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I am going to hike the Bright Angel Trail into the Grand Canyon in a couple of days and am wondering if anyone out there has done it before. I do not have a lot of experience with serious hiking so any tips, cautions or comments would be greatly appreciated.
I haven't hiked that particular trail, but have been to the Grand Canyon and hiked several of the other trails many times. This can be a pretty daunting trip, and definitely NOT a day hike to the bottom and back. It is like doing a mountain in reverse--the longer you go down the harder it is coming back up. And it is HOT. You may need to reserve a campsite at the bottom. There is a lot of info at the Grand Canyon website.
http://www.nps.gov/grca/
good luck
CB
In the unlikely event that you haven't already made this hike, the following link features photos by David Sweet of the Bright Angel Trail going from bottom to top: http://camping.about.com/blpics06.htm
I've hiked the Bright Angel in July and it is probably the hottest time possible...but when you get to the bottom the Colorado River is ICE cold and you can jump in!
I agree, although people do actually go from rim to rim in one day, why would you want to rush something that is so beautiful? Going up can be heck...depends on how used to switchbacks your legs are and how heavy your pack is. You gotta bring lots of water and fuel for your body or else you will feel VERY ill coming up.
If I recall, you will need a permit to camp and that can be tricky if you haven't arranged that in adavance...have to wait for no shows b4 you can go down.
If you aren't going to hike to the bottom and camp, I'd suggest hiking just a few hours and then come back up...its slow going!
Have fun!