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

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Peering from our vantage point, I could see our route traversing for a while, and then I could see traces of the trail further down below the cliffs. Somewhere in between was the descent, but from our current point it was still hidden.

Bob, Pu and Jenn

Start of the Steeps

Before the Descent

Soon the trail stopped its traverse and made a quick switchback to the right and down: the start of the 'steep stretch'. I had everyone take a quick break and I went down to have a look. The path descended steeply and on a somewhat loose but level surface with a fairly exposed dropoff to the left. This section was quite short, though, and a more enclosed but steeper section ensued. I had a quick look down, and it seemed like a steep with-hands downclimb, but not exposed and with big, blocky holds. It only went down another twenty-five or so feet from this point before it bottomed out and a relatively normal trail resumed. Not so bad after all, I thought.

Airiest stretch

I headed back up and debriefed the group. We knew Cathy and Mike might feel more comfortable without packs, so we offered to take them down for them. Mike was ok to try the stretch with his pack; Cathy accepted our offer of pack transport.

courtesy PChen

Sending Cathy Ahead

Carefully, we descended the short exposed stretch (noticing that there were remnants of Boucher's old trailwork here - some old logs and metal brackets and such), and then turned back-out to downclimb the short blocky scramble. Pu took Cathy's pack in-hand and, from above lowered it to me, where I took it the remainder of the way down the steep stretch, and a little ways beyond. Cathy and Mike cautiously and successfully made the downclimb, and came out none the worse for wear.

We did take a few light-hearted pot-shots at what we called Cathy's 'bum violations' (our off-the-cuff term for scooting down steep slopes on one's derriere, rather than properly downclimbing). However, even with the violations, it was Mission Accomplished! I was pretty sure this was the worst the Boucher trail was going to throw at us, even though there was one more 'steep climb' yet to come.

courtesy JInnes

courtesy PChen

Pu the Pack Transporter

Descending the 'steep stretch'

Easy Downclimbing

courtesy JInnes

courtesy PChen

Cathy Descends

Andrew Ferries Pack

Completing the Scramble

After all the downclimbing and pack-ferrying was over, we continued on. The trail did a little more traversing before starting a somewhat tedious descent down a steep, dirt hillside. There are a couple of braided paths in this section, but they all pretty much lead in the same direction -- down the prow of a steep little ridge. Eventually we reached the bottom of the ridge and the flat top of the Redwall formation. We were now at the elevation of the Whites Butte saddle. Whites Butte itself was a small pointy thing a little off to the left in the distance.

Hardest Part Done

More Traversing

Much Lower in Travertine Now

courtesy PChen

Waiting Hikers

Catch-up Break

Scenic Sandstone Boulder

Upper Travertine Canyon

Travertine Canyon Route, Annotated

As we had downclimbed the scramble and the subsequent steep dirt descent, the skies had clouded over and the air had become still and humid. It no longer was a cheery, blustery-feeling day, but rather a gloomy and foreboding one. It felt like some precip might in fact be headed our way after all. We debated about whether we should camp at Whites Butte saddle or try and continue on down to Boucher Creek itself (our preferred destination). The group was split, and we decided to re-assess at the saddle itself.

Top of the RedWall

Out of Travertine

Cathy in Travertine

Video clips from the upper part of the Boucher Trail

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