THE PERFECT CAMPSITE

We set up camp tucked in the rocks trying to protect ourselves from the storm that was coming. Listening to the rapids was very relaxing. It had been a long time since I had camped next to a river and had forgotten how loud rivers can roar. We found the seclusion peaceful and were glad we had taken a more strenuous wildlife trail. It is a great mental escape compared to the day to day work life in the city.

SANDY RIVERBANK

We walked along the river bank looking for a place to set up camp. We were surprised by how nice and soft the sand was. Sleeping on sand is much better than on snow.

WATER JUNCTION

This is where the Boucher Creek meets the Colorado River.

VIEW FROM THE BOTTOM

This is a picture looking up at the rim from the bottom of Boucher Canyon. We were down to 2,400 ft. elevation. Our feet were sore from the never ending descent and we still had to setup camp. We just wanted to get our boots off and relax but there was no time for that it was getting dark.

Hiking in Boucher Canyon along the creek

Boucher Creek

We followed this little creek for 1.2 miles down to Boucher Rapids. We filtered all of our water out of this creek for 2 days. It had been a long time since i had tasted fresh creek water, not bad.

THE LAST BIG DESCENT

When we got down this far, to Boucher's Campground a real sense of accomplishment came over us as we looked back at what we had just hiked down. If you look between the two ridges on the right and left, in the picture, you are able to see the rim of the canyon. This gives you a little bit of a perspective of how deep this ginormous canyon is. We could hear water trickling. We had made it to Boucher's Creek.

Where's the trail?

This is a rocky descent where we had to make our way down another 1,000 ft. in a short time span. FEEL THE BURN. This was about 2/3rds of the way into our long downward hike. When we looked back up the trail we would try to comprehend how tough the climb back out would be. A few times there was some worry, but we came prepared for the battle.

a LOOK OFF THE EDGE OF THE ROCK

We had an awesome view from this overlook so we sat and snacked for lunch, but not to close to edge of these rocks.

CLOSER TO THE COLORADO RIVER

This was our first good view of the river. This was a very cool look out point about half way into our descent.

NICE VIEW

a tiny crack in the GRAND CANYON

Along the trail we came across many sights, like this, down into the steep canyon.

NICE VIEW FROM THE TRAIL

There were many times along the trail that we just had to stop and try to soak in the sights. At times my eyes were struggling to focus between the beautiful background and the wild trail we were traveling on. I had to keep moving but I wanted to sit back and enjoy the view.

Joe Noble

This is my buddy Joe that did most of the planning and organizing for the trip. We were still happy and fresh at this time. We were only a couple miles into the hike at this time.

He is the buddy that I do most of my hiking and biking with.

TRAIL JUNCTION

A couple of miles into the hike Hermits trail had a junction with Dripping Springs and the Boucher trails. We walked for quite a few miles around the edges of the canyon ridges. The trails were pretty well defined towards the top and less and less defined, the farther we hiked into the Grand Canyon.

THE FIRST BIG DROP

This is the look up from our first big elevation drop. The first part of the Hermit trail consisted of some well designed rock laid switchbacks down the side of this cliff you see in the picture.

Hermit's Rest Trailhead

We got our 50 lb. packs together and jumped on a shuttle bus. The buses drive you along the rim to different overlooks and trailheads. Most of the people we came across were very friendly and were asking lots of questions about what we were doing. One lady asked us if we were crazy after we told her our planned route was over 10 miles and 4,000 ft. elevation drop. We were looking fo a good challenge and we had our minds set on camping next to the river.

THE FIRST NIGHT.......BBRBRBBRRRRR

This is what our campground looked like in Mather Campground. The second week in March I didn't expect snow, but we were at about 6,700 ft.

In the morning we paid too much for an almost warm breakfast. The gift and supply shop is very convenient for last minute items such as a camp pillow and some strap-on cleats for our boots. Our trail was a little icy and muddy, but a little weather always makes a trip more memorable.