FTFY

 

I don't want to scare you, just educate you.

First of all, are you an experienced hiker? If not, stay away from top-bottom grand canyon hikes.

If you are, then you need to get a good map, and LEARN the trails. There are MANY places you can get rim rocked, and you will be in a LOT of trouble.

Assuming you are going to do all that......

1)You will need to do it in stages, usually one full day, or two days with making camp.

2)You will need about 4 gallons of water PER PERSON AT THE LEAST PER DAY. This is a VERY HEAVY LOAD to carry, on top of all your equipment.

3)You will need a GPS system, with backup batteries.

4)Cell phones may not (probably wont) work, so you may need to set up a no-contact rescue plan.

5)Bring salt packs, sugar packs, a first aid kit, and a flint.

You will NOT be able to do the hike in/out in one day, not a chance. Assuming you are going from the rim to the colorado river, you will never make it. By the time you want to head back, the sun will be setting (and it sets FAST) and you will be walking blind....guaranteed to break your ankle, and you have a very good chance of dying (I'm not kidding) as you will dehydrate.

I've done this hike twice, and it was grueling. Any other advice I can offer I'd be glad to help. I've done many of these "Man vs Wild" trips (before he made this stuff popular) so I am pretty experienced. Hiking down the spine of Siberia was no picnic either.

 

4 gallons per day?

 

I'm no expert, but I understand that liquid = liquid, so you can always just pee in your mouth if you run out.

 

You can, but

1) urine is sterile for about 10 minutes in that type of heat.

2) urine will have less and less water in it everytime you drink it.

3) most people are unable to drink their own urine due to gagging.

4) 4 gallons is a minimum. You need about 1 liter per hour in 90 degree temps.

 

I just said it for fun

As a last resort, drinking your own urine is merely a speed bump on the way to "you'regonnadie-ville."

 

Well, I could not get anyone excited about this excursion so they "guy" trip will be something else. And no, not Gay Disneyland.

If we were going to do it it would have been in late September or October due to temps inside the canyon. I think for me personally four gallons a day would be high, but I am only 155 pounds. My most strenuous trip was in 95 degrees, carrying heavy packs and fully loaded sea kayaks through the woods, lots of up hill and about 25 miles of paddling. I only went though about 2 -2.5 gallons in a day, but we were able to jump in the water a few times to cool off and bring down core body temp. Not really possible hiking out of the canyon.

 

I hiked rim-to-rim-to-rim when I was a teenager; we took 5 days. It was over a Memorial Day weekend, and we got snow flurries coming out the last day; that night the temperature got down to 7 degrees F. It's definitely not a trip you want to attempt if you're not an experienced hiker / backpacker.