I'm 66. On October 19th I hiked rim 2 rim. South rim to North rim. 23 miles, it took me 14 hours. It was amazing and grueling, but I was proud to have made it. I'm honestly considering doing rim 2 rim 2 rim. Thanks for your video, it's great seeing the trail again :).
We Americans become creature living on wheels. Sometimes we don't even want to leave vehicle when we order food. It is so fascinating to see you and your family walking this vast distance in canyon. It must be excoriatingly painful. But the joy at the end of hiking must be overwhelming. Great job
Pro tip for anyone thinking of doing Rim 2 River 2 Rim.. get a room in the village if at all possible.. not Tusayun.. you will be very thankful coming out of the Bright Angel and checking into a room. Absent getting a room.. park your car at Bright Angel lodge. Call the Xanterra Taxi and have them drop you off at SK trailhead. Waaaaay faster than the bus, is available 24/7 and your car will be right there when you hike out. As to the video. As an aspiring new Ultrarunner (converting from hiking), the #1 issue we have during races is stomach issues (possibly #2 with chafing/blisters being #1). It takes awhile to dial in what works for your stomach when under stress. Some peoples stomach are less sensitive.. some people are just under more stress than others. Electrolyte imbalance & dehydration is common. It is generally best to basically snack/drink continuously rather than big meals at breaks. The blood necessary to digest big meals is many times not (essentially) available and you have stomach/GI issues. And for the love of pete, please buy that lady a properly fitting backpack.
An AMAZING video ! Thank you. Massive well done. It is a hike I probably won’t ever make. This is one of the very best videos I’ve seen for this hike, and I have seen a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Very nicely done👏 i’m so glad I ran into your video I appreciate the effort you’ve made. I have four months to take my journey, sounds like I need a lot more conditioning before I hit the GC trail. I’m backpacking and staying 3days. Thank you once again😊
Just did it last Saturday! I took Bright Angel down and up.. you can’t go wrong with the views. Took me 8 hours total and it was brutal. The heat at the bottom of the Canyon must not be underestimated! I’d also agree with the NPS and suggest that you skip this hike unless it’s an absolute must bucketlist item for you. The views of the Canyon are best at the top, the trail is overcrowded with tourists who don’t follow basic hiking etiquette(Uphill has right of way) and the hike up is brutal the last 2-3 miles. The only thing that prepares you for hikes is more hikes.. stairmaster will not help with hiking 😅
Just did same hike early October with two friends, your video is so real, and honestly portrays this hike! I felt like I was reliving our experience ❤! What a great video, and congrats to your and your group on completing this hike!
My son and I did this hike on 18th 0ctober this year 2023 (32 years and 66 years old) It was probably the most stupid but amazing thing we have ever done. We had trained and had done extensive research and were fully equipped with everything we needed and for every eventuality. We went to Phantom Ranch for lemonade and to eat lunch. We also sent postcards from the bottom of the canyon. This is an extremely good video of the hike and we agree with everything you say about not undertaking this lightly as it is beyond tough and why you are advised not to do it in one day. We caught the 5am shuttle from the visitors centre to the South Kaibab trailhead, so started off in the dark with head torches. We completed the hike in 13 hours but seriously questioned ourselves for the last 4 1/2 miles when we had to draw on every bit of physical and mental energy to reach the rim. It was soooo hard. We describes it as torture! We were very fortunate to get on an express shuttle from the Bright Angel trailhead that went directly back to the visitor centre where we were parked. I have saved this video for us to look back on as as it brings back all the memories of how wonderful but tough it was. We took many photos and a few videos but much of the time was spent concentrating on getting ourself out of the canyon and the first part of the Kaibab trail was in darkness. So again thanks very much for this great video.
You mention your rigorous physical training regime - like so many other hiking accounts - but I heard no mention of actual hiking. 1 hr /day on a stair-climber or treadmill is not the same as 10-14 hours on a rugged trail. The only way to prepare for a long hike is to do lots of long hikes. I did this during June in 120º heat, in 12 hours without incident or major discomfort. I was 49. My preparation was 3 10,000+ ft. summits, and 2 Mount Whitney summits in the prior summer, plus my year round 5 day/week gym regime. I knew what a long hike was and how my body reacted to it. It not only conditions your body, but conditions your mind to the monotony and the mental challenge of the distance and stress. You also learn how your body deals with food and fluids under stress. You also learn what to pack, and what you can do without.
I personally think the sticks are a game changer. For me it took the abrasion and impact from the downhill off my knees. My legs were jelly from the constant downhill but not aching like I know they would have been without the hiking sticks. Uphill they give you a bit of a boost in times when you are struggling to climb. I would absolutely recommend them.
When you are going downhill on the South Kaibab the steps are large, with many requiring you to step down a foot or more. I am 6 foot tall and still had to step down an uncomfortable distance (uncomfortable in the sense of being hard on the knees). Poles allow you to lower yourself down and take some of the weight off your knees. I think almost anyone would find them helpful.
That was extremely dangerous for Shelly, and I'm wondering why all of you didn't take her pack for her. And why were the packs so huge and full for a day hike? Successful hiking, backpacking, and running in the Canyon, is all about training, light body weight, super light pack and gear load, light trail runner shoes, correct use of poles if used, quality electrolyte mix in water, quality easily digested foods, supplementing magnesium and vitamin b complex, and keeping the sun off your head, face, neck, shoulders, and arms by using a full brim hat, and light colored, or white, dri-fit fabric long sleeve shirt. I hope she was okay, and didn't wind up in the ER in Flagstaff for electrolytes and fluids.
Thank you for watching the video and taking time to comment! Your R2R video was one of many we watched in preparation for the trip. In fact, her backpack was nearly empty at the 3 mile resthouse. We transferred everything in her pack to ours. She insisted then and is emphatic now that the weight of the pack had no bearing. As stated in the video, our training was a 5 month program that consisted of running, incline treadmill work, weight resistance heavy on lunges and stadium stair work. We both wore the packs we were going to use for the trip weighted with 25 lbs. on the stair work. So, while the packs were probably too big, they were ones we prepared in advance with and certainly a lot less than the 15-20 backpackers we saw making the same trekk up B.A. We are from Indiana and had studied this trip for a long time and both decided that not having been to the G.C. we would prefer to over prepare than be in trouble under prepared..we in retrospect had too many of the very items you mentioned in your comment and probably could have had lighter packs but it did not effect the trip. I think we checked every other box you mentioned in regards to preparation. We aren't novice hikers or instagrammers looking for clicks. We knew what we were getting into and tried to plan accordingly. Aside from posting for family and friends, we wanted to post the video as a cautionary tale that this hike and the even greater R2R hike is to be taken very seriously. Even if you are prepared one thing could set your day sideways. Shelly believes that what she chose to eat for lunch was too much in substance and sat too heavy on her stomach. After she got sick on trail she felt better for the rest of the time up. She was nearly back to herself when we got back to the top and had fully recovered by the time we got to the car from the shuttle.
@@kevinrenbarger951 It's great to hear more of the back story. Maybe it's worth a follow-up video? Might really help people on planning for there own R2R's or Rim2Rivers. My daughter and I have blown up many times on our R2R runs. You know you're in trouble when your 15yr old walks out of the bathroom at the River Delta Rest, having puked, and says, "Dad, you should just go in there and puke. You'll feel so much better." Her mom barely made it out on the Rim2River runs that we did. The Grand Canyon is incredibly challenging, to even the fittest, and most experienced. And it's the place where; you're fine, and suddenly you're not.
@@kevinrenbarger951 "We are from Indiana..." Found your problem LOL. I myself was wondering why your packs looked big enough for an over nighter, but the real problem if you're nauseous is likely that your electrolytes are too low and/or you are over-heating. You don't understand the heat. I heard you say toward the beginning that you had 1 liter of electrolyte and 2 of plain water. You should have electrolytes in ALL your water. And maybe some salt tablets too since you're from a cooler climate. You should probably get AT LEAST 6 grams of salt on a trip like this. You're sweating all of it out. And some other considerations are a cooling rag for you head - wet it down at every water station and put it around your head and neck. And wide brim hats to block the sun. Or hats that are made to be wet for cooling. 99% of the people I see getting sick in these videos I think is just simply a lack of salt.
Must be kind of upsetting to not feel well and have a guy behind you constantly mumbling about "...has nothing to offer but pain..." and "...still have to get all the way up there...". But: I will take your recommendations to heart! Thanks for the effort.
My R to R to R was done from the north rim and completed in 21hrs 40mins that included a 3hr nap on the south rim. Triathlon training was beneficial. May 20th start.
LOL the rangers who walk the trails. You have to have a permit to camp overnight. Do you know what a PITA it is to get a ticket from the federal government?
Great video! One little error: Rim to rim hikes (south to north or north to south) are also not recommended by NPS. :) We did this same hike at the end of October 2023. Here is our video th-cam.com/video/-Nf5BTceows/w-d-xo.html
I’m doing this next month(March). Staying at Phantom ranch for 2 nights and having to hike back up the South Kaibab because of construction on the Bright Angel trail. How much harder will it be to hike back up versus going back up the bright angel trail?
I found it easier going up SK than BA. I’ve done BA 6 times since Oct ‘22 and up SK now twice. You shouldn’t confuse that with it being easy. Easy/hard is relative to how experienced and fit you are. It is a significant hike. Plan on bringing poles and microspikes. The microspikes are useful in mud and snow. This last weekend the mud was terrible but microspikes & poles helped a lot. Bring lots of snacks and ability to carry a good amount of water. Layers for up top. Phantom is a lot of fun, I enjoyed the stew better than the steak.
@@dlrunneryes it is, as long as you do the whole trek it’s still considered hiking rim to rim. Staying overnight doesn’t matter. Doing it all in one day is more of a challenge but staying overnight still counts. There is no time limit. Anyways this video isn’t about a rim to rim hike, it’s rim to River to rim.
@@youtubeguy99 You are delusional. By your logic, if someone stayed at Phantom for two nights, they would have done rim to rim. Go right ahead and pretend like you know what you are talking about. BTW, when did you do a pretend rim to rim?
I'm 66. On October 19th I hiked rim 2 rim. South rim to North rim. 23 miles, it took me 14 hours. It was amazing and grueling, but I was proud to have made it. I'm honestly considering doing rim 2 rim 2 rim. Thanks for your video, it's great seeing the trail again :).
That’s just so inspiring!
We Americans become creature living on wheels. Sometimes we don't even want to leave vehicle when we order food. It is so fascinating to see you and your family walking this vast distance in canyon. It must be excoriatingly painful. But the joy at the end of hiking must be overwhelming. Great job
Pro tip for anyone thinking of doing Rim 2 River 2 Rim.. get a room in the village if at all possible.. not Tusayun.. you will be very thankful coming out of the Bright Angel and checking into a room. Absent getting a room.. park your car at Bright Angel lodge. Call the Xanterra Taxi and have them drop you off at SK trailhead. Waaaaay faster than the bus, is available 24/7 and your car will be right there when you hike out.
As to the video. As an aspiring new Ultrarunner (converting from hiking), the #1 issue we have during races is stomach issues (possibly #2 with chafing/blisters being #1). It takes awhile to dial in what works for your stomach when under stress. Some peoples stomach are less sensitive.. some people are just under more stress than others. Electrolyte imbalance & dehydration is common. It is generally best to basically snack/drink continuously rather than big meals at breaks. The blood necessary to digest big meals is many times not (essentially) available and you have stomach/GI issues.
And for the love of pete, please buy that lady a properly fitting backpack.
You are doing what I and thousands of others have always wanted to do. Thanks for the shots.
I appreciate that! Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Thank You !!
Awesome video, showing the beauty of the Grand Canyon. We are dreaming to do the Rim to Rim one day as well.🙂👍
Get out and start training and make it happen! You won't be disappointed. It is so worth it/
An AMAZING video ! Thank you. Massive well done. It is a hike I probably won’t ever make. This is one of the very best videos I’ve seen for this hike, and I have seen a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Very nicely done👏 i’m so glad I ran into your video I appreciate the effort you’ve made. I have four months to take my journey, sounds like I need a lot more conditioning before I hit the GC trail. I’m backpacking and staying 3days.
Thank you once again😊
Just did it last Saturday! I took Bright Angel down and up.. you can’t go wrong with the views. Took me 8 hours total and it was brutal. The heat at the bottom of the Canyon must not be underestimated!
I’d also agree with the NPS and suggest that you skip this hike unless it’s an absolute must bucketlist item for you. The views of the Canyon are best at the top, the trail is overcrowded with tourists who don’t follow basic hiking etiquette(Uphill has right of way) and the hike up is brutal the last 2-3 miles.
The only thing that prepares you for hikes is more hikes.. stairmaster will not help with hiking 😅
😊
Just did same hike early October with two friends, your video is so real, and honestly portrays this hike! I felt like I was reliving our experience ❤! What a great video, and congrats to your and your group on completing this hike!
😊
My wife and I did the same hike in 2019. It was an amazing experience.
My son and I did this hike on 18th 0ctober this year 2023 (32 years and 66 years old) It was probably the most stupid but amazing thing we have ever done. We had trained and had done extensive research and were fully equipped with everything we needed and for every eventuality. We went to Phantom Ranch for lemonade and to eat lunch. We also sent postcards from the bottom of the canyon. This is an extremely good video of the hike and we agree with everything you say about not undertaking this lightly as it is beyond tough and why you are advised not to do it in one day. We caught the 5am shuttle from the visitors centre to the South Kaibab trailhead, so started off in the dark with head torches. We completed the hike in 13 hours but seriously questioned ourselves for the last 4 1/2 miles when we had to draw on every bit of physical and mental energy to reach the rim. It was soooo hard. We describes it as torture! We were very fortunate to get on an express shuttle from the Bright Angel trailhead that went directly back to the visitor centre where we were parked.
I have saved this video for us to look back on as as it brings back all the memories of how wonderful but tough it was. We took many photos and a few videos but much of the time was spent concentrating on getting ourself out of the canyon and the first part of the Kaibab trail was in darkness. So again thanks very much for this great video.
We did this one day after you were there! Amazing weather and a great experieince.
The vomit sign.. 😂
And thanks for being intelligent and keeping a respectable distance from a 400_foot fall
You mention your rigorous physical training regime - like so many other hiking accounts - but I heard no mention of actual hiking. 1 hr /day on a stair-climber or treadmill is not the same as 10-14 hours on a rugged trail. The only way to prepare for a long hike is to do lots of long hikes. I did this during June in 120º heat, in 12 hours without incident or major discomfort. I was 49. My preparation was 3 10,000+ ft. summits, and 2 Mount Whitney summits in the prior summer, plus my year round 5 day/week gym regime. I knew what a long hike was and how my body reacted to it. It not only conditions your body, but conditions your mind to the monotony and the mental challenge of the distance and stress. You also learn how your body deals with food and fluids under stress. You also learn what to pack, and what you can do without.
do you think walking sticks on this uneven surface helped or hindered? congratulations on that grueling hike.....
I personally think the sticks are a game changer. For me it took the abrasion and impact from the downhill off my knees. My legs were jelly from the constant downhill but not aching like I know they would have been without the hiking sticks. Uphill they give you a bit of a boost in times when you are struggling to climb. I would absolutely recommend them.
When you are going downhill on the South Kaibab the steps are large, with many requiring you to step down a foot or more. I am 6 foot tall and still had to step down an uncomfortable distance (uncomfortable in the sense of being hard on the knees). Poles allow you to lower yourself down and take some of the weight off your knees. I think almost anyone would find them helpful.
That was extremely dangerous for Shelly, and I'm wondering why all of you didn't take her pack for her. And why were the packs so huge and full for a day hike? Successful hiking, backpacking, and running in the Canyon, is all about training, light body weight, super light pack and gear load, light trail runner shoes, correct use of poles if used, quality electrolyte mix in water, quality easily digested foods, supplementing magnesium and vitamin b complex, and keeping the sun off your head, face, neck, shoulders, and arms by using a full brim hat, and light colored, or white, dri-fit fabric long sleeve shirt.
I hope she was okay, and didn't wind up in the ER in Flagstaff for electrolytes and fluids.
Thank you for watching the video and taking time to comment! Your R2R video was one of many we watched in preparation for the trip. In fact, her backpack was nearly empty at the 3 mile resthouse. We transferred everything in her pack to ours. She insisted then and is emphatic now that the weight of the pack had no bearing. As stated in the video, our training was a 5 month program that consisted of running, incline treadmill work, weight resistance heavy on lunges and stadium stair work. We both wore the packs we were going to use for the trip weighted with 25 lbs. on the stair work. So, while the packs were probably too big, they were ones we prepared in advance with and certainly a lot less than the 15-20 backpackers we saw making the same trekk up B.A. We are from Indiana and had studied this trip for a long time and both decided that not having been to the G.C. we would prefer to over prepare than be in trouble under prepared..we in retrospect had too many of the very items you mentioned in your comment and probably could have had lighter packs but it did not effect the trip. I think we checked every other box you mentioned in regards to preparation. We aren't novice hikers or instagrammers looking for clicks. We knew what we were getting into and tried to plan accordingly. Aside from posting for family and friends, we wanted to post the video as a cautionary tale that this hike and the even greater R2R hike is to be taken very seriously. Even if you are prepared one thing could set your day sideways. Shelly believes that what she chose to eat for lunch was too much in substance and sat too heavy on her stomach. After she got sick on trail she felt better for the rest of the time up. She was nearly back to herself when we got back to the top and had fully recovered by the time we got to the car from the shuttle.
@@kevinrenbarger951 It's great to hear more of the back story. Maybe it's worth a follow-up video? Might really help people on planning for there own R2R's or Rim2Rivers.
My daughter and I have blown up many times on our R2R runs. You know you're in trouble when your 15yr old walks out of the bathroom at the River Delta Rest, having puked, and says, "Dad, you should just go in there and puke. You'll feel so much better." Her mom barely made it out on the Rim2River runs that we did.
The Grand Canyon is incredibly challenging, to even the fittest, and most experienced. And it's the place where; you're fine, and suddenly you're not.
@@kevinrenbarger951 "We are from Indiana..."
Found your problem LOL. I myself was wondering why your packs looked big enough for an over nighter, but the real problem if you're nauseous is likely that your electrolytes are too low and/or you are over-heating. You don't understand the heat. I heard you say toward the beginning that you had 1 liter of electrolyte and 2 of plain water. You should have electrolytes in ALL your water. And maybe some salt tablets too since you're from a cooler climate. You should probably get AT LEAST 6 grams of salt on a trip like this. You're sweating all of it out. And some other considerations are a cooling rag for you head - wet it down at every water station and put it around your head and neck. And wide brim hats to block the sun. Or hats that are made to be wet for cooling. 99% of the people I see getting sick in these videos I think is just simply a lack of salt.
@@kevinrenbarger951 The best way to physically prepare for hiking is to HIKE. 1 hr at the gym is not the same as 10-14 hours on a rugged trail.
Must be kind of upsetting to not feel well and have a guy behind you constantly mumbling about "...has nothing to offer but pain..." and "...still have to get all the way up there...". But: I will take your recommendations to heart! Thanks for the effort.
My R to R to R was done from the north rim and completed in 21hrs 40mins that included a 3hr nap on the south rim. Triathlon training was beneficial. May 20th start.
Who is to know if you stayed at the bottom overnight?
LOL the rangers who walk the trails. You have to have a permit to camp overnight. Do you know what a PITA it is to get a ticket from the federal government?
Great video!
One little error: Rim to rim hikes (south to north or north to south) are also not recommended by NPS. :)
We did this same hike at the end of October 2023. Here is our video
th-cam.com/video/-Nf5BTceows/w-d-xo.html
I’m doing this next month(March). Staying at Phantom ranch for 2 nights and having to hike back up the South Kaibab because of construction on the Bright Angel trail. How much harder will it be to hike back up versus going back up the bright angel trail?
I found it easier going up SK than BA. I’ve done BA 6 times since Oct ‘22 and up SK now twice. You shouldn’t confuse that with it being easy. Easy/hard is relative to how experienced and fit you are. It is a significant hike. Plan on bringing poles and microspikes. The microspikes are useful in mud and snow. This last weekend the mud was terrible but microspikes & poles helped a lot. Bring lots of snacks and ability to carry a good amount of water. Layers for up top. Phantom is a lot of fun, I enjoyed the stew better than the steak.
@@Smashycrashy thank you so much for the advise! I’m so looking forward to it!
Stopping at Phantom for the night is NOT Rim to Rim.
@@dlrunneryes it is, as long as you do the whole trek it’s still considered hiking rim to rim. Staying overnight doesn’t matter. Doing it all in one day is more of a challenge but staying overnight still counts. There is no time limit. Anyways this video isn’t about a rim to rim hike, it’s rim to River to rim.
@@youtubeguy99 You are delusional. By your logic, if someone stayed at Phantom for two nights, they would have done rim to rim. Go right ahead and pretend like you know what you are talking about. BTW, when did you do a pretend rim to rim?
😢 to much gee
Does anyone ever run this?
Don.t understand the music that ended at and then started.GC and vocal, electric music just don" fit