Big Bottom- I hate to say it but I think you are asking for trouble. This is not the right hike to do if you are not much of a hiker.
Having said that if you are determined to do it you had better get to training. I had a few hikes around where I live that have good inclines and I did them religiously for months. If you dont have hills to climb I would continue with climbing the stairs a lot.
Make sure your wife is training as well. Dragging someone through the canyon is not fun and dangerous. Have you considered just doing the bright angel down and back to get a feel for it before attempting rim to rim to rim?
I believe the poster was cactus who had the Grand Canyon thread. I will try to dig it up later today.
Get fit for some good hiking boots NOW and wear them for training.
I also think there are better mixes then gatorade out there. Do you have any hiking stores near by? They would have lots of info from boots to nutrition.
Dont forget the basic safety stuff-Whistle,signal mirror,basic first aid
I gotta head out now but I will try to add to this later. You better be hiking something today
Yep, I know this is a bad idea. But I'm pot committed now. All I can do is get myself as prepared as possible. I've studied the trails and been given a detailed overview from friends who have done it multiple times. From a technical standpoint, it's not a difficult hike. Maximum grade during the ascent is like 17%. The trick will be the distance (21 miles), the heat (100+) and the ascent (just under 6,000 ft). It's going to be hell, I know it. But it's something I need to do. Something I will do.When you say you were doing hikes religiously for six months, what does that mean? Once a week? Twice a week? Every day? How long were the hikes either in distance or time? I'm basically training about 5-6 days a week right now. Did stairs for two hours yesterday (actual stairs in a stairwell). Other incline training involves stair mills at about 100 floors a pop, and treadmill work that varies from 10% incline for longer periods to 30% incline for only about 40 minutes or so (there's a 24-hour fitness by my house that has a machine that can go to 30%). Then I'm doing a long hike once a week from 12-16 miles, and will work up to longer distances as we get closer. Today was 12 miles and then I'll do incline training later this afternoon. Other days I'll just jog a 5k for cardio purposes.
As for my wife, she's been training for months now. She has several friends who have done this every year for the last five or so years. So she's training with them.
I know this is going to be difficult. I know it's going to kick my ### and be the hardest thing I've ever done. But I know I can do it. I know I will do it. The group I'm going with has been doing this for years. And they have newbies that do it with them every year. There is another couple who are first timers as well. I did a training session with the group already and was more than able to hold my own. So I know this is doable from a physical standpoint. Mental may be a different story.
The hiking boots I have now are working great so far. I've put a 100+ miles on them and will break them in a bunch more in the next 2+ months. Will definitely look more into the electrolyte mixes for the water bottle. We have plenty of hiking and outdoor stores in the area. Thanks for the advice.
Had first aid kit on my pack list, but didn't think about safety whistle or signal mirror. Will add those as well.
Please keep the advice coming. I really appreciate it. My goal is to be back here posting in June, so I'll take whatever advice I can to survive the trip and make it out alive.