Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Grand Canyon, Rim to Rim, Car swap

Your great pics and the captions make a good trip report. Looks like a good time was had by all.

Whitney Fan had a question on the #'s of hiker incidents at Grand Canyon. Backpacker Magazine has an article "6 Most Dangerous Parks." Guess which one was #1..
Heres a quote:
"it should come as no surprise that it(Grand Canyon) saw 348 SAR missions in 2012. The park also had the highest death toll of any park that year, claiming 21 lives.
Last month they had 3 in 4 weeks; and its not hot yet...(Why I am going to Mt. Whitney in June.)

It is easy to walk downhill into a warm day. But it can be hellacious to try to climb UP while it is hotter. 348 SAR events in one year is huge! Wow!

Those facts just boost my ego at having done the rim to rim! (As I'm sure it does for you too, Steve.) It was truly a special experience . . . and the beauty of times like that is that they live on forever in your memory, become part of you.

How difficult is it to get the necessary permits for rim to rim to rim? I know accommodations require months and months of advanced reservations

Marty: No permit is required to day hike R2R. But arranging the car shuttle or transportation can be tricky. I got lucky, and shared with Julius S on this one -- Julius and Co. got their permit over 6 months in advance, since they stayed overnight near the north rim, then two nights near Phantom Ranch in the canyon, and then another motel night on the S Rim.

I myself just traded cars with them, spent a night in a National Forest site before the hike, hiked across and then drove almost to Las Vegas and spent a night in a motel in Mesquite, NV afterward.

Read this entire thread. It was a really unique experience for me.

Hi Whitney Fan,

You said the Rim to Rim was harder than Whitney. Are you talking about Whitney as a day hike? I ask because I did the Rim to Rim as a day hike last month at the GC and am shocked to hear that Whitney as a day hike is easier. I'm doing it 7/2 and am nervous. If you did the Rim to Rim as a day hike I'll relax a bit. Did you?

Thanks, Sara

Hi Sara,

I have also done both as day hikes, and will make the following observations:
- Altitude at Whitney is a big factor. You will "labor" more on Whitney due to shortness of breath. Please take note of all the advice to schedule enough time to acclimate. Spend at least two days above 10,000' (Horseshoe Meadows is a good location - Lots of shorter hikes to enjoy while adjusting to the altitude). I often stay at Mammoth Lakes for three days, doing easy hikes above 10,000' prior to attempting Whitney (or other 14K' peak).
- R2R is difficult due to uphill finish, after a long day.
- Preparation is a BIG factor. If you've prepared properly either can be enjoyed Without proper preperation either can be very painful

My guess is that you will have no problem, provided you maintain your fitness level, and allow for acclimatization.

Please post a trip report after you hike. Let us know what you think, and how you would compare them.

Enjoy!

John

Sara- Timing and planning makes a difference. Since the N. Rim of Grand Canyon is still closed; I'm guessing your R2R was a walk to the River and back from the South Rim- an 18 mile walk if gone down to Phantom Ranch and back- in very mild weather (the inner canyon at below 80 degrees).
The R2Rs mentioned here include the N Rim-1000' higher; and 21 miles from Rim to Rim. Steve's walk had mild weather-making it comfortable. Its still doing the last 4 miles UP 4000'; where the S Rim R2R is 3000' in 3 miles at lesser altitude, and shorter distance.

I'm not dismissing your walk; just pointing out differences so you can compare walks and degree of challenge. I often do the walk at this time because the weather and spring blooms in the canyon make it a nice day hike...

Sara, I did both rim to rim AND Whitney as day hikes.

As you read, I found the rim to rim hike a real test -- and for me, harder than Whitney.

The reality regarding which hike is harder may not match my observation. (And I'm not implying that the reality is that Whitney is harder. That reality is, to my guess, unknown. I.e., I don't know of any concensus opinion regarding which is the harder. I don't know of any survey/poll conducted amongst many joint rim to rim/Whitney day hike veterans.)

Bear in mind that my opinion may have been influenced by both my older age in doing rim to rim (66 vs. 59) as well as arguably poor hike management doing rim to rim (not enough or/and long "breaks" during my descent before hiking uphill, as well as not enough fuel or liquid intake before the climb up).

Welcome to this forum! Please post again or PM me if you have any further questions.

Thanks Steve...I'll check out the thread.