This was a fantastic trip, the best of all my Canyon hikes. I had no blister, toenail, or knee problems. And of course, it's always neat to be hiking with your daughter. Things went pretty much as planned and we got to see some wonderful sights. Our trip highlights were:
If you are hiking any of these trails, I have the following recommendations:
If you are doing both the Hermit and Boucher trails, you have a choice of which direction to do the loop. I personally can travel up a very steep section more easily than going down it. When I am going down very steep sections, I am always afraid that my feet are going to slip out from under me. Additionally, I don't know anyone who likes to continually have their feet crammed forward in their boots with every downward step. My recommendation would be to go down the Hermit and come up the Boucher. However, this direction will probably result in a dry camp one night going up the Boucher unless you are a very strong hiker. Stated differently, it seems to me that going up the Boucher is more safe and more strenuous while going down it is less safe and less strenuous. Click here to see a photo gallery of the plant life we saw in the inner Canyon on this trip. I enjoyed having my GPS and digital recorder with me. My GPS allowed me to view elevation contours and Canyon features and know my position at all times. My digital recorder allowed me to dictate notes at any time without having to worry about pen and paper. The voice playback displays the date and time the note was dictated. My new Esbit stove worked great. It is considerably more compact and much lighter than my old propane stove. I am looking forward to doing the Clear Creek Trail in March and the Grandview-Tonto-Bright Angel trails in April. MAIN INDEX | HIKING INDEX | BACK TO TRIP REPORTS | BACK TO DAY 6
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