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Beginnings
Beginnings
On Friday, February 18, 2022 Steve and I quickly whipped together a plan to do a weekend outing in Hermit Basin. This was actually the very first adventure I did with Steve, so it was a momentous occasion! I got off work a tad early and quickly packed up a bag for 2 nights and took the quick drive to Hermit Basin (Steve and I lived in the GC Village at the time).
Steve and I hit the trail at 4:07 PM and we started descending the Hermit Trail. The hour or two before sunset was always the most peaceful time in the canyon for me personally. 1.5 miles down is where you depart from the Hermit Trail and stay head left on the Dripping Springs Trail. 1 mile later, you hang a right on the historic, Boucher Trail (boo-shay). There is some very low exposure on this section, in the winter it's possible to have some ice but we did not experience any.
~2.5 miles on this trail is where you'll hit the Yuma Point camping area. This is a backcountry site and there are no utilities/facilities/signage or anything. Just find a nice spot to pitch the tent and look up at the beautiful wall behind you (pictured left).
Day 2: Boucher Trail
Day 2: Boucher Trail
Pictured left is where I pitched my 1-person tent. This is a very nice site that afford you fantastic views in the morning hours. **One note about water** Yuma Point is unique in that there are several large potholes as you head out to the point itself. If you can get lucky, check out these potholes and you might have some water sitting in them. These are unreliable sources, so don't depend on these to fill up.
We had some breakfast, and some coffee and headed on our way! The aim was for Boucher Rapids, which is ~5 miles away from Yuma Point camp site.
More Boucher
More Boucher
If you read up on the Boucher Trail, you might get some people talking about a certain difficult section. The section people most talk about is just as you descend down below Whites Butte. I have to say, any mention of difficulty in this section is quite over-estimated. We got done with that section, and I asked Steve (seriously), "so when is the difficult part?" And Steve said, "that was it." My apologies that I do not have a photo of this section, but believe me, you don't need one. Piece of cake.
I would like to talk about a section before that though, which is what you see pictured to the right. This section is way more difficult than anything below Whites Butte, and that's due to a rockslide years ago that altered the trail. Pictured here is the now work-around that is necessary. This section is probably 3/4 mile from Yuma Point. This is a steep section with some rockslide potential. But just take it slow and watch where your feet and hands are going. It's a very short section and over quickly.
Boucher (still more)
Boucher (still more)
Continue on down the Boucher Trail and eventually you will hit a large cairn (I snapped the photo to the left right at the cairn as I looked back up). This Cairn means you have officially hit the Tonto Trail. Take a left if you want to check out Boucher Rapids. You continue on towards the wash (and this is a reliable water source, where you can fill up). Follow the wash all the way down to the rapids (no special instructions needed).
This is the ideal time and place for a lunch break. The sun is shining,
Descending down Boucher Canyon to the River. The commanding Tower of Ra is seen towering above.
Onward to Granite Rapids
Onward to Granite Rapids
Its a 10.5 mile trek along the Tonto Trail to get over to Granite Rapids.
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