Hiked in 5 months pregnant!
This was the coolest backpacking trip I’ve ever taken! We packed our stuff in/out (about 20-26 lbs each) and stayed at the campground. I’m 24 weeks pregnant so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go!
Things we wish we’d brought:
- a light, portable fan for our tent. It was SO warm in the evenings, and it made falling asleep difficult.
- sandals of any kind for walking around camp, so that we wouldn’t have to put on full hiking shoes just to leave the tent.
- travel bidet or wipes! The toilet paper in the camp restrooms ran out multiple times while we were there.
- more snacks, we burned through our food quickly since we were so active every day. Luckily we were able to restock at the Supai store!
- better hiking shoes (for me at least). My shoes are great, but they were right on the edge of needing to be retired and they gave me the WORST blisters. My husband and brother wore trail runners, which they were comfortable in.
- for pregnancy specifically, I wish I’d brought a better sleeping pad bc I have to sleep on my side these days and that sucked.
Other things:
- there were SO many fuel canisters left behind. You’d be fine if you left yours at home.
- we camped across from the spring, which was really convenient for water! Maybe the temperature would have been cooler closer to the creek though!
- ants are everywhere in the campground (at least that we noticed)! And the mosquitoes come out at dusk too. Be prepared
- I wasn’t sure about how the Mooney descent would go, but it was easy and actually really fun. I didn’t need gloves, but there were a lot there in case you do need them.
- the heat is killer. We’re from Phoenix and so we’ve got pretty good heat tolerance, but still made sure to plan our days to beat the sun or wait it out— hiking in the sun here is no joke. Alternatively, the water is cold which made swimming feel perfect if not a little chilly!
- My husband and his brother are native (not Supai) and got full reimbursements on their permits by showing their tribal enrollment papers at the Grand Canyon Caverns permit check in!
- Hike in time: 5 hrs (left at 6am and got to camp at 11) hike out time: 5.5 hrs (left at 2am and got to hilltop at 7:30, right before the sun!) I took a lot of breaks to not strain myself!
Best of luck planning and I’m happy to answer any questions! This sub was so helpful for me in making plans!