dusk a few times, see if I can spot more wildlife.

I didn't get any great photos - one of those things where it was more pleasant to be present than it was Instagrammable or whatever - but I thought this was a decent shot with the rocky mountains in the far distance.

[gkbill]

Hello,

If you're doing North Rim to the River and back, the last 5 miles back to the North Rim will have a lot of incline (~4,000 feet if I recall correctly). The trail has water. If you're doing the South Rim, go down the South Kaibab Trail - it's a ridge trail and the views are much better, spectacular, actually. There's no water on that trail, however. Go down the South Kaibab Trail (you'll get to cross the river on the suspension bridge - really cool!), come up the Bright Angel Canyon Trail - water stops ~3 miles or so. Give burros the right of way.

[Flex]

Hello,

If you're doing North Rim to the River and back, the last 5 miles back to the North Rim will have a lot of incline (~4,000 feet if I recall correctly). The trail has water. If you're doing the South Rim, go down the South Kaibab Trail - it's a ridge trail and the views are much better, spectacular, actually. There's no water on that trail, however. Go down the South Kaibab Trail (you'll get to cross the river on the suspension bridge - really cool!), come up the Bright Angel Canyon Trail - water stops ~3 miles or so. Give burros the right of way.

Appreciate this advice. I actually just nailed down my return trip back home and I planned it out to hit the south rim. If I can get going fast enough this should fit in perfectly.

Addendum: I slightly misread this, that's good advice for WWK. I'll probably do a portion of one of these hikes.

[Flex]

Had a nice day out at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument - it's in Colorado, but I've never been - and had a good time hiking with the fam. The hiking there is mostly all quite gentle - the main area is more interpretative walk than hike - so it was great to take the Little Duder. After he'd had his fill under his own power, I had a backpack I could put him in so we could do a couple of the hiking routes in the area.

[WestwayKid]

I did it! It was tough. we caught the 7am shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The weather was pleasant, but cool. We started out the strong. The hike to Cedar Ridge was nice. We took a break there and continued on to Skeleton Point, where we took another break and saw our first glimpse of the Colorado. The next section was tough, with a lot of steep switchbacks. The rough cut stairs were hard - each one put a lot of pressure on the legs and knees. My 66 year old uncle went with us and while he thought he was in decent shape, he began to falter around that point and fell further and further beyond. My sister, my nephew, and I would sit and wait for him to catch up. He was really struggling by the time we got to The Tipoff, which is the start of the final 2 miles down to the bottom. We decided that he would sit and rest for 45 minutes with my sister, while my nephew and I would get to the bottom to secure our campsite at the Bright Angel Campground.

My sister and uncle made it into camp about 2.5 hours later. We had a nice night at the campground, including stew at the Phantom Ranch Canteen. It was the first night I'd slept in a tent in ages, but I slept okay.

We were up by 6 and on the trail by 6:30am. I found the Bright Angel Trail to be more pleasant at first because you get to hike alongside a creek. We hit the first rest point - Havasupai Garden - and took a good rest. My uncle was doing better, but moving slow. We worked out during the next section that my nephew would forge ahead, my sister and I would move steadily in the middle and then we'd wait for my uncle at each stop. That took us to the 3 Mile Rest House and then then 1.5 Mile Rest House. By the time we got there - I was beat. I was fine from a cardio standpoint, but my legs were so tired. We pressed on and made it to the top. Crossing the threshold of the trailhead was incredible.

Physically, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm thankful I took it seriously, working to get myself into shape. I can see why they call it one of the hardest hikes in the US and in the summer months - I don't know how people do it. It was in the 80s and the heat felt beyond oppressive at times.

The natural beauty was unmatched. I kept taking breaks to look around. There were times where it felt so rugged, so remote. I want to keep hiking for sure. I don't know if I'd do the Grand Canyon again. The traditional rim to rim is intriguing (it's impossible right now as the North Kaibab Trail is closed until further notice due to weather related damage), but I think there are other hikes I'd like to try first.

[WestwayKid]

Hello,

If you're doing North Rim to the River and back, the last 5 miles back to the North Rim will have a lot of incline (~4,000 feet if I recall correctly). The trail has water. If you're doing the South Rim, go down the South Kaibab Trail - it's a ridge trail and the views are much better, spectacular, actually. There's no water on that trail, however. Go down the South Kaibab Trail (you'll get to cross the river on the suspension bridge - really cool!), come up the Bright Angel Canyon Trail - water stops ~3 miles or so. Give burros the right of way.

Appreciate this advice. I actually just nailed down my return trip back home and I planned it out to hit the south rim. If I can get going fast enough this should fit in perfectly.

Addendum: I slightly misread this, that's good advice for WWK. I'll probably do a portion of one of these hikes.

North Kaibab is closed right now, with no set reopening date. I guess the winter did a number on it.

I would also recommend the South Rim-to-Rim: going down South Kaibab and up Bright Angel for the same reasons listed above. SK is spectacular, but yes - no water and no shade. Bright Angel had one water stop, though I guess they turn on more when it gets hotter.

[gkbill]

I did it! It was tough. we caught the 7am shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The weather was pleasant, but cool. We started out the strong. The hike to Cedar Ridge was nice. We took a break there and continued on to Skeleton Point, where we took another break and saw our first glimpse of the Colorado. The next section was tough, with a lot of steep switchbacks. The rough cut stairs were hard - each one put a lot of pressure on the legs and knees. My 66 year old uncle went with us and while he thought he was in decent shape, he began to falter around that point and fell further and further beyond. My sister, my nephew, and I would sit and wait for him to catch up. He was really struggling by the time we got to The Tipoff, which is the start of the final 2 miles down to the bottom. We decided that he would sit and rest for 45 minutes with my sister, while my nephew and I would get to the bottom to secure our campsite at the Bright Angel Campground.

My sister and uncle made it into camp about 2.5 hours later. We had a nice night at the campground, including stew at the Phantom Ranch Canteen. It was the first night I'd slept in a tent in ages, but I slept okay.

We were up by 6 and on the trail by 6:30am. I found the Bright Angel Trail to be more pleasant at first because you get to hike alongside a creek. We hit the first rest point - Havasupai Garden - and took a good rest. My uncle was doing better, but moving slow. We worked out during the next section that my nephew would forge ahead, my sister and I would move steadily in the middle and then we'd wait for my uncle at each stop. That took us to the 3 Mile Rest House and then then 1.5 Mile Rest House. By the time we got there - I was beat. I was fine from a cardio standpoint, but my legs were so tired. We pressed on and made it to the top. Crossing the threshold of the trailhead was incredible.

Physically, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm thankful I took it seriously, working to get myself into shape. I can see why they call it one of the hardest hikes in the US and in the summer months - I don't know how people do it. It was in the 80s and the heat felt beyond oppressive at times.

The natural beauty was unmatched. I kept taking breaks to look around. There were times where it felt so rugged, so remote. I want to keep hiking for sure. I don't know if I'd do the Grand Canyon again. The traditional rim to rim is intriguing (it's impossible right now as the North Kaibab Trail is closed until further notice due to weather related damage), but I think there are other hikes I'd like to try first.

Hello,

Congrats! The Grand Canyon is amazingly beautiful. Who'd think you could stare at a hole in the ground for hours? When I ran it, I wasn't aware you could get food at the campground. Rim-to-rim-to-rim was a real challenge. I was in pretty good shape and ran most of the day finishing up around 11:00 pm. I was amazed as there were still people hiking well after dark.

Take a day off. Well done.

[Mimi]

Congrats, Westway!

[Sparky]

I did it! It was tough. we caught the 7am shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The weather was pleasant, but cool. We started out the strong. The hike to Cedar Ridge was nice. We took a break there and continued on to Skeleton Point, where we took another break and saw our first glimpse of the Colorado. The next section was tough, with a lot of steep switchbacks. The rough cut stairs were hard - each one put a lot of pressure on the legs and knees. My 66 year old uncle went with us and while he thought he was in decent shape, he began to falter around that point and fell further and further beyond. My sister, my nephew, and I would sit and wait for him to catch up. He was really struggling by the time we got to The Tipoff, which is the start of the final 2 miles down to the bottom. We decided that he would sit and rest for 45 minutes with my sister, while my nephew and I would get to the bottom to secure our campsite at the Bright Angel Campground.

My sister and uncle made it into camp about 2.5 hours later. We had a nice night at the campground, including stew at the Phantom Ranch Canteen. It was the first night I'd slept in a tent in ages, but I slept okay.

We were up by 6 and on the trail by 6:30am. I found the Bright Angel Trail to be more pleasant at first because you get to hike alongside a creek. We hit the first rest point - Havasupai Garden - and took a good rest. My uncle was doing better, but moving slow. We worked out during the next section that my nephew would forge ahead, my sister and I would move steadily in the middle and then we'd wait for my uncle at each stop. That took us to the 3 Mile Rest House and then then 1.5 Mile Rest House. By the time we got there - I was beat. I was fine from a cardio standpoint, but my legs were so tired. We pressed on and made it to the top. Crossing the threshold of the trailhead was incredible.

Physically, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm thankful I took it seriously, working to get myself into shape. I can see why they call it one of the hardest hikes in the US and in the summer months - I don't know how people do it. It was in the 80s and the heat felt beyond oppressive at times.

The natural beauty was unmatched. I kept taking breaks to look around. There were times where it felt so rugged, so remote. I want to keep hiking for sure. I don't know if I'd do the Grand Canyon again. The traditional rim to rim is intriguing (it's impossible right now as the North Kaibab Trail is closed until further notice due to weather related damage), but I think there are other hikes I'd like to try first.

Congratulations on your adventure!