This was a great hike despite my getting sick the first day.  I had no knee, toenail, or blister problems.  I attribute some of my lack of blisters to a foot anti-perspirant trick I learned.  Our trip highlights were:

• The fantastic views of Coronado Butte.
• The dark red soil and walls of Red Canyon.
• The wonderful spring plant life we saw.
• Hance Rapids and all the rafters.
• Our layover day at Papago Creek.
• Those wonderful rafters who gave us a ride past the cliff section.

     Getting to the trailhead is a challenge since there is no parking lot there.  If you don't have an extra person to help with transportation, your best bet is to park in the Moran Point parking lot and try to hitch a ride to the trailhead.  Otherwise you could leave your pack at the trailhead like we did, park at Moran Point, and walk the 1.2 miles back to the trailhead.

     The New Hance Trail descends rapidly and is rough with numerous step-downs.  To say the least, it is challenging.  Many people believe it is the toughest South Rim to the river trail.  I thought some of the harder sections were below the redwall where the trail is steep but the footing is fine dirt.  This could easily result in a slip and fall.  The first water is at the creek about 1.5 miles before Hance Rapids.  Keep in mind that the creek goes underground a few hundred yards down stream of where it first appears.

     I cannot emphasize enough how difficult and dangerous the high route on the Escalante Route is at Papago Creek.  This is an accident waiting to happen.  I found the western face to be considerably harder than the eastern face.  It is longer with numerous boulders at the bottom and some fine talus at the top.  While the eastern face is more vertical, it is shorter and has many ledges for good footing.  I highly recommend having a rope to help raise or lower your pack in places you are uncomfortable wearing it.  I agree with other websites that warn against trying to wade or swim the Colorado River to pass the cliff section.  Based on current river discharge rates, I do not believe the low route will ever be an option to pass the cliff section.

     I enjoyed my two new high tech devices - moving map GPS and digital recorder.  I installed Grand Canyon topographical software on my GPS.  That allowed me to view elevation contours and know my position at all times.  That was invaluable when we were uncertain if we were at Papago Creek or Seventy-Five Mile Creek.  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.

     I am looking forward to doing the Hermit - Boucher loop with my daughter this fall.

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