Grand canyon trip

[ted_raper1]

<p>I'm packing up for a trip to the Grand Canyon/Lake Powell. Here's what's in my Tamrac Expedition backpack so far:<br>

Nikon D200, D80 backup<br>

Nikon 16-85 VR<br>

Nikon 28-200 2.8<br>

Tamron 90 2.8 macro<br>

Assorted tripods, filters, manuals, cleaning gear,remotes, etc. Does anyone have any specific suggestions as to additional gear/lenses? I'll be doing a fair amount of hiking, and going on a placid raft cruise down the Colorado river (for which I'll take my wifes point and shoot Canon). The lenses I plan to leave at home are my 50 1.8, my 18-35, and my old film 28-105 (Nikons).<br>

Any advice is appreciated.</p>

[doug grosjean]

<p>I'd suggest practicing doing some stitched panoramics at home, before leaving. The pano Canyon pics I've taken while there have been among my favorites, as they do capture some sliver of the granduer of the place.<br /><br />Grand Canyon, July 2007: <br /><br /><a href="<a href=">http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00O/00O1E7-40990884.JPG</a></p>

[jonsjons]

<p>the 16-85 may be wide enough for you, but i would want an ultrawide for such a trip. i have a tokina 11-16 f/2.8 that complements the 16-85 nicely. i would prefer an ultrawide to the 28-200, but of course ymmv.</p>

[brad_cole1]

<p>I never leave home without my 50mm, IMHO it's one of the sharpest in Nikon's stable. I use it to stich panos and they're amazing. It's small and light, take it!</p>

[stemked]

<p>One piece of advise; take as little equipment on the hikes as possible. As you go down the canyon it gets VERY hot and you'll need to bring a lot of water with you to be safe.</p>

<p>As for the raft you might be looking at a pack that can float and is obviously waterproof. Some of the rapids are pretty rough Class V, maybe even some VIs</p>

[bob_flood1]

<p>Ted - the advice to go light is good advice. Figure on at least 2 hours of climbing out time for every hour spent descending, and the backpack gets heavier wirth each step. Water is mandatory, even if you go before high summer. It will be 25 degrees hotter at the bottom of the canyon than at the top of the south rim, and an even bigger difference to the north rim.<br>

Knowing how to shoot for effective stitching of multiple shots will be valuable. The 16-85 may be very nice and plenty wide from the rim, but things get confined down in the canyon. Even with 10-12 mm lenses, stitching is usually needed to get in a good wide view of canyon walls from the bottom.<br>

Be careful with the polarizer up on the rim. You may get darker skies than you want at that altitude. If it looks too dark when you shoot, it will be too dark later on, too.</p>

[ted_raper1]

<p>Thanks, guys - good advice. I made a typo in the original post - I have an 80-200 2.8, NOT a 28-200. I do think I may have to look into renting something wider than the 16-85.</p>

[charles_stobbs3]

You don't say what month you plan to go. I hiked the Bright Angel Trail in April and out to Plateau Point. The weather was comfortable. I left early enough to get beyond the steep descent so the mule tour wouldn't have to pass me on a narrow part of the trail. A great day's hike.

[ted_raper1]

<p>I'm going in July - my wife has been there in summer before, so I do know about how hot it's going to be. And as always, I plan to do a lot of shooting in the "golden hours", right after sunrise and before sunset. The hiking will be done in the middle of the day mostly, so I'm expecting most of that to be just grab pictures.</p>

[peter_k4]

<p>I couldn't imagine going there in the middle of the summer... I was just there in the middle of february this year. I was apprehensive about it being too cold but i'm SO glad I went in the winter now. Once down in the canyon it was pleasant. Just a little cold at night, but nothing a Canadian couldn't handle. In July though, I hear it gets well over 100 degrees!</p>

<p>that said, ya you'll wanna pack light, less lens changes. I took my 18-200, 10-20 and 50 1.8. Used the 18-200 for 95% of the shots, 50mm for the other 5%. the 10-20 never came out of my bag, that was an extra pound I didn't have to carry down and up 6000 feet! I think the 16-85, 50mm and tamron macro would be good for you to bring.</p>

<p>I don't know what you mean by assorted tripods...but if you have one camera...bring one! Seriously, weight is the biggest issue here. You need to bring like 4 litres of water (10 lbs) and some food. are you camping down there and bring all that equipment? I'm just saying... I'm a decent camper and hiking but the Grand canyon was no picnic. and this was in the winter with spectacular 55 degree weather. I don't think I would have made it in the summer, by a long shot.</p>

<p>Not to deter you from your fun...just be prepared!</p>

[bnyc]

<p>Just to echo some of the above: go light and be careful. On a trip to Paris an extra lens or two is an annoyance. On a hike in the Grand Canyon in July it could be dangerous.</p>

<p>I went there in July several years ago, in my mid 20's and in very good physical condition at the time (vs. my current post-bachelorhood flabbiness :). I hiked only 1/3 down and back up. By the end of the ascent I was <em>really</em> struggling. I was carrying too much photo gear and not enough water. I think if I had gone a little further down I would have faced serious risk of dehydration on the way out. It's easy to get in over your head there because the demanding part of the hike (the ascent) comes at the end, and it's tempting to just keep going further and further down because you're not feeling tired. If you wait until you're tired to turn around and ascend, you won't make it out at that time of year.</p>

<p>Sadly, later that same summer I learned that an acquaintance of mine, an accomplished endurance athlete in her 20's, died in the Canyon around the same time I was there. It's no place to push yourself, and every pound of weight you can shed from your gear will help.</p>

<p>Good luck, be safe, and have fun!</p>

[lester2]

<p>I totally agreed with Peter B, I just came back about 2 weeks ago from a 9 days road trip, I didn't camp but sure did a lot of day hiking there, I was in mostly Utah region, Antelope Canyon, Moab, Escalante, Bryce and Zion, the weather was very nice, in the high 50s, bright sunny cloudless day, but one day without a hat, I got sun burnt, down in the canyon after sunset, the temperature drop dramatically into the 30s and 40s, there were a lot of rock scrambling during my hike, some of the trails very dengerous in high altitude plus carried a big camera and a bag pack makes much harder. Avoid changing lens so often, very dusty and windy, I got some dust inside my camera.<br>

You will have a wonderful time there, good luck and be safe!<br>

http://saulau.smugmug.com/</p>

 

[bob_flood1]

<p>These folks are right - it will be hot on the rim - 80+ - and 25 degrees hotter at the bottom of the canyon. Experienced hikers have trrouble with summer conditions. Please be careful - if you feel able to carry a little extra weight in your pack, take more water, not more lenses. I've been there in August (twice) and would not venture down the trail into the canyon in that heat (but I'm also not a strong hiker).<br>

If you haven't made a choice yet, I heartily recommend the north rim - it will have perhaps 10-15% the number of people as the south rim. Same canyon, same hike down, just far fewer people. The north rim is about 1,000 ft higher than the south rim and therefore about 5 degrees cooler than the south rim on a summer afternoon. But it's also a 1,000 feet more to get back to the top when climbing out. Check with the hotel on the north rim - there's a service available that will pick you up at the south rim and bring you back to the north rim - folks start early and hike down the north side and back up on the south side - you see both sides and cut out 1,000 feet of climb. The downside, other than the cost (don't know how much) is the drive back to the north rim takes hours - long way around.</p>

[ted_raper1]

<p>Thanks, all. Appreciate the advice about how hot it will be, and now I'm thinking more about a light load. I WILL carry a lot of water, and some sunblock, and a hat. Most of our hiking will be around the rim as opposed to down into the canyon. I'm carrying the photo gear and my wife will carry the water, etc. in her pack. And I am taking two bodies, but will only carry one on the hikes - the D200, probably with the 16-85 attached and maybe one other lens in the pack. I generally don't change lenses outside (dust), but instead put a different lens on each body and just swirtch bodies as necessary. <br>

Thanks, again!</p>