Hermit’s Rest at dawn

I estimate this day’s hike to be somewhere in the range of 25 miles – my longest hike in the Grand Canyon to date. It took all day, and I carried and drank two gallons of water.

The road to Hermit’s Rest had been closed throughout the summer of 2008, leaving the Hermit Trail and its subsequent route possibilities off limits. Once the road was semi-completed toward the end of the season, the Backcountry Office started to run a pre-dawn, once-a-day hiker shuttle to the trailhead.

On September 28th I rode the shuttle, hiked down to Hermit Rapids, returned up the Hermit Trail to its junction with the Waldron Trail, took the Waldron Trail to the rim and picked up the Horsetheif Trail W1B(Parallel and just north of Pasture Wash Road 328), and walked through the forest – returning to the village behind Maswick Lodge after dark.

The Hermit Basin forms a deep indentation into the south rim.

On its west side lies Eremita Mesa

First light shines on Yuma Point

From the rim all the way down through the Coconino, this trail is well constructed.

The junction with the Waldron Trail is at the base of the Coconino, in an open, meadow-like area.

Just a little farther lies the junction with the Dripping Springs Trail, which leads on to The Boucher Trail.

I bypass all of these, sticking with the Hermit Trail

The path skirts the head of a drainage that leads down to Hermit Creek and its corresponding gorge.

At Santa Maria Spring, I found not only its “developed” water source, but this cozy shelter to boot. There was a register book inside, and I spent a few minutes paging through its contents. At 2.5 miles below the rim, the Park Service recommends this as the turn-around point for day-hikes.

The trail follows the Supai formation for about 4 miles before descending the Redwall at Cathedral Stairs.

Don’t miss the next page (This day continued)