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| Backpack | 29.19 Miles |
6,937 AEG |
| | Backpack | 29.19 Miles | 2 Days 6 Hrs 21 Mns | | |
| 6,937 ft AEG | | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Started off 2025 with the Boucher - Hermit Loop over 3 days. 25lb pack including 2 cameras + equipment.
Day 1
Stepped off down the canyon at 8AM down Hermit Trail and made it to the Boucher Trail junction after an hour. Conditions were partly cloudy all day and 40s in the sun, along with the droning noises of helicopter ally. Made it to Yuma Point for lunch at 11:30 and enjoyed the first view of the river. The trail was easy to follow along the Esplanade. The infamous Supai descent lived up to the hype. It was straightforward to tackle for me despite the steepness and loose rocks, but my partner repeatably asked me how do people enjoy this type of hiking? I kept laughing. As we continued our descent down Travertine canyon towards White Butte, a solo backpacker was making his ascent citing the onset of illness and we offered fresh water, but he declined. At 2PM we made it to the base of White Butte and atop of the Redwall descent to Boucher Creek. Arrived at the footprint of Boucher's old cabin at 4PM and setup camp nearby.
Day 2
Most of my previous trips have been near/during summer so this time I was able to get a full 8hrs of sleep and hit the Tonto trail at 8:30am. The Tonto was more of the usual experience. The most notable part of this short section to Hermit Creek was the epic view of Hermit Rapids from the trail. Made it to Hermit Creek by 11:30 after a few breaks taking in the views of the river from above. I should have spent more time perusing through the ruins, but I will be back. We arrived at Monument Creek around 2:30PM and met a group of people listening to music on a speaker, bummer. Throughout the night we were visited by some rodents, but not too bad.
Day 3
Hit the trail by 8AM and listened to the tune of NPS helicopters nearby flying in equipment for the pipeline project. My previous time to Monument was mostly in the dark due to a late start down Hermit, so this time I was able to experience Cathedral Stairs in all of its beauty. We met an older man sitting on Lookout Point mentioning that it was 17th time down Hermit Trail and shared stories of his thru-hike of the Tonto trail. All morning we were in the shade until we got to Hermit Basin and completed the loop. We enjoyed the warmth of the sun and made it back to the trailhead by 2:30PM. Until next time. |
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