Down The Trail

“I’ll give you the permit,” the ranger said, throwing up his hands, “But this is definitely a red flag situation.”

I had just obtained a permit to backpack a part of the Grand Canyon known as “The Gems.” The term for this section of the Tonto Trail is derived from the names of the side canyons in the area – Ruby Canyon, Sapphire Canyon, Turquoise Canyon, etc. The hike would amount to approximately 50 miles over the course of 5 days and 4 nights… not an especially big deal, but this is, after all, The Grand Canyon, and one of its more isolated trails.

The ranger’s concern had to do with the circumstances of this hike, and rightfully so. First of all, I was to be a solo young man – it doesn’t take much time browsing Death in Grand Canyon to see that statistics don’t take too kindly to us. Secondly, this area of the canyon is extremely hot in summer, and very dry with little to no water sources. My ride was to drop me off at the end of a rugged dirt road at the South Bass Trailhead. In order to return to civilization, I was committed to follow through on the hike out The Boucher Trail to Hermit’s Rest, save for possibly retracing my steps out The South Bass Trail and returning some 20+ waterless miles along the rim.

Within the canyon, this stretch of the Tonto Plateau affords no routes to the rim, and only a few difficult ways to access the Colorado River. Temperatures in June can exceed 110 degress Farenheit, with no shade from the blazing sun to be found. All of this was okay with me, save for the water situation – the only reliable water source at this time of year was the Colorado River, and clambering down to the river in this area could surely be an adventure in itself.

After receiving the permit, I lingered at the Backcountry Office to speak with an experienced ranger I had developed somewhat of a rapport with. His pen traced the map along contour lines as we went over potential water sources, and the few off-trail scrambling/climbing routes to the river.

“With the wet spring we’ve had, you should be okay,” he said. “When you come back, could you stop in and let us know what you find? We don’t have any water reports for that area from this time of year.”

Day 1 – South Bass Trail to Bass Rapid
Day 2 – Bass Rapid to the East Side of Ruby Canyon
Day 3 – The East Side of Ruby Canyon to The East Side of Agate Canyon
Day 4 – East Side of Agate Canyon to Boucher Creek
Day 5 – Boucher Creek to Hermit’s Rest

I often carried two gallons (Sixteen pounds) of water, and would not encounter a single human being until the final day, at Dripping Springs.