Commentary: Why hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon?

This is something that I have wanted to do since first visiting the Grand Canyon as a child. There are those things that you just have to do and this is one of them. It was really great that Connor and I were able to do this together.

It was really good to do this together. We worked very well as a team during the hike down and back out. Connor was very good about reminding us to take water breaks. Without Connor, I probably would have walked too far and drank far less water than needed.

The hike out is very difficult. To help put it in perspective, I drank at least a liter of water before leaving in the morning. I drank at least four liters of water before Indian Gardens. At each rest stop with water, I drank another liter of water. While hiking between rest stops, I drank even more water. It is easy to say that from the start of the hike to the end, I drank at least 10 liters of water. I did not have to use the bathroom until we were an hour down the road from leaving the Grand Canyon. Think about this, when was the last time you went over 9 hours without a bathroom break. It wasn’t that chose to not go, it was that I didn’t need to go. You sweat that much.

About halfway through the last 1.5 miles, Connor says to me “The Grand Canyon sucks!”. All I could do was laugh. I had been thinking the same thing and just could not say it. The Grand Canyon is really awesome. The views from the bottom are unbelievable. You get to experience so much more of the Grand Canyon by going to the bottom. The hike out is difficult and at times the hike out does suck.

If you do ever hike the Grand Canyon, one of the best tips we got was to soak your hat in water. Each time you pass water, soak your hat in it. When you put the hat on, it cools your head and drips down to your clothes, cooling them also. It will very quickly bring down your body temperature.

This hike did require time afterwards to heal. Our legs hurt. The next day it was difficult to walk. Connor commented “It hurts to get up and it hurts to walk.” He was right. It took us at least a full day before we felt really functional. Even now two days after the hike, we are both still sore. Your upper body is just fine. It is just the legs that hurt.