[Badwater]

Wayne,

The way to train for hills is to do hills.  Find a mountain and walk up and down.  In 2008 my wife and I trained to do the Tour de Mt. Blanc in the Alps.  My wife is just a hiker and does absolutely no running.  To get her used to 10-14 mile days with 3-4K ascent and decent we did  several long hikes, 10-15 miles, on the Appalachian Trail here in PA.  I sought out hills and rocky terrain to simulate what we would encounter on the tour.  We did long hike about every 2-3 weeks with several shorter ones tossed in to fill out the program.  The main emphasis was climbing, descending and time on your feet.  I wanted to get her out for several 6-8 hour hikes so that she wouldn't freak out when we were doing the tour. 

When we did the tour both of us were 58 years old so we aren't spring chickens.  It was slow going but we had a blast and suffered no ill effects from the hike.  We hiked approximately 70 miles in 6 days and had at least 3000 feet of climb and decent every day.  In other words, we were well prepared.

Now to prepare to run the double crossing I will train very similiar to what we did for the hiking.  The main difference is the pace and length of the training runs.  By this fall I should be doing weekly 20-30 mile (4-8 hour) runs on the AT with significant amounts of up and down.  I like to run the downhills hard as it really toughens up the legs.

I went to your website (nice doors by the way), and see that you are in Tucson.  I would guess that you should be able to get to the mountains to train without to much effort. Find a mountain or a big hill and walk that sucker up and down till cows come home.  There aren't any shortcuts to getting fit for this stuff.  The better shape you are in the more you will enjoy the hike.

Most important of all....have fun

[WGH]

I only hike to have fun, Tucson has some amazing hikes. The low winter hikes take about a 1/2 hour to get to a trailhead, during the summer we drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon and that takes an hour. We get people from all over the world training here, it has to do with the unique scenery along with 350 sunny days per year. Bicyclist's like the  terrain. Hikers and trail runners quickly find out how brutal some of the trails are, if you can hike these mountains without being out of breath then you can hike anywhere. Oh yea - I'm 62. I guess we're showing the kids out there how it's done.

Wayne

[BikeWNC]

I'll be at the Canyon next week as well.  I won't be hiking the 17 mile loop down the S Kaibab and up Bright Angel though.  Our 10yo daughter isn't up to that yet.  My wife hiked out of Phantom Ranch in May 2009 when we were floating through on our private raft trip.  She had to get back home while we continued down canyon.  It was 106º that day and they left Phantom after 11am.  It was a tough hike out. 

[WGH]

My wife hiked out of Phantom Ranch in May 2009 when we were floating through on our private raft trip.  She had to get back home while we continued down canyon.  It was 106º that day and they left Phantom after 11am.  It was a tough hike out.

Wow, it's hard to carry enough water in that kind of heat, add in the climb and she is a lucky gal to have made it out. A body looses water faster than you can put it in when it is that hot. I got acclimated to high temperatures by laying large adobe block through a couple of Tucson summers and even I won't hike in 106 degree temps.

If you see a tired looking old guy late Friday afternoon come over and say hi.
(pic)

Wayne

[satfrat]

Wow, it's hard to carry enough water in that kind of heat, add in the climb and she is a lucky gal to have made it out. A body looses water faster than you can put it in when it is that hot. I got acclimated to high temperatures by laying large adobe block through a couple of Tucson summers and even I won't hike in 106 degree temps.

If you see a tired looking old guy late Friday afternoon come over and say hi.
(pic)

Wayne

Cool glasses Wayne. 

[Badwater]

You can train for the heat, but you are right about the water and sweating.  During Badwater (July road ultra in death valley) I drank a 20 oz bottle of water every 15-20 min. during the heat of the day (110-125).

If you want to get ready for the heat get in the sauna 5 times a week at high temperatures for as long as you can stand it. While in the sauna just sit and drink water.  I built up to 45 min at 160 degrees in preparation for Badwater.  Teaches your body to sweat and process water.  It takes about 2 weeks to acclimate to hot or cold.

[WGH]

I have heard of Badwater. My hiking partner Kat knows Pam Reed who lives in Tucson and finished 14th in 2010, 7th in the 2009, 5th in 2008 & 2005, 4th in 2004, and 1st place in the 2003 and 2002 Ultramarathon.

[Tone Depth]

Wayne,

One of the best training strategies for the Grand Canyon is to start from the top of the Mt. Lemmon trailhead, hiking down and then climbing back up.  You can then work up to your target distance/altitude.  I'll bet you've already thought of that one though.

[WGH]

Now that sounds brutal. Lucky for me training is all done, I'm going to lay around and get fat until next Friday. We just got our first heat wave, 95 degrees in the shade, so all my hiking will be above 6000' until November.

[Badwater]

I ran Badwater in 03 and 06.  Too slow and old to meet the finishing requirements now.  They dropped the max time allowed from 60 hours to 48 hours.

Badwater was/is a very intense experience that stays with you for life.

[guest48077]

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend doing what you plan to do.

I spent 6 days in the canyon, it was a great experience and I will go back to do it again some day. The thing with the grand Canyon is that it is VERY hot down there. It is so hot that you spend a lot of your time (when not hiking) sitting in water to keep cool. We would leave camp at abuot 5 am and hike until 11 am or so, after that it is too hot to Hike.

I would never attempt going from top to bottom in one day, the rangers will also advise you not too.

Please keeping mind that I am in Very good shape and I was carrying 6 days worth of food and supplies( split between 2 people)

the Grand Canyon should not be rushed it is an amazing place. Whats the Rush?

[Steidl Guitars]

if you can hike these mountains without being out of breath then you can hike anywhere.

I've backpacked in and out of the canyon quite a few times, trails from both N and S rims, and I think that some of the routes up the Rincons is just as tough! 

A few have commented at the temperature differential at the top and bottom of the canyon; it's occasionally remarkable.  Once, when we came out in March, it was pleasantly warm at the bottom and we were pushing thigh-deep snow at the top.  Takes a bit longer that way. 

Have a great trip.
Bob

[whatsthisone]

I have hiked down the Boucher trail, down the Tonto Plateau, across the canyon and up to the North Rim, turned my hat around and crossed back over and up the South Kaibab once in December.

I have been down the Bright Angel and up the South Kaibab in Summer (never again) .

I have been down from the North Rim to Cottonwood and back up in the middle of summer (never again in summer, didn’t I just say that) .

Last month I went in on the Tanner Trail and came out early at Grandview point.   My friend had a hip replaced and it was bothering him.   Funny though, 6 months after the hip replacement we were mountain climbing in Mexico .

I generally watch where I get my advice.  When folks start talking about they started training for XXXXXX, and it is out of the ordinary for them, it is a red flag.  The advice might not be applicable.  If a person is very active all the time, run, climb, hike, bike. etc., the canyon and anything else is just another event.

I would personally run up and down in a day just to do it.  I want to do the Rim, to Rim, to Rim.  Why you ask?  Why not?

[WGH]

I like being able to hike anything at anytime so I never "train". I do. I'm out on at least 50 hikes a year in the most unforgiving terrain imaginable. What is amazing is there are hundreds of people out here doing the same thing, we say howdy when we recognize each other in the middle of nowhere.

A short story: Back in the '80's when I first started hiking I bought a little yellow paperback guide book Trail Guide to the Santa Catalina Mountains co-written by Pete Cowgill. The guide in now out of print but I still have my copy. A year ago I was taking a break at the end of Wilderness of Rocks trail and chatting with an older couple. Yup, it was Pete and his wife. A few months later I came across them going up the Aspen trail, they were getting ready to hike to the top of Mt. Wrightson for Pete's 86th birthday the next weekend. This is an A rated hike and I'm sure they made it without any trouble. That is where I want to be at 86 too.

Wayne

[whatsthisone]

Wayne I plan on being there with ya at 90.  If you are active all the time there is no need to train.  I am heading to Nepal on the 19th for 6 weeks heading into Everest Base camp and Mera Peak and.....

[BikeWNC]

Wow, it's hard to carry enough water in that kind of heat, add in the climb and she is a lucky gal to have made it out. A body looses water faster than you can put it in when it is that hot. I got acclimated to high temperatures by laying large adobe block through a couple of Tucson summers and even I won't hike in 106 degree temps.

If you see a tired looking old guy late Friday afternoon come over and say hi.
(pic)

Wayne

Yeah, she was really wiped by the end of that hike.  It didn't help we're from the East Coast and the two ladies she hiked with live in the desert and run marathons.  I've never been able to adjust to the heat well, probably as much a mental thing as anything, but after two weeks rowing a raft down the Colorado in 100+ temps it began to feel normal.  We'll be coming from Page on Wed. and leaving by lunch on Friday.  If I see you I'll give a shout out. 

Andy

[WGH]

I've never been able to adjust to the heat well, probably as much a mental thing as anything, but after two weeks rowing a raft down the Colorado in 100+ temps it began to feel normal.
Andy

Nope, not mental at all - it's all physical (well maybe a little mental, whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger). Some people never adjust and have to move. I watched a kid from Germany who was a great woodworker slowly loose it as the summer progressed. The first year is fairly easy, after that you know what is coming. One year we had 99 days of 100+ temperatures (OK Tone Depth, in Phoenix you had more) and it was a rough summer. But the desert rats who stay year after year and embrace our 5 seasons (spring, summer, monsoon, fall, winter) and the desert are some of the most amazing and friendly people you will ever meet. Still...the yearly adjustment to the summer temps is a bitch.

[mikeeastman]

I have a friend who been hiking the canyon for over 50 years and painting it for about 40 years, thought you might appreciate his work here is link to his web site http://www.grandcanyonwatercolors.com/