Put your best foot forward when hiking the Grand Canyon.

Gearing up to hike the Grand Canyon? It's quite a feat. To be successful, make sure to take care of your feet!

Millions of people visit the Grand Canyon each year. The majority of which don't venture too far below the rim. But not you. Nope. You've been planning your rim to rim hike for a while now. You might even be so lucky as to have gained a camping permit or a reservation at Phantom Ranch. Clever you.

You arrive. While admiring the view from the rim you might be deterred when you see the hobbled ruins of fellow rim to rim hikers dragging themselves up the last bit of trail to the south rim.

These poor “soles” are easy to spot. Each step causes them to wince in pain. They seem to gaze longingly at the barstool next to you. If only you could bring it to them and save them several agonizing steps! You realize, it’s not the barstool they want, it’s the wheelchair behind you.  Someone whispers: it’s the “canyon shuffle.”  A slow delicate walking style caused by painfully blistered, totally annihilated feet.

Oh Hiker. Beware of the Canyon Shuffle, it is sneaky. It doesn't care how fit you are, or how many miles you run. Here are few things to consider to help make your rim to rim experience pain free.

• Nourish your feet by rolling them on a foot roller or golf ball several times a week prior to your trip.
  

• Clip your toenails a day or two before you plan to hike. Trust me. Clip ‘em.
  

• Apply Foot Glide to your clean feet. Foot Glide: https://www.bodyglide.com/product/foot-glide/.  It is magic.
  

• Next put on two pairs of socks. The first layer should be the high quality liner toe socks. Injinji makes great toes socks. https://www.injinji.com/hiking-socks.html  The second pair of socks doesn’t have to be quite so technical. Try REI’s Cool Max EcoMade Lightweight hiking socks. (Remember to break your socks in.)
  

• Foot powder. You probably don't have any. It seems women's feet are typically a dry, callous mess, while men have stinky feet as soft as a babies bum. Get a travel sized bottle of foot powder. Shake some into your shoes before your start to prevent chaffing. Put it in your back pack for later.
  

• Don’t wear new shoes. Wear your tried and true favorite hiking shoes that you wear all the time, the shoes that you have been training in. Hiking boots might be too hot and heavy depending if you are carrying a pack or not. Consider a supportive hiking sneaker or trail running shoe. The La Sportiva Wild Cat is great for narrow feet and has a sticky rubber sole to help prevent slipping. If you have nothing but stilettos and have to purchase new shoes, get them months in advance and hike everyday in them.
  

• If you remember one thing it should be this: double socks. I went through great pains to learn this lesson and it has become my life's work to share this message with you. Double Socks. And not new socks either. Even socks need to be broken in. Yeah, I had no idea.  I can relate to your resistance about the whole double socks thing, but it’s a game changer. Layer two pairs of socks. Did I mention that already?
  

• Finally: quadruple socks. Bring 2 pairs of extra socks.  Clean your feet and change your socks for your trip out of the canyon. A slightly thicker pair of toe socks for the the way up instead of double socks will work or repeat the double socks. Changing your socks matters because you don’t want any blister causing grains of sand sticking between your toes.
  

• If you are planning to take a dip in the river, make absolutely darn tootin sure that your feet are dyer than ever and that there is not a hint of sand between any of your toes before putting socks and shoes on. Make sure there is no sand in your shoes or socks too.  I’m pretty sure that my decision to swim caused the greatest amount of wreckage my feet have ever experienced. I had to use my hiking poles like crutches on the way up in an effort to try not to have my feet touch the ground. It was miserable.
  

“The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” ~ Leonardo da Vinci

In addition to caring for your feet, there are a few serious risks to keep in mind that are unique to the Grand Canyon: heat, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and hyponatremia. Hiking the Grand Canyon is the complete opposite of what you are used to. You start by hiking down. The way down is easy...and the only way out is up. Obviously, right?

Here’s the thing: hiking up a mountain tests your resolve right off the bat.  Your heart races, your legs burn, and the coffee you gulped down in the car at 4am is having to prove its worth. You are more likely to take rests, drink water and eat for energy. You subconsciously take comfort in getting the bulk of the challenge out of the way knowing if it’s too challenging you can always turn around and walk down.

When you begin hiking down the Grand Canyon it is fairly easy and you might discover you are moving a a pretty quick pace. Psyched by this you continue moving deeper and deeper towards the bottom of the canyon, which is getting hotter and hotter as you go. The heat sneaks up on you.

Going down requires less effort and you might forget to hydrate and eat snacks. Your joints are not warmed up they way they would be if you hiked up first —deceleration is tough on knees, hips and feet. Going down too fast can set you up for heat exhaustion, heat stroke, or hyponatremia. Don’t get suckered into the fast descent. Remember if you decide to turn around at any point, you still have the strenuous bits ahead. Hyponatremia is low sodium in the blood,  caused by too little nutrition, too much heat and sweating, and too much water, creating an electrolyte imbalance. Severe symptoms can be confusion, muscle weakness, loss of appetite, irritability, cramps, dizziness, coma, death. Your adventure in the grand canyon is not the appropriate time to decide to try fasting or to minimize calories in an effort to lose weight.

Create a moderate enjoyable pace, use your hiking poles to take weight off your joints, make a point to regularly drink water and electrolytes, eat salty snacks and take breaks in the shade.

Wear a sun hat, bring a head lamp and a blister kit. Wear silk.  It keeps you cool and warm. It’s very comfortable. It protects you from the sun and bugs. It is super light weight. It is strong. If you are concerned about fashion then at least bring silk long underwear and a silk scarf.

Eat salty snacks. Sounds easy and likely but hiking down might not inspire you to pay attention to energy levels the way hiking up does. Consider potato chips, salted nuts and a sandwich. Not your typical hiking food. That's right. Not your typical hike.

KT Tape. Cure or address injuries before you go. If an injury is healing but still lingering try KT-Tape is another magical tool. It works by improving the communication with your nervous tissue, and reducing pain. Use it to support injuries and add it to your first-aid kit.

Bring your wallet. Yup. When you get to Phantom Ranch you’ll wish you had $5 for that ice cold lemonade.

Take your time, ascending the canyon while day changes to evening is lovely.

Train for this. Get to the desert for a few pre-canyon hikes to experience sand, heat, and sun. Enjoy long hikes. Lift weights. Do squats, step ups and lunges. Break in your gear during your training hikes, get rid of what doesn’t work. Wear the backpack you plan to use, your sun-hat, the clothing and layers you plan to wear including your shoes and yes, your double socks.

On your hike back up to the rim you can’t help but notice all sorts of fabulous footwear descending blissfully unaware into the canyon. Crocks, basketball shoes, Vans, slip-ins, sandals, slippers, running shoes and of course, the crowd favorite: flip flops. To be fair, most of these folks are not walking to the bottom, they just hopped off the tour bus and have a short period of time to spend exploring the rim.  You might notice you have a bounce in your step as you look down in appreciation of your double socked non blistered feet. You did it! You walked 25 miles and now, it’s time for an ice cold beverage. Enjoy!