10 Safety Tips for Hiking the Grand Canyon
Posted on Sat, Mar 19, 2011 @ 05:00 PM
With his last post Roy introduced his recent hike down the Grand Canyon and shared some services available while hiking down the South Kaibab Trail. In this post, he shares ten safety lessons he learned from this rigorous hike.
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The South Kaibab Trail is virtually unsheltered from wind and sun. The sun is relentless; the wind comes and goes as the terrain changes. Being unsheltered the views are beyond description. One thing I would do differently next time is actually planning time to stop and look at the view. (You cannot hike and take pictures at the same time; the trail is too narrow and the downside are 40 to 600 feet in places…pay attention to the trail – stop for pictures.) Once my legs collapsed I was pretty focused on managing my energy to get to the river before dark. Needless to say, I noticed I had no pictures after that point in descent!
Looking back on my experience on South Kaibab, I would have done other things differently as well. I also noticed some very important safety points that I thought I should share with you all:
1. I was carrying way too much food for a one day hike. I did not realize that I could replenish at the canteen at Phantom Ranch, which is up a side canyon near the trail end.
2. I should have gotten up-to-date on the current thinking on electrolytes. I think the main reason my legs decided to not work any longer was, at least partially, due to insufficient electrolytes. Next time, I will start a regimen of Vitalyte Lemonade Vital Electrolytes three days or so before my next walk. On the actual day of the walk, I will start the day with a quart of water and Vital followed by a mid-day dose and an evening cocktail of the same. Of course, I’ll do some reading before then to make sure I am on the right track.
3. I would not carry a 40 pound pack. Because of my work schedule, I am so used to carrying everything with me that I naturally never considered sending my camping gear ahead on a mule. At noon on March 6, 2011, Grand Canyon mules became my new best friends (sorry Molly, but you have competition!). Suggestion: if you hike the Grand Canyon consider sending 30 pounds of gear ahead on a mule. I sent 24 pounds up the canyon on a four-legged friend and it made all the difference hiking out.
4. I will never underestimate the difficulty of hiking down into the Canyon, especially with an extra 40 pounds of personal weight and another 40 pounds of food, water and gear. Gravity is ever-present in the Canyon – my pack was trying to get to the river long before I was ready. Expending energy to keep my weight and pack from falling to the river 4,000 feet below was directly related to my eventual loss of leg control. During the entire trip I never had joint pain; pain was all related to muscle fatigue.
5. One of the things I did do correctly is to protect against sun and wind burn. The Bright Angel Trail, my ascent route of 9 miles, is very much shaded by the tall sides of several narrow canyons one traverses. Shade was a blessing even on a day that saw temperatures in the mid-forties. The South Kaibab, being exposed to the sun along its entire route, presents danger of overexposure to sunburn and evaporation. If you go, cover your skin against the cumulative effect of sun and wind burn. The entire trip is at least 20 miles of walking in a very exposed environment.
6. Be sure your hat has both a chin strap and a neck shade. This should be paired with rugged, outdoor sun glasses. Burning a retina from sun and wind is a very real possibility.
7. If you take kids or companions, agree ahead of time about the etiquette of passing other hikers and mule trains on the trail. I had one young man come close to toppling off the Bright Angel Trail because he was looking at me and not the trail. He slipped on the ice and was headed over before he responded to the screams from his father to pay attention!
8. Trail etiquette, in my opinion, requires several safe practices: mules have the right of way. Step to the uphill side of the trail well before coming in contact with a train. They move fairly quickly so agree with the rest of your group to verbally warn each other when one approaches. Never step to the outside of the trail as a train passes as the animals seem to prefer the outside.
9. Because of the steep narrowness of the trail it is not appropriate to hike with anyone who cannot be trusted to pay attention to the trail. If a child or adult were to do something unexpectedly, there isn’t time to react to save them from toppling over the edge. Don’t risk it: hike only with those who are truly self-contained – mentally and physically ready to face an extreme challenge without outside generated pressure or support. It will be enough to support each other over the course of your hike; don’t push someone into attempting this venture.
10. One of the things I did on this walk was to stay away from other hikers. I came home with a deeper appreciation for quiet, which was good, but a mistake I made on the trail was walking faster to avoid groups that tended to chatter. Next time, I will stop and let them get ahead of me so as to conserve the extra energy it takes to stay ahead of a better trained, but chatty hiker.
I think that’s it on the “do’s and don’ts”. The hike down was, for me and my pack, very difficult. It was exactly the challenge I needed. For those few hours after my legs collapsed I was given the gift of focusing on what lay ahead for the next few feet. I was able to separate the business challenges and opportunities awaiting me on the rim to simply be present with my energy level, some pain, a tremendous amount of beauty and a sense of being very far back in time. More about those feelings ahead! Until next time...
As always, feedback and comments are welcome!
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