Grand Canyon - Boucher, Tonto, Bright Angel - Backpack Day 1: The Boucher Trail - April 2010

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After what seemed like a long time, we started to curve left around to where Yuma Point was located. This gave us great views east across the ever-widening gulf of Hermit Canyon, and we could now see way up the main Grand Canyon, with its innumerable towers, buttes and side canyons. Even a little slice of the Colorado River was visible. On the far side of Hermit Canyon we could see the light trace of the lower part of the Hermit Trail, switchbacking downwards to where it met the Tonto Trail.

courtesy PChen

Mike's Grizzled Look

Cathy on the Boucher

Mike and Grand Scenery

Cathy along Boucher Trail

A nicer bit

Pu's Grand Vista

courtesy PChen

Afternoon Snack

Towers and Buttes

Tonto Far Below

Lower Hermit Canyon

Steep Sideslope

Nearing Yuma Point

Yuma Point along the Boucher Trail is a relatively small triangle of earthy red ground surrounded by fantastic views. It's a windy spot (quite windy on this particular day). It also has a few cleared out tent spots, but unfortunately, has no guaranteed water source. Closer to the tip of Yuma point are some slickrock potholes, but they are only occasionally filled with water (and today, for example, they were not).

Yuma Point

A bit of exposed traversing

Yuma Point

I again offered the possibility of this being our first night's campsite, but in short order the group agreed that we should at least try to move on to the next possible campsite, down at the saddle below Whites Butte. In fact, from the west side of Yuma Point, we could clearly see down to Whites Butte and the flat saddle. It looked like a decent spot.

courtesy PChen

Yuma Point Potholes

Continuing on from Yuma Point

Whites Butte from Above

It isn't far beyond Yuma Point along the Boucher trail that one encounters 'the crux' of the route (so to speak). There was apparently one spot where the trail finally makes a descent through the Supai Group (we had essentially been at the same elevation now for many kilometres, and at some point you need to go down if you want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, no?). This descent has been alternately described (in guidebooks and on the internet) as everything from hair raising to a piece of cake, and Cathy and Mike were a little nervous about it (they had received a Grand Canyon guidebook at Christmas time, and guess what... its description of this drop on the Boucher was somewhat alarmist... required some damage control, that did). In any case, at this point they just wanted to get this mysterious and possibly scary spot out of the way, once and for all.

Upper Travertine Canyon

Boucher Trail in Travertine Cyn

So, on we went, leaving Yuma Point behind and curving back around, continuing along a traversing route along the top of the Supai Group, headed for the 'drop point' at the head of Travertine Canyon.

courtesy JInnes

Another view down to Whites Butte

More Boucher Trail Traversing

An airy point

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