2025 GRCA/Hermit-Tonto-BA

  •   Category Price Weight
  • Food $89.25
    5.1 lb
  • Water $0.00
    4.41 lb
  • Clothes, Worn $0.00
    0 lb
  • Clothes, Carried $406.14
    2.82 lb
  • Sleep $515.00
    2.67 lb
  • Pack $300.00
    1.46 lb
  • Shelter $327.00
    1.36 lb
  • Electronics $126.87
    0.94 lb
  • Camping Entertainment/Comfort $22.99
    0.03 lb
  • Kitchen $125.95
    0.41 lb
  • Ditty $31.53
    0.25 lb
  • Water $0.00
    0.21 lb
  • Navigation $102.00
    0.04 lb
  • Toilet $1.00
    0.04 lb
  • Total $2047.73 19.73
    lb
    • oz
    • lb
    • g
    • kg
  • Consumable 9.67 lb
  • Base Weight 10.06 lb

Prev: 2023 Sep Uinta Highline WEBO

Next: 2025 HDT/ARCH2HITE

Grand Canyon, 4 nights, first week of Feb. Hermit Trail/West Rim and South Rim. Expect temps 10F-65F. Likely winter-like conditions on the South Rim, variable spring-like conditions in the canyon. About 12 hours of light from dawn to dusk. Extended dark means extended time at camp. This is my first significant trip in winter.

Results

Overall the trip was almost a complete success! Did short miles, ~43 miles total. GRCA is different, each mile is so fucking great you could do a zero-mile day in the canyon and feel completely happy. The landscape in the canyon is absolutely incredible and I want to see more. The only thing I would change are to tighten up some sloppy logistics on my part, despite my planning I still seem to have lots of room for improvement in this area. Flew to FLG, took Groome to GCV, worked ok (In the future I would fly direct to PHX and take a longer Groome shuttle PHX->GCV, it would've been faster, cheaper and less risky to cut out the connecting flight to FLG). First night camping was cold (~10F), wore all my layers and it was ok. Won the weather lottery afterwards, had perfect conditions with cool nights and warm, dry days with highs in the upper 70Fs. Shoulder were a little sore early on with the heavier winter baseweight, food and water. Gearwise I would definitely drop the thermos and bring my actually light umbrella, reducing my baseweight about 1lb to ~10lb. GRCA is incredible, I will definitely return!

Planning

Goals and context: I am looking for a place I can love, a place that I can return to time and time again and have different experiences. Learn to stretch my comfort into winter-like conditions and see if winter @ GC works for me.

The South Rim will be cold! There will be snow on the ground, the upper ~1,000 ft of canyon will be ice. Nights will be 20F +/- 10F. Strong winds and snowstorms are possible. Inside the canyon conditions can be highly variable, anywhere from t-shirt weather to rain to whiteout snow.

I need to swap out much of my three-season gear for appropriate winter gear so I am safe and comfortable in the conditions I am likely to face. I start with my usual hiking/thru-hiking kit and bump up the low temp comfort, switching to the warmest versions of stuff I own and 3 layers instead of an ultralight 2. This is the most clothing I've ever brought on a trip. Sleeping system and shelter get a serious overhaul. Clothing items containing any spandex get excised as they may not dry: Jolly Gear TCBD, Dirty Girl gaiters, ...

Mail trekking pole, tent stakes, fuel and about 4 days of food to GCV ~10 days ahead.

Fly to FLG, Groome to GCV. Camp 1st night in Mather CG, then hit the market, USPS, backcountry office, and walk west to Hermit's Rest and into the canyon.

Do I need?

Gear:

  • sleep system: there are a couple of different workable options, i think. the simplest is just to bring the warmest thing i have, a 15F Sawatch which should be enough even for the coldest night above the rim, but will probably be overkill below the rim. another option would be to pair either 2 lighter quilts which would be more weight and volume but potentially be more comfortable below the rim, though it adds some complexity with nesting quilts and with hauling around an unused quilt below the rim, and it's also so much volume i'd have to switch to a 50 liter pack. the other reasonable option would be a 30F quilt and a 1 lb winter down jacket which would be comfortable separately below and above the rim but also paired together above the rim. i have a feeling this might actually be the smartest option but i am going with the "simplest" for now, we will see how i goes.
  • shelters: considered several. given the large volume of my gear i wish to reduce the size and weight, but due to potential high winds, snow and rain and extended time camping i really need something i 100% trust. couldn't figure out anything less than a duomid, 1 x 140cm pole and 6 beefy stakes. i seriously considered the LittleStar and although i trust it i always hike with 1 trekking pole and really hate the idea of carrying a second pole to set up the LittleStar with. i also considered a Six Moon Designs Deschutes which I really like, but it is not fully enclosed and in very strong winds or a snow storm it will not be enough.
  • pack: given the above need for more durable and heavyweight gear for the winter, my 41L Pa'lante Desert Pack will likely be 100% maxed out. i still love it though and will go with it, depending on how it performs i may replace it with an MLD Prophet for winter trips. we'll see! i am also curious to see how the Ultra 400 performs both as pack material generally and also in the rain.
  • cook kit: given low daily mileage and long nights this will be more camping than hiking, so cooking is definitely in. breakfast, dinner and extra coffee whenever. i'm not sure whether i should cook for lunch too, but i also want to maximize my time in the sunlight. we'll see...
  • water treatment: should be relatively abundant and i will not need to drink the Colorado, bleach should be fine and is less hassle and stress than a filter i need to prevent from freezing

New/Testing: Satellite comm from an iPhone 14 for checking in/emergency use if needed. Zojirushi thermos. Keeps water from freezing overnight, stretch my coffee (and fuel) longer. Worth it? Probably will depend on weather -- if weather's nice won't use it much, if weather's terrible I'll probably appreciate it. Apple AirTag for tracking my USPS box and myself. City Spikes: will I need them, and are they durable enough to bother carrying? I can't find anything definitive on them either way.

Research:

Grand Canyon Winter Backcountry:

  • Grand Canyon Backcountry Information Center - 2023 Backcountry and River Use Statistics page 12 "Most Common Backcountry Itineraries in 2023" very insightful

  • Backpacking Snow Camping Grand Canyon Backcountry OUHIKE2 gets lots of precip in mid-Feb 2019, they start in rain and get multiple snowstorms over 4 days, including flurries at Phantom Ranch (rare) and heavy snow at Havasupai Gardens on the way out (also rare). They report sliding around in microspikes on the way down, and strong wind gusts that flatten their tent for which they deploy additional guylines. They are experienced and stay calm and safe and make the most of it, taking things as they come, but they are unprepared for extended wet weather and their gear is often soaked and they are sometimes miserable. It turns out the window they chose Feb 14-18 2019 was just exceptionally wet 🤷. They picked pretty much the worst weather window possible. He brings an umbrella and uses it, they could use insulating gloves for cold rain and a more wind-worthy shelter. Her pack cover does not keep its contents dry in extended rain.

  • Grand Canyon Snowstorm GC worker's January dayhikes through a blizzard at the rim into the canyon.

  • Down Hermit Across Tonto Up Bright Angel Jan 17 2020 long dayhike uses all available sunlight.

Winter camping: