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| Hermit to Granite Rapid, AZ | |
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| | Hermit to Granite Rapid, AZ | | | |
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Hermit to Granite Rapid, AZ
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| Backpack | 21.10 Miles |
6,103 AEG |
| | Backpack | 21.10 Miles | 1 Day 2 Hrs | | |
| 6,103 ft AEG | | 30 LBS Pack | | |
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| Partners |
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| partners | | 9L scored permits for Granite Rapid camp the week before and we made short-notice plans to make this trip. A late arrival at Hippy's Friday night meant she had a head start on the beers, but we all crashed pretty quick with no plans to rush out in the morning.
We hit the trail a little after 10, and made quick time down into the basin. Hippy said her goodbyes and turned back to go to work, leaving us to head to the river.
This hike is conquered in a few very different sections:
0-1.5 steep rim to the basin.
1.5-2.1 light descent to the rest house.
2.1-5.2 mostly flat with a couple of ups and downs to the top of the stairs
5.2-6.3 stairs and steep descent to the Tonto
6.3-8.0 flat-ish tonto traverse
8.0-9.6 descent into and down gravelly monument creek to river
The NPS is rehabilitating the Granite Camp area and has removed a bunch of tamarisks, eliminating many of the previous upstream camping spots. They have planted a bunch of new trees, both cottonwoods and willows, but of course, it will be a decade or more before any of these provide any shade. So most camping here is now exposed with the exception of the farthest upstream section of beach where they have left a few tamarisk for now.
We initially decided to camp in a sheltered spot downstream, but the wind this weekend was crazy and after watching my anchored and weighted-down tent fly away like a kite in one gust, we decided to relocate and encroach on the rafting party upstream. (I was able to run down my tent after it had flown about 150 yards into a rocky hillside. Still intact, with no damage!)
We made friends with the rafters and socialized all evening over river maps, guitar music, ladder golf, mac n cheese, chocolate mousse, adult beverages, and some other stuff that I believe might be legal in two or three states. 
After a crazy-windy night with the beach sand blowing into every possible corner, crack, and crevice, we got up and broke down camp. I was disappointed the rafters did not have bacon. 
I headed out a few minutes ahead of 9L and Rachel since I knew I couldn't keep up with them on the ascent. I kept a good pace but they eventually caught up with me about 6 miles in. We rendezvous-ed at the rest house before I let them take off for the rim while I chugged along at my own pace.
The top two miles of trail is littered with tourists on day-hikes, but for the most part they were very courteous and knew to let uphill hikers have the right-of-way.
Upon reaching the top, I pulled a toughboots and face-planted between the trail sign and the parking lot. I hobbled over to my truck and got out my car-camping first-aid kit and cleaned the gravel and dirt out of my knee wound while enjoying a delicious Hop Shock right out of the icy cooler.
9L and Rachel had gotten there a bit ahead of me and visited the Hermit's Rest gift shop, returning with ice cream sandwiches that were the highlight of the whole trip. Wow! 
We headed back to the village, visited with Hippy for a little bit and then back to the valley with a very brief stop at NiMarcos, where Larry joined us for a salad and some carrot sticks. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Monument Creek |
Light flow |
Light flow |
| | | Nice flow in the creek. Plenty of clear water to filter. |
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Santa Maria Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Dripping from the pipe, but the trough was full of clear, cold water. | | _____________________
| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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