What ya need to know. Well, first, there's no help getting back up, so if your not mentally tough, don't make the hike to the bottom. You will find that being in good physical shape is just a small part of the walk. You will hit "The Wall," more than once and when you do you will see what your made of. Make sure you wear good worn in shoes that want give you blisters, no new shoes. It would be easy to break on ankle also, keep that in mind. Anyway, travel light, wear a hat, take plenty of water and some high energy food, you will need it for the extra burst of energy it will take to get through the wall when you hit it.Oh yea, don't forget to stretch before and after.Good luck, it's worth the pain.

Not much. Pretty easy climb. Class 1 hiking up the East Ridge.

-Don't start hiking during the day, unless you are only going a mile or two down.
-If you are hiking to the bottom, make sure to have reserved either a cabin or tent space, seeing as though unless you are an extremely experienced hiker, you will not want/be able to go all the way back up after going all the way down.
-The first rest stops are spaced shorter, but as you go further down, they are longer to get to. So, refill your water at EVERY opportunity, and start conserving it after mile 5.
-Dress for all weather; wear shorts and a tank top (women) with lose fitting pants and jacket over top. It gets very HOT.
-Be prepared for the squirrels...a lot of them love the hikers and can get very close.
-Be prepared for the donkeys that carry groups down. Sometimes it happens where you are on a very narrow ledge and have a group coming towards you; stay on the inside closest to the wall, the donkeys know what they are doing and are much less likely to fall off than you are.
-HYDRATE!