My Grand Canyon Trek turned into the GC Boucher Trail Trek. Instead of 4 nights from Boucher to Bright Angel it ended up as 3 nights on the Boucher Trail. I had planned the trip based on my ability, however, I took on a backpacking partner who had difficulty and by the second day it was obvious we were not going to be able to keep our permit destinations. Hence, a GC Ranger modified our permit which basically turned us around. However, we did get 3 glorious nights on the Boucher Trail just above the Tonto Shelf.

The pre-trek plans went well. We got to the rim around noon, checked in at the Backcountry Information Center, took the Red Shuttle to Hermits Creek Trailhead and hit the trail around 2:30.

Hermits Creek Trail

Of course the first day started to dictate that we were not making the time we would need but I still had hope. The first night we ended up about a mile before Yuma Point with an excellent campsite and view of the Grand Canyon.

Hermits Creek Canyon

I was able to get water out of the potholes in the rocks. Weather was good but during the night the winds roared and based on the positioning of my tent I had an active night trying to keep my main tent pole from snapping. This is all part of backpacking, loss of sleep is only a minor problem. I did learn that cacti quills could penetrate hiking pants but I did enjoy the desert flora. The second day would now be tough if we were going to make it to Hermits Creek. The known challenges were the 2 black diamond descents that we would have to navigate. The tougher of the 2 descents at the Turpentine Canyon was truly a challenge, but I kind of liked it. Sure it was steep but it was no real problem unless you were not prepared.

My partner had a bad shoulder and some equipment problems which impacted his ability to make good time. It became obvious after this first descent that we were not going to make Hermits Creek. I opted to spend the night at White Butte to take advantage of the spectacular view.

Grand Canyon

Not only did we get the view but it was one of the most awesome star gazing nights I have ever experienced.

The next morning we met a GC Ranger who I worked with to salvage the trip, However, Hermits Creek was booked so we had to turn around. Thankfully the ranger allowed us another night before hiking out via the upper Hermits Creek Trail.

We spent our last night at the Yuma Point overlook taking in some nice sunset and sunrise views interspersed with rain and more wind during the night.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The hike out started out fine with the rain stopping around 8:00 am, however, the winds really picked up as we climbed out via Hermits Creek Trail.

Last morning in the Canyon

Near the top the winds were so strong we could hardly walk. The Hermits Creek to Boucher Trail is actually quite nice, however, it does have some scrambling.

The real value of this area is that nobody is there.

All in all it was a good trek with good immersion into the canyon, however, I will probably return someday to do my original plan.