We are up at 4:00 at Mather Campground, pack, and get to the trailhead at 5:30.  After some final packing and a quick pastry for breakfast, we are off about fifteen minutes before sunrise.  We are each carrying two quarts of water down to Santa Maria Spring where we will filter more.  The trail is easy walking.  There are a few sections of the old stone paved trail left.  For being an "unmaintained" trail, this part of the trail is in very good condition.  We reach the Waldron Trail junction in just over an hour and the Hermit Trail junction a few minutes after that.

     We cache almost three quarts of water at the Hermit Trail junction for our return trip.  The trail loops around a small obstruction and then turns northward toward Santa Maria Spring.  The condition of the trail from this point on shows its eighty year lack of maintenance.  In another half hour, we reach the spring, named by Mary Jane Colter.  There is a small rest house next to the spring with two abandoned, locked outhouses nearby.  Inside the rest house is a bench and rocking chair appropriately named the "Respit Bench."

     After a half-hour break, we continue down the Hermit Trail.  The view of this part of the Hermit Gorge as the sun is rising is great.

     After one more hour of hiking, we take a break at a point that juts out into the Hermit Gorge.  The views of the inner Canyon just get better after this.

     In a few more minutes, we approach Lookout Point as the wind has really picked up.

     We pass Breezy Point, aptly named by Emory Kolb, as the wind is quite strong.  The views continue to be great as we approach the Cathedral Stairs.

     We enter the Cathedral Stairs, a section of very steep switchbacks, and decide to have lunch midway down them.  Some of the stair runs still show the concrete poured over ninety years ago and the stone work in several sections is almost as good as new.  We also see an interesting black lichen type of growth on the stair walls.

     The trail below the stairs consists of a very long, steep descent below Cope Butte followed by several switchbacks down to the Tonto Trail.  The temperature is into the 90's and we are tired, so we take a break near a large rock above the Tonto Trail.  I agreed earlier to carry some of Beth's water, but she is now out, so we share the remaining water.  Fortunately I still have two quarts in my Camelback.  We finally reach the Tonto Trail sign and head south toward Hermit Creek.

     We are guessing it is just over one mile from here to Hermit Creek.  We pass a sign showing one of the routes to Hermit Rapids.  Just a little farther down the trail we come upon two guys sitting under a tree.  The one in blue severely injured his ankle and is waiting on the rescue helicopter. 

     On our left is what appears to be a corral, all that remains from the Hermit heyday of the early 1900's.  It certainly seems like it is farther than the mile we estimated back at the Tonto Trail junction.  We finally reach the Hermit Creek campground at 2:30 and are really tired.  We pick a lower campsite that is protected a little from the wind and set up our tents.  I will be using an Esbit stove instead of the old, heavy propane stove I usually carry.  It works flawlessly that night for supper.  We go to bed just after dark exhausted.    

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