19 mile Grand Canyon BF hike

rickwhitelaw

rickwhitelaw

Barefooters
Apr 27, 2011
1,870
2,525
113
Beryl Utah
#1
The original plan was to follow in Thea G's footsteps and do the Rim to Rim barefoot, but plans changed and to be honest. I probably would not have been able to do it. So my son and I did 2.5 miles of the S. Rim hike to Bright Angel trailhead, down Bright Angel 9.5, Phantom Ranch .5, up South Kaibab 7.0. Nearly 10,000 feet of elevation change. Another incredible hike and all barefoot. I'll put together a trail report and pictures soon.

Rick W.
 
#3
Sounds like a great time spent with a loved one. Who could ask for more?
 
#4
It's a good hike too, and a lot less driving. Well unless you are coming from up north.

Glad you had a great time!

Speaking of which can we consider this forum an official ultra/trail forum?
 
#5
I was wondering about AZ and the Grand Canyon terrain. I'm planning a hiking trip there next spring, and was wondering if it would be doable BF, or if huaraches would be necessary. No problem with prickly things? I lived in AZ for some years, before going BF, and seemed like everything there, as they say, wants to bite, sting, or prick you.
 
#6
Mileage isn't everthing, and that sounds like a hell of a good time.
 
#7
stjohnthegambler said:
I was wondering about AZ and the Grand Canyon terrain. I'm planning a hiking trip there next spring, and was wondering if it would be doable BF, or if huaraches would be necessary. No problem with prickly things? I lived in AZ for some years, before going BF, and seemed like everything there, as they say, wants to bite, sting, or prick you.
Click to expand...

It depends on your route, the lesser traveled trails are much rougher than N and S Kaibab and Bright Angel. Given your level of conditioning John, I believe you would be fine barefoot, but huaraches are a good backup. There was some cactus on the Bright Angel Trail near Indian Garden, but I didn't pick up any. The only sharp thing I felt other than rocks was something near the mule corrals near Phantom Ranch. I assume it was a fence staple, but I didn't stop to check. I would say the one of the biggest hazards of the trails are the logs that they use for erosion control. Not the logs, but the rebar they use to secure the logs. Sometimes the logs were gone, but the rebar remained, sometimes just barely visible.
 
#9
stjohnthegambler said:
I was wondering about AZ and the Grand Canyon terrain. I'm planning a hiking trip there next spring, and was wondering if it would be doable BF, or if huaraches would be necessary. No problem with prickly things? I lived in AZ for some years, before going BF, and seemed like everything there, as they say, wants to bite, sting, or prick you.
Click to expand...

Prickly things are not a problem at all. The trails are basically covered in old, dry dessicated mule droppings (that is actually a soft wonderful surface to walk on). But what you need to look out for is time of day and how much sun has been shining on the trails. Because not only does the air get hot, but the ground gets hot. The closer to summer, the more you have to worry about this. I went in late May.

I got a late start (forgot my hiking stick and had to go back for it, which meant I left about an hour later than I intended to). By about 10:30am the surface going down the Kaibab was too hot to do barefoot without worrying about frying my soles (which would have made the return trip hell). At that point I put on moccasins.

http://ahcuah.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/bob-meet-kaibab/
 
#11
stjohnthegambler said:
Ok, thanks Bob! I'll be bringing my mocs and hauraches. This'll be in March though, so a little cooler. Man, reading yr blog post, I miss the desert land....
Click to expand...

To tell you the truth, in March I doubt you'll need either. But if you bring emergency footwear, just bring one of the two (why carry more than necessary). In my case, I decided on the mocs since I was concerned about trapping hot sand between my sole and a sandal sole.

PS. There are a few other blog entries when I went into the canyon on short day hikes. There are also a few at Chaco Canyon, which I thought was amazing in its own way.
 
#14
Ahcuah said:
The trails are basically covered in old, dry dessicated mule droppings (that is actually a soft wonderful surface to walk on).
Click to expand...

I don't know why, but this made me laugh.
 
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