As brutal as it was, it will probably be my most memorable hike. A definite accomplishment. ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks for sharing. When I saw the hike start and it was already daylight, my first response was “oooh it’s gonna be dark before they get out”. Glad y’all were able to catch the last shuttle.

That route is called Rim-2-River. A Rim2Rim is when you go from one side of the canyon, to the other. The rule of the Canyon is: Sometimes the canyon wins, sometimes you win. When the canyon wins, you owe it a redemption hike (or run, if you ran it). So ladies, keep training, because you have to go back! April, Sept., and Oct. are much better times of the year. A couple suggestions: 1) Long sleeve, white, breathable, "dri fit" or similar fabric, athletic shirts, and wide brim shade hats, like the ones made by Sunday Afternoons. In the canyon, you absolutely don't want the sun on your skin, at all. Doesn't matter how much sun block you smear on. The UV, on your skin, fries you, and a ball cap doesn't do a thing. 2) When ever you come across water, whether a spigot, or a creek/stream, get your hair wet, and soak your shirt. If you don't your body's core temperature will rise, and you will become sick, nauseous, and start making bad decisions (like feeling like you don't want to get in the water). Extremely dangerous, and very difficult to resolve, as you found out. 3) High quality electrolyte drink mix in your drink containers 100% of the time, and supplement with something like GU Roctane every 45min. We use "Liquid I.V." and to it, we add a vit. B complex pill, and 2 high quality magnesium pills, broken in half. 4) Hiking poles would have been a miracle for you! 5) A "Five Hour Energy Drink" is a nice back-up plan. Great job toughing that one out. That was beast mode, the whole way!

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

We needed you as our training coach!!! And absolutely agree with it all, but I do have a question about hiking poles… we did have them with us but never felt we “needed” them and that we would have been exerting more energy using them, because our legs were never an issue just heart rate. Would we have helped our heart rate escalation by using poles?

@austinado16

2 жыл бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 Heart rate is a response to your fitness level, vs. your exertion level so IMO, there's no "one thing" but a spectrum of things contributing. That means (again, IMO) that you have a bunch of things that you can dial in, in order to improve the experience, and improve performance. Yes, poles would have helped a lot. If you don't have adjustable poles, I'd highly recommend you drop some money on a super light set of adjustables. You'll have them forever, so it's a quality investment. When you use them, make them longer for the downhill, and shorter for the uphill. The goal being, that they are adjusted so that your forearms are level, or just slightly above level. Put your hands through the straps from the underside of the strap. Then bring your hand down over the top of the strap, and grab the grip, with the strap between your hand, and the grip. Slide your hand down enough that the strap now "cradles" the underside of the hand. You know have the ability to leverage force down into the pole, creating this nice 4 wheel drive effect. Winning! As for other stuff you can dial in: IMO, you brought way too much stuff, making the packs needed, too big, and too heavy. Hauling extra weight of any kind, especially in the ridiculous terrain and conditions at the canyon, is a death sentence. So that alone, will raise the HR. So go through the list of what you brought, and see what didn't get used, and toss it. The goal being, to have the smallest pack possible, and the lightest load. Related to that, consider doing what athletes do, before important efforts.....they cut weight. Please don't take that in an offensive way, it's not meant to be. Literally, anything you can do to shed weight, any weight, is a benefit. Think in terms of, if someone asked you to carry just 10lbs extra, at Phantom (a gallon jug of water is 8.1lbs) would you guys have signed up for that? No way. So think, and train like an athlete, and apply their methods/tricks/hacks. White shirts that you could have wet, and proper shade hats would have made a huge difference in how wrecked you were getting. Lastly (maybe) the kind of training, and the volume of it. If you have mountains or even hills in your area, that should be where you are, 99% of the time. If you don't, going up and down high school football stadium bleachers is the next best thing, and once a week driving to where you CAN hike in the mountains or hills, would be fantastic. I hope you both re-tool, dial it all in, add lightness and speed, and go have another go at it!!

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

@@austinado16 No offense taken, menopause has greatly hindered the "shedding of extra weight" unfortunately 😊. And yes, we live on the coast of NC, so training was all at sea level with high levels of humidity, very different conditions! Love all the advice, thank you!! And maybe one day we'll be back to do a true Rim-to-Rim hike!!

@austinado16

2 жыл бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 Well, you both did fantastic, especially considering where you are able to train, and that it was your first time. You have an epic story to tell.....let's face it, how many people go Rim-2-River as a first go in the Canyon, blow up to the point of trail puking several times, somehow get their selves back together, and still power out under their own head of steam!! Pretty awesome.

@lewismartinez5130

2 ай бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 Frankly amazing that your legs were never an issue considering the training that you were limited to. Did you get in a lot of hill/stair work? Agree with others that unless you're doing a true Rim to Rim (North Rim is closed November through April), a cooler month would be much better. Your fitness watch notification reminded me of an experience I had--once, sitting in El Tovar restaurant after a sleepless night due to a windstorm backpacking and a VERY hard hike out of the Canyon my Fitbit buzzed me because, according to it, I had been sitting too long. My thoughts towards it were unprintable.

For folks watching this, it really doesn't have to be this bad. Start early ~ 20 minutes before sunrise. Don't have exposed skin, wear a white long sleeve wicking top. Hydrate on a schedule, 5-6 oz every 15 minutes and snack the entire time to get in calories. But most of all train a great deal for your quads, especially eccentric quad work - can't be over emphasized. You'll have much more fun on this hike and be able to knock it off in 10 hours or less. If you wear white and are hydrating enough and take your breaks in the shade, the heat won't be so bad as it is a dry heat. It's a hike that everyone needs to train for.

@GenxGypsy1968

5 ай бұрын

I do agree with all of those suggestions. This particular day had very unusual high temperatures for the time of year, which we were unprepared for. In fact it was the opening day for North Rim to South Rim hikers, and we talked to many of those who had done this hike multiple times and they were struggling too. You can plan and train, but sometimes Mother Nature has her own plan, so always be ready for anything!

Great job ladies. This is my favorite hike. Tough, but the views are like none other!

Congratulations ladies!!!🎊🎉🍾 I’ve done that hike twice and it doesn’t get easy. 👏 great job!!

You both showed showed a lot of smiles under a great deal of stress! I was wishing you had hiking poles. Congrats!! Oh and those were mules, not horses. 🥰

Great job on the hike! I just wanted to clarify a few things, first you said that Cedar Ridge rest stop was the last bathrooms before Phantom Ranch but there are bathrooms at the Tip-off. Secondly those are mules not horses. Loved the video.

Exposed skin is definitely no good in heat+sun. Sunscreen won’t protect you. Super lightweight sunshirt and pants by Outdoor Research (on the high end) or Willit (on amazon, budget friendly and excellent) keeps you covered head to toe. Sun hat with wide brim too. Cooling towels around the neck refreshed often work surprisingly well. General cardio fitness is super important in the heat as the heart rate defines the pace you can go and the heat causes you to have a high heart rate so if not cardio fit there are temps that essentially there is no safe pace you can go during peak temps. Cardio fitness isn’t a weight level (I am not thin by any means, definitely overweight, but my cardio is excellent), get your resting heart rate as low as possible by small regular hikes.

@Smashycrashy

2 жыл бұрын

Also on long hikes, fueling strategy to keep glycogen levels up is really important or you do the “A few steps up and stop for 5-10 seconds” type hiking because your muscles have no energy. Basically you have to eat as much as your body can handle at your current exertion level.. that is generally 150-250 calories an hour. The heat suppresses appetite so it is difficult to eat, so getting energy by fluids (tailwind mix, gatorade, sugar soda) or gels is something to try. There is a lot of moving parts to having a successful hike in heat that is safe, it isn’t easy.

Wow! Congratulations to you two. That is awesome. Unbelievable! I bet you slept good that night.

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Oh yes!! 😊

I hiked up the Bright Angel May 18 about the same time of day as you did. No shade from the river to Indian Garden. Working hard climbing switchbacks and breathing in 100 degree air. Was so afraid of developing heat exhaustion. You guys did great given the harsh conditions. Congrats!

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Congrats to you too!! 😊

You ladies did awesome, however you said your water was too hot in your pouch that indicates you were not drinking enough water! Thankyou for sharing your moments of fun & experience on this challenging hike

Great video and channel! The Grand Canyon is on my bucket list. New follower here. Crow✌️

@GenxGypsy1968

Жыл бұрын

Thank you and Welcome aboard! 😊

Thanks! Nice example of fossil animal tracks with in to the snake tail picture. Way to persevere.

@GenxGypsy1968

Жыл бұрын

Thank you very much! 😊

Great job, there are so many could never walk this trail as you both did! Hard work!!! Glad you both made it safe! Congrats, its a difficult canyon to hike! 1% of the popula have done it.

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!!

I'm so very proud of both of you

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!! 😊

Rim to Rim is going from South Rim to North Rim or vice versa. This would be considered Rim to River.

AWESOME GUYS 👏👏👏👏👏🙏💯♥️AM GOING WITH SOME FRIENDS NEXT WEEKEND 👍

That’s a great video. I was supposed to go next week but had to cancel. Trying for October. Any suggestions

I did this hike on June 7th, same issues as you did, I finish at 1045pm, I have to do it again to improve my time, I will bring a container with ice for that one.

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Great job! Impressed you're going back 😊

The main reason this hike is NOT recommended is it requires hiking up the worst part of The Bright Angel trail in the hottest, sunniest part of the day. Really saps your strength. Much better to plan ahead and camp at the bottom.

I hiked to the bottom and camped with my hubby and 2 kids years ago. Hiked back out same side. Rim to rim is a goal. After my accident in which I had multiple pelvic fractures and both femurs broken it may be a year or two, but I will do it!

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

Wow!! I think hiking down and back up with a full pack would be even harder 😳. I know you'll do it, always good to have those goals to keep motivated to do the hard things every day!

Fantastic work! What times do the shuttles run during May? Wife and I are planning on doing that hike but not sure if to camp down there or do it in one day. Our worry (besides heat) is not making it in time for a shuttle.

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

I believe the morning shuttles started around 5am, and the time for the last shuttle from Bright Angel was "an hour after dusk"....so we were extremely worried we were going to miss the shuttle! The day we did it, that last shuttle we caught was at 9:15pm. If I were to do it again, I would probably split it into two days and camp at Indian Garden for the night 😊

I hiked Bright Angel to Phantom ranch and back up same day in '97...I'm a little confused...when you were done...where would you take a shuttle to?...

@HikeNC13

25 күн бұрын

They started at South Kaibab, then came up Bright Angel. So they took the shuttle from Bright Angel trail head to South Kaibab trail head.

Just an FYI -Kaibab is pronounced Kai like the first part of kite, without the te . Ki long I and bab is pronounced like babbling without the last part “bling” Kai bab. I hear so many people pronounce it the way she did. I live and grew up in the little town that’s called the gate way to the Grand Canyon. That’s how northern Arizonans say it.😊

@WRIGHTWAY5280

Ай бұрын

Thank you!

So you hiked down and back, both on the south rim side, correct?

Y'know you guys could have saved yourself a lot of angst and done this hike in the winter

Wow

I wonder if it's better to hike that in the winter.

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

I've watched a few videos on winter hikes in the Grand Canyon, and it looks like you trade the Heat issues with the Ice issues 😊. It's good to plan that its going to be challenging no matter what, LOL

@stevedietrich8936

7 ай бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 I did the hike 10 years ago this month. Hiked down the SK one day, hiked roundtrip to Ribbon Falls day 2, hiked out on the BA day 3. Stayed at Phantom 2 nights. Wore mini-crampons down the SK to about the 5500 foot level, then took them off and never had to put them back on. Low 20's starting out at sunrise on the rim, pleasant 60 degrees at the bottom, and about 50 degrees back up on the South rim. Great time of the year to do the hike, no crowds same scenery.

@christopherhaak9824

5 ай бұрын

Did the hike in March, was a good time with very little snow and slush at the top.

Time of year of your hike.?

What date did you go on and what time did you start?

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

May 16th, we started down the trail right around 7am, a little later than what we wanted to start, but even if we had started two hours earlier it was already 100 in the canyon by 10am that day!

@FATL0L0

2 жыл бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 congratulations; I did South Kaibab July 30 2021 . We started 3:30 Am and finished on the North rim 4:PM . It was my 1st time but definitely not my last !!

@GenxGypsy1968

2 жыл бұрын

@@FATL0L0 Holy moly, the middle of summer?! You are amazing 😊. I'm pretty sure if I do it again it might have to be in snow shoes, LOL!

@FATL0L0

2 жыл бұрын

@@GenxGypsy1968 I’m born and raised in the AZ desert SW so it wasn’t too bad. Half way up the North side we started getting a little overcast , it helped 👍🏽

My husband has offered a backpacking camping trip in Grand Canyon, but I told him I want to go DOWN the North Rim, NOT UP. and then hike to the other side. Like couldn't we camp at Cottonwood or Phantom Ranch and then go onto Bright Angel Trail?

@GenxGypsy1968

Жыл бұрын

I haven't done the North Rim, but traditionally that is the way most people go (down North Rim, up South Rim) and absolutely you can camp at Phantom Ranch, or if you really wanted to push it you could go up to Indian Gardens which is about halfway up the Bright Angel Trail. It was a beautiful area, even though I was pretty delirious when I was there, LOL!

@nickyl9040

8 ай бұрын

most people don't know this but the At large Clear Creek Use Area is a short distance from Phantom Ranch..Once you get upriver from the CCC bench you can legally camp anywhere

@christopherhaak9824

5 ай бұрын

Sure you can do this, it might be hard getting a reserved camping spot, which you will need.

@WRIGHTWAY5280

Ай бұрын

​@@nickyl9040 without a permit?