Backpacking the Grand Canyon: Lessons Learned

The group in front of the Back-Country office before the trip

In February, my husband and I undertook hiking into (and out of) the Grand Canyon with my father, cousin, and a couple of friends.  Although the overall experience was *amazing*, there were definitely parts that we could have prepared for better.  I really wish I had tried backpacking on a smaller scale prior to attempting such a huge undertaking so we could have had fewer hiccups on the actual adventure.  For others interested in also trying a strenuous backpacking trip as a first go, here are a few of the lessons I learned on my first backpacking trip.

The view from Cedar Ridge.

1) Downhill treks are *much* more difficult than uphill.  Before the trip, I mistakenly assumed the first day (7 or so miles, over 4,000 foot elevation decrease) would be easy relative to the level or uphill days.  Little did I realize that the downhill would tax my calf muscles until they sang.  I also noticed early on that my flat feet were not happy, with my Achilles tendons hurting the most.  It wasn't until almost a week after we got out of the Canyon that my tendons and calves started to feel better.  Still worth the trip, but just be forewarned that day 2 may be better planned as a rest day instead of as a 10+ mile hike.

I made it down despite the craziness!

2) Confirm that inflatable gear is good to go before traveling.  During the first night, my husband found out that the brand new Thermarest sleeping pad I got him for the trip wasn't holding air for more than about an hour or so. This may not have been much of a problem in summer months, when the ground is warm, but in winter a lack of air beneath you results in an infinite heat sink being effectively in direct contact with your body.  Major discomfort (and no sleeping) ensues. 

Our second night at Bright Angel Campground.

3) Check the weather predictions, and heed them.  Kinda obvious, I know, but I didn't think to do this right before we were on our way down the side of the Canyon.  I had instead checked the weather a week or so prior to the trip, which showed great weather for the entire window of prediction.  That window did not include Wednesday and beyond (we were staying in the Canyon Sunday through Friday).  When we were in the Canyon and talking with the Park Service about a revised itinerary (see 4 below), we found out that there was a predicted 15 inch snowfall on Wednesday.  That wouldn't be seen in the bottom of the Canyon (which hit 70F when we were down there), but would make hiking out a bit more treacherous.  That freaked me out quite a bit, and was part of the reason we changed our plans to get out of the Canyon by Wednesday night.  We really lucked out - the storm that was to have dropped said snow passed South of the Canyon rim and instead closed all of Flagstaff - but it could have been different, and we were not prepared for snow camping.

Sunrise in the Canyon.

4) Condition yourself for the trip by completing physical training in advance, and be honest as you're doing it if you need to turn around.  Not everyone was physically ready for this trip.  My husband and I had trained for it (I by running excessively; he by putting on an overweight hiking pack and completing climbs on the treadmill), but we weren't prepared for some of the curve balls that came along (see lessons 1, 2, and 3 above).  Thankfully, with the help of the Park Rangers we were able to revise our itinerary from one that involved ~10 mile hikes every day - no rest days - and a total of five nights in the Canyon, to one more within our group's capability range.  The National Park Service is *amazing* and I cannot say enough good things about Ranger Ed Foss.  We were also lucky enough to be able to send 30 pounds of gear out of the Canyon by mule (yay, Phantom Ranch!).  Having to carry that 30 pounds would have made the hike out *much* more difficult, as three of the four of us (the other two, extremely fit folks continued on the original itinerary) were at capacity even without it.  In the end, I'm glad we went through with the hike, and will be glad to have bragging rights for years to come, but the trip would have been even better without the worry that comes of not being physically ready.

The Park Ranger's humble abode.

5) Ask your group participants to test out food portions.  Early on in the trip planning period, I volunteered to make dinners and breakfasts for the group.  This seemed to be the easiest and most cost effective method of meal planning.  Having never gone backpacking before, I did some research online, decided to use dried foods, and proceeded to put together meals at about 500 calories for dinner and 400 calories for breakfast.  For most of the meals, this meant packaging multiple servings as a single dinner.  Following the trip, my fellow hikers gave me mixed reviews.  On one hand, the friend with significant backpacking experience indicated that the meals were way too large.  He couldn't for the life of him finish either the breakfast or dinner portions.  He did mention toward the end of the hike that he preferred all-day snacking, rather than eating large meals, to get the calories he needs for long, strenuous hikes, so that may have had something to do with it.  Separately, my cousin (who was in the fit group who stuck with the original itinerary) told me that the portions were just right.  All I can say is: if you haven't hiked with these people before, either leave them to establish their own food needs, or have them test out representative versions of your planned meals before the hike.  This will greatly help in planning the food weight you need to carry for the group. 

Enjoying a hot cup of coffee at the Bright Angel Campground at the end of day one.

6) For group hikes where weight is important, coordinate the small stuff too.  We had multiple deodorants (Seriously... deodorant for a hike where you aren't showering for a few days?  Let it go!), toothpastes, and antibacterial hand sanitizers.  These may seem like small items, but when the group is pushing weight limits, every ounce counts.  Likewise, coordinate snacks as well as meals.  There was *so* *much* trail mix in the group.  We didn't really need to carry that weight.

Day trip from Bright Angel Campground.

At some point in the near future, I'll also post about my new found experience with freezer bag cooking.