The Grand Canyon in Winter
by Rich and Rena

So what is the best season to backpack the Grand Canyon? It gets really hot in summer! And since that is the vacation season, it is the busiest time. In winter, snow and ice are common at the 6600-foot South Rim, but temperatures are pleasant along the Colorado River at 2400 feet. The key to a winter trip is to time your hike to coincide with a good weather forecast.

We had planned to do a Grand Canyon backpack in December, but winter storms caused us to postpone the trip. In January, the weather forecast looked good, so we packed up and drove to Arizona on 16 January 2005. We stopped at the backcountry office to get a permit, which is simple in the winter. In the prime season, permit applications are required 4 months in advance and it is 'hit or miss' getting a permit in one of the most desirable backpacking destinations in the world. The Boucher - Hermit Loop was our choice. We would take 5 days to descend the Boucher Trail; 2 nights near Boucher Creek, 2 nights at Hermit Creek, and then finish the clockwise loop back to the same trailhead via the Hermit Trail. Loop hikes make things simple when you have just a single car.

Day 1 - On Monday morning, we left the trailhead at Hermits Rest at 8 a.m. A 9.3-mile hike with an elevation loss of about 4,000 feet would reach good campsites near reliable water. The Boucher Trail is said to be one of the most difficult of the south side descent hikes. It is not maintained and has 2 very steep descents through the Supai and Redwall layers of the canyon. We had read estimates of 7-9 hours for the descent and since we don't move very fast, we knew we would have to hustle to get down by dark. One of the major disadvantages of winter hiking is the lack of daylight. Sunrise was about 7:40 a.m. and sunset around 5:40 p.m. in mid-January.

The hike started with a steep switchback descent on a good trail. There were slippery sections of ice from a storm a week earlier but luckily, it was easy to step around them. An hour later, we turned left towards Dripping Springs. For the next several hours, we traversed along a wide bench with spectacular views to our right down into Hermit Canyon. About halfway down, at Yuma Point, we discovered full potholes of water. It was a great opportunity to camp at a beautiful spot without having to carry water. A 270-degree view allowed us to see up and down the Colorado River. After setting up camp, we went to scout the following day's descent through the cliff bands just around the corner. Near the trail, we were quite surprised and dismayed to discover a half-eaten freshly killed deer carcass. It was a huge buck with antlers still intact. Clearly, it was a mountain lion kill. Our camp was only 300 feet away. We felt like 'someone' was watching us and hoped that 'someone' would not think we were trying to steal his cache.

Day 2 - The following morning, we broke camp and went back to check out the kill. We were startled to find that it was gone! Following the drag marks about 30 feet, we found the remains of the carcass. The lion had returned to feed during the night and thankfully was happy with its current kill. We have never seen a mountain lion in the wild but obviously we were very close to this one.

The two descents we had to negotiate to reach Boucher Creek were very straightforward. The park service's intimidating descriptions are meant to keep out beginners, especially in the hot summer time. It is amazing how many people have to be rescued from the Grand Canyon every year. But for experienced backpackers who can handle some exposure, the Boucher trail is not difficult. We camped on Boucher Creek, near where Louis Boucher, the 'hermit' of Hermit Creek, maintained a seasonal residence for 20 years. After dropping our packs, we hiked down the creek to the Colorado River to complete our 'rim to river' hike. (R&R do R-to-R). Back at camp, we wondered what the mountain lion was doing and if we were still within the radius of hunting. A fast camp mouse was our only wildlife sighting of the day.

Day 3 - We had to backtrack uphill ¼ mile to reach the trail junction where the Tonto Trail headed east along the Tonto Rim above the Colorado River. A charming and friendly camp raven accompanied us for quite a ways. Hermit Creek, our destination, was about 5 miles away. The Tonto Trail extends for about 90 miles along a plateau 700 feet above the river as it winds in and around the many canyons that flow into the Colorado River. In contrast, the river slices through the canyons, logging only 37 miles. We arrived at the lovely Hermit Creek campground (outhouse and all) in the late afternoon and found it empty. A site was selected for the next 2 nights where we would get maximum sun, just the opposite that one would do in the summer. We explored up the creek to collect fresh water, passing beautiful waterfalls, pools, rocky cliffs, and lush grasses.

Day 4 - The day hike down Hermit Creek, which led to the river, was even more scenic than the one upstream. At the mouth of Hermit Creek is Hermit Rapid, one of the big rapids encountered during a Grand Canyon rafting/kayaking trip. The rapid appeared easier to negotiate from shore than I found from a kayak several years ago. Back above camp, the ruins of the old Hermit Camp were interesting to explore. This camp was opened in 1912. Visitors were brought down on mules while an aerial tram lowered supplies from the rim. The operation was dismantled in 1931 but remnants of the operation were everywhere. Back at our campsite, an additional lone hiker spent the night. He was only the 5th person we had seen in 4 days.

Day 5 - The good weather continued as we spent most of the day hiking up the Hermit trail, completing the loop back to our waiting van. Here we ran into several people trying to day hike to the river, a 17 mile round trip. This objective, strongly discouraged by the park service, results in many of the rescues that occur each year. Near the top, another hiker pointed out dinosaur and mouse tracks in the rock, which we would have missed completely. It appeared as if the dinosaur was chasing the mouse up a sand dune. Wonder how that worked out! After reaching the rim, we drove to the Dairy Queen and then on to Flagstaff where we spent the night with friends. We look forward to other peaceful winter trips to the Grand Canyon.

SUMMARY

Winter hiking in the Grand Canyon offers solitude and an easy permit process. It is important to watch the weather carefully to avoid being caught in a storm. Taking along a small set of instep crampons might be a good idea 'just in case'. The park publishes an excellent pamphlet called Backcountry Trip Planner, which can be ordered on the web at www.nps.gov.grca . Books that describe particular hiking itineraries include a 3 volume set by Harvey Butchart entitled Grand Canyon Treks and On Foot in the Grand Canyon, by Sharon Spangler.