Crossing the Grand Canyon - BF attempt in October

[rickwhitelaw]

Is this even possible? I am sure someone has done it barefoot, but I can't find any information. Barefoot Ted did some of the Grand Canyon barefoot in 2006. http://barefootted.com/2006/10/barefooting-grand-canyon.html
I did a section of the trail barefoot in May and I would like to attempt a Rim to Rim hike in October barefoot. Reserved a place to stay in Flagstaff the 3rd week of October. Any advice or encouragement would be appreciated. Of course open invite to anyone that wants to come along.
Rick W.

 

[rik]

Rick,
That sounds amazing whats the total distance ? Have you thought about any sponsors 0r any of your favorite causes or charities this sounds like a great idea !

 

[Last Place Jason]

Is it a rim to rim, or r2r2r? If you know Vanessa Rodriguez and Robert Shackleford, they're experienced barefoot runners that just ran it this last May. They were shod but could give some good feedback on the feasibility to doing it barefoot.

I'd be all for joining you, but my wife is running a race in Oklahoma that weekend.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That would be a dream run for me. I am totally jealous. Wish I could join you. What's the weather like there in October? You definitely need someone to go along with you, a pacer maybe. You shouldn't go alone. Have a blast!

 

[bf in az]

I was at the canyon this weekend and hiked or ran all of the S. Kaibab and Bright Angel and the lower half of the N. Kaibab (not barefoot though--I was in VFFs and huaraches). I would say it's doable, at least if you are otherwise up to covering 20+ miles of trail barefoot. It's a mixed bag, though, and although there are lots of parts that would be very pleasant barefoot, there are also some parts that are going to be pretty rough--for instance, there were some parts near the bottom of the N. Kaibab which were covered in rock chips. You have your choice of trail on the south rim, and I would recommend the S. Kaibab over the Bright Angel since the Bright Angel had some long stretches of uneven rock whereas the S. Kaibab is mostly dirt. And of course, you are going to have to deal with a lot of mule urine; dodging huge puddles is one of the inherent challenges of the canyon =).

Good luck. I'm planning a R2R attempt this summer, but I plan to run it in huaraches. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Abide]

I have done S. Kaibab to Bright Angel and the other way around barefoot before, but never up the N. Kaibab so can't help you there.

S. Kaibab and the trail along the river are difficult barefoot. Bright Angel is a piece of cake, it is mostly sand mixed with warm mule piss. My best trip there was running down BA barefoot then putting on shoes at the river for the hike out on S. Kaibab.

 

[rickwhitelaw]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Rik, the total distance would be 21 miles with the S. Kaibab to the N. Kaibab route or 24 miles Bright Angel to N. Kaibab. Not too bad distance wise, it's always the elevation changes and the weather conditions that get people into trouble. No sponsors or charities. Although a good motivator for a goal, I wouldn't like the pressure to finish. I'll listen to my feet, if they get sore, on go the sandals. The Grand Canyon is not a place to get into trouble.

Jason, just a Rim to Rim hike. I'm not quite ready for a double crossing, even with shoes. I'm looking at next May for that. I did scan Vanessa's blog about her R2R2R. I'll re-read it again.

TJ, the weather is perfect in October. Not too cold on the rims and not too hot in the canyon. Another great time to go is in May. I'll have my son with me, he's a very capable hiker. His comment in May when we were at Ribbon Falls, "This is the coolest place I have ever been. When are we coming again?"

BF in AZ and Abide, I was hoping for some local input. So one vote for S. Kaibab and one vote for Bright Angel? One of the decisions I will have to make. When I did the hike last October, I did the S. Kaibab and thought the the trail was somewhat barefoot friendly, but it might be different going downhill. There are rough stretches on the N. Kaibab especially where the trail has been cut into the sides, lots of rock chips, but if I can make it through those, everything above Supai tunnel is soft.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

Beautiful.

 

[bf in az]

I took my wife to Ribbon Falls. Her response was basically the same. It's an amazing place.