Troop 19, Nashua, NH - Grand Canyon National Park For 2000

Hermits Rest & Hermits Rapids April 25 - April 27, 2000

Youth: Jeff Beals, Brian Chaput, Renee Chaput, Jay Gorelick, Tony Harris, Matt Kobernick, & Rob Martinez
Adults: Susan Beals, Bob Chaput, Donna Chaput, & Gordy Harris

<- Click on picture to see whole group.

HERMITS GROUP FAVORITES LIST - The Good & the Bad!

TRIP REPORT : FIRST DAY - SECOND DAY - THIRD DAY - FORTH DAY

Topographic Map

"Into the Canyon"

Got up at 5:30 am. Seemed to take forever to get going! Finally left Mather Campground at 8:30 am. Took the shuttle to Hermit's Rest trailhead. Started into canyon at 9:30 am.
Pretty easy to start (or maybe we were just really motivated!). Got to Santa Maria Spring about 11:30 am. Filled up water bottles and ate lunch. Rested for _ hour and took off. Beautiful sights along the trail from here. Cashed water at Lookout Point. Got a good perspective of how far down we were going! What a beautiful place! The day could not have been better. Blue sky, no clouds, and no humidity! (Thanks for the weather Jim!).

After Lookout Point the trail got tougher. Not sure if the trail really was tougher or we were all just hot and had been walking for four hours already. We could see the campground below through the binoculars. What a long way down! The trail continued along the ridge for almost 1-_ hours more before we started to go down. We found this the most boring part of the trail. We could see where we had to go, but couldn't seem to "get there from here!"

Met three women from Massachusetts on the trail who were also headed to Hermits campground. Pretty much "leap-frogged" them the rest of the way. We finally started descending down the ravine using many, many switchbacks and with the afternoon sun (2 PM at this point) beating down on us! I thought this must be when the saying " when the going gets rough, the tough get going!" comes into play. Stopped at the bottom behind a large boulder and rested for an hour to wait for the Chaputs. Two of the three women also caught up to us and waited with us. Donna finally made it down and we were on our way across the Tonto Plateau. Very pretty area through the meadow and we were glad to see some flat area for a change!

Finally made it to the camping area about 6:30 PM. We were very glad the camping area was right next to the creek. Water was a very welcomed sight at that point!
Hermits creek was not very wide, about 2-3 feet, and no more than six inches deep at it's deepest point, but is was flowing fast and provided us with much needed water and cooling off!

Quickly put up tents and started dinner. We found out quickly why each campsite had a strong box. "Mr. Squirrel" paid us a visit and was very assertive. I thought he was a very fat squirrel for being at the bottom of the canyon. Obviously his choice dinner spot was being occupied for the night! We were also visited by the strangest looking flying beetle. At first we thought it was a very large bee, but Mr. Chaput assured us it was a beetle. It was very strange, as it would not really fly around, but hovered about 5 feet above the ground. We also noticed the lizards were bigger here than along the trail. We saw many many small lizards on the trail, but the ones here obviously as spoiled by "left-over consumables". Don't know what else the lizards would eat. The land is very, very dry and dusty. Wished he would eat our friend the "hovering beetle"!

Finished cleaning up in the dark. By 9 PM everyone in bed. I lay in my tent looking at the zillion stars and listening to the frogs. Great way to fall asleep!

"To the Colorado"

Everyone "slept in" up by seven. Everyone said they slept great. After yesterday's long adventure I'm sure they did! Scouts made breakfast and then went to play in the creek. Some nice waterfalls up river.

Finally got everyone organized again and started moving by 10:30 am just as the hot sun was rising above the cliffs and hitting the campsite. We walked down Hermits Creek to the Colorado. We didn't need to walk the trail, as the creek was low enough to walk down the dry riverbed, although we could see where the trail followed along the creek during higher water. Saw many toads of different colors. They seem to camouflage themselves with the rocks and the water. Scenery along the creek was magnificent! Beautiful cliffs looking up. At this point it really feels like we are at the bottom of the canyon. Nowhere to look but up!

We heard the Colorado before we saw it. Hermits rapids is where Hermits Creek flows into the Colorado. Scout's reactions were "WOW!" Awesome rapids! Just over an hour to hike from hermits Creek.

We were amazed there was a nice sandy beach for camping right next to the river. We later discovered it was called Monument Beach. Packs came off quickly, boots even faster. Mrs. Chaput decided we should rope off a swimming area because the current was fast and the water dropped off quickly. Ahhh! How refreshing to jump in! "IT"S COLD!"
The water was about 45 degrees!.

Ahhh! High noon on the Colorado River. Perfect weather like yesterday. No clouds and the bluest sky. We are truly blessed to see such a place on a picture perfect day!

We spent the afternoon lounging around. Now this is a vacation! Noone really wanted to do much of anything after yesterday's grueling adventure. Saw some rafters go through the rapids. They got WET! I am now sitting in the sun on a sandy beach next to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon! How cool is this? It almost seems surreal to me. Looking up at the cliffs it is absolutely beautiful and very hard to describe in words.

The scouts spent most of the day lying in the creek. It must be over 100 degrees! (Ed. note: we later learned it was 110 degrees on this day!). Creek water is warmer than the Colorado, about 65.

Set up tents and made dinner. Tonight is power dinner, yuck! Not a good one. Seemed to have everything but the kitchen sink in it.

Went to bed as darkness fell. I lay in my tent looking up at the Big Dipper. It seems close enough to touch on a clear night. I don't want to lose this sight!

"Back to Hermits"

We all got up about 7 am when the sun hit the beach (HOT!) Made breakfast and packed up. Rafters came by just as we were about to leave so we stayed and watched them go through. We left the beach about 11 AM and walked up Hermits Creek to the campsite. Some people were already there, but we were able to get the same site as before.

Scouts dumped their packs and boots and headed up creek to the waterfall. We all spent the rest of the day at the falls. The scouts made a dam at the top of the falls by lying in across the creek. One of them would sit at the bottom of the falls and then the scouts at the top would stand up and the water to rush over the person at the bottom. They thought it was great!

Another clear, blue sky, gorgeous day, but it is very, very hot!
By 4 PM it was time to go back to camp, set up, and make dinner. Sweet and sour rice tonight, yuck (again!) too much curry. I forced down three bites.

Got everyone to bed by 8 PM. early start tomorrow. Gordy again set up his sleeping space on top of the big rock overlooking the creek, which after Day 1 we have all renamed "Gordy's Rock"! He said he was very warm. "What about the lizards though Gordy?"

We hike out tomorrow. I'm glad the scouts had two days of fun. After today they felt this was a vacation, not work! They should be really motivated to hike again tomorrow.

"Out of the Canyon"

Got up before light at 4:30 AM. We want to be out by first light so to miss the hot sun this afternoon. Were able to leave camp at 6:20 AM. Made it to the top of Cathedral Stairs 2 hours later yeah! We're doing great! In and out of the sun for the next hour and we're at Lookout Point to pick up the water we had cashed. It was too hot to stay here very long.

Another mile and we're at Santa Maria Spring. About 11 AM now and we're making great time. Renee had lead all the way and the group has stayed together. She is setting a great pace and doing much better than Monday. I think we all are really motivated to finish. Spent 45 minutes at the spring for water fill-up and lunch. Off for the final push!

Half -hour later we're at the Dripping Spring Trailhead. It's getting very hot at this point and unfortunately it's nothing but up from here! I remember all the switchbacks on the way down!

Finally arrived at the trailhead, just before 2 PM. WOW! We all made it! I'm tired and very hot! What a relief we all came out on time with no injuries, just sunburns and scrapes.

We all posed for the "after" picture under the Hermit's rest sign and then took the shuttle back to the Bright Angel lodge, and then the bus back to Mather campground. Nice to be back! Set up tents and then Ohhh! A shower! What heaven! I scrubbed forever and I still feel I have dirt on me!

Took the Suburbans over to the Thunderbird Lodge for a buffet dinner of roast beef, salad, potatoes, and fresh vegetables. I loved the salad and vegetables. Haven't seen green anything in a week! It was a great dinner! Everyone told their various stories about their trips. Sounds like everyone had fun! Our group shared the top ten lists we made while walking out. We had a lot of laughs!

Got back to camp about 9 PM and bed by 10. I spent my last night at the Canyon sleeping under the stars!

Other Trip Reprots:

SOUTH BASS

Troop 19 Grand Canyon Links Page

FastCounter by LinkExchange

		"Into the Canyon" Got up at 5:30 am. Seemed to take forever to get going! Finally left Mather Campground at 8:30 am. Took the shuttle to Hermit's Rest trailhead. Started into canyon at 9:30 am. Pretty easy to start (or maybe we were just really motivated!). Got to Santa Maria Spring about 11:30 am. Filled up water bottles and ate lunch. Rested for _ hour and took off. Beautiful sights along the trail from here. Cashed water at Lookout Point. Got a good perspective of how far down we were going! What a beautiful place! The day could not have been better. Blue sky, no clouds, and no humidity! (Thanks for the weather Jim!). After Lookout Point the trail got tougher. Not sure if the trail really was tougher or we were all just hot and had been walking for four hours already. We could see the campground below through the binoculars. What a long way down! The trail continued along the ridge for almost 1-_ hours more before we started to go down. We found this the most boring part of the trail. We could see where we had to go, but couldn't seem to "get there from here!" Met three women from Massachusetts on the trail who were also headed to Hermits campground. Pretty much "leap-frogged" them the rest of the way. We finally started descending down the ravine using many, many switchbacks and with the afternoon sun (2 PM at this point) beating down on us! I thought this must be when the saying " when the going gets rough, the tough get going!" comes into play. Stopped at the bottom behind a large boulder and rested for an hour to wait for the Chaputs. Two of the three women also caught up to us and waited with us. Donna finally made it down and we were on our way across the Tonto Plateau. Very pretty area through the meadow and we were glad to see some flat area for a change! Finally made it to the camping area about 6:30 PM. We were very glad the camping area was right next to the creek. Water was a very welcomed sight at that point! Hermits creek was not very wide, about 2-3 feet, and no more than six inches deep at it's deepest point, but is was flowing fast and provided us with much needed water and cooling off! Quickly put up tents and started dinner. We found out quickly why each campsite had a strong box. "Mr. Squirrel" paid us a visit and was very assertive. I thought he was a very fat squirrel for being at the bottom of the canyon. Obviously his choice dinner spot was being occupied for the night! We were also visited by the strangest looking flying beetle. At first we thought it was a very large bee, but Mr. Chaput assured us it was a beetle. It was very strange, as it would not really fly around, but hovered about 5 feet above the ground. We also noticed the lizards were bigger here than along the trail. We saw many many small lizards on the trail, but the ones here obviously as spoiled by "left-over consumables". Don't know what else the lizards would eat. The land is very, very dry and dusty. Wished he would eat our friend the "hovering beetle"! Finished cleaning up in the dark. By 9 PM everyone in bed. I lay in my tent looking at the zillion stars and listening to the frogs. Great way to fall asleep!
		"To the Colorado" Everyone "slept in" up by seven. Everyone said they slept great. After yesterday's long adventure I'm sure they did! Scouts made breakfast and then went to play in the creek. Some nice waterfalls up river. Finally got everyone organized again and started moving by 10:30 am just as the hot sun was rising above the cliffs and hitting the campsite. We walked down Hermits Creek to the Colorado. We didn't need to walk the trail, as the creek was low enough to walk down the dry riverbed, although we could see where the trail followed along the creek during higher water. Saw many toads of different colors. They seem to camouflage themselves with the rocks and the water. Scenery along the creek was magnificent! Beautiful cliffs looking up. At this point it really feels like we are at the bottom of the canyon. Nowhere to look but up! We heard the Colorado before we saw it. Hermits rapids is where Hermits Creek flows into the Colorado. Scout's reactions were "WOW!" Awesome rapids! Just over an hour to hike from hermits Creek. We were amazed there was a nice sandy beach for camping right next to the river. We later discovered it was called Monument Beach. Packs came off quickly, boots even faster. Mrs. Chaput decided we should rope off a swimming area because the current was fast and the water dropped off quickly. Ahhh! How refreshing to jump in! "IT"S COLD!" The water was about 45 degrees!. Ahhh! High noon on the Colorado River. Perfect weather like yesterday. No clouds and the bluest sky. We are truly blessed to see such a place on a picture perfect day! We spent the afternoon lounging around. Now this is a vacation! Noone really wanted to do much of anything after yesterday's grueling adventure. Saw some rafters go through the rapids. They got WET! I am now sitting in the sun on a sandy beach next to the Colorado River at the bottom of the Grand Canyon! How cool is this? It almost seems surreal to me. Looking up at the cliffs it is absolutely beautiful and very hard to describe in words. The scouts spent most of the day lying in the creek. It must be over 100 degrees! (Ed. note: we later learned it was 110 degrees on this day!). Creek water is warmer than the Colorado, about 65. Set up tents and made dinner. Tonight is power dinner, yuck! Not a good one. Seemed to have everything but the kitchen sink in it. Went to bed as darkness fell. I lay in my tent looking up at the Big Dipper. It seems close enough to touch on a clear night. I don't want to lose this sight!
		"Back to Hermits" We all got up about 7 am when the sun hit the beach (HOT!) Made breakfast and packed up. Rafters came by just as we were about to leave so we stayed and watched them go through. We left the beach about 11 AM and walked up Hermits Creek to the campsite. Some people were already there, but we were able to get the same site as before. Scouts dumped their packs and boots and headed up creek to the waterfall. We all spent the rest of the day at the falls. The scouts made a dam at the top of the falls by lying in across the creek. One of them would sit at the bottom of the falls and then the scouts at the top would stand up and the water to rush over the person at the bottom. They thought it was great! Another clear, blue sky, gorgeous day, but it is very, very hot! By 4 PM it was time to go back to camp, set up, and make dinner. Sweet and sour rice tonight, yuck (again!) too much curry. I forced down three bites. Got everyone to bed by 8 PM. early start tomorrow. Gordy again set up his sleeping space on top of the big rock overlooking the creek, which after Day 1 we have all renamed "Gordy's Rock"! He said he was very warm. "What about the lizards though Gordy?" We hike out tomorrow. I'm glad the scouts had two days of fun. After today they felt this was a vacation, not work! They should be really motivated to hike again tomorrow.
		"Out of the Canyon" Got up before light at 4:30 AM. We want to be out by first light so to miss the hot sun this afternoon. Were able to leave camp at 6:20 AM. Made it to the top of Cathedral Stairs 2 hours later yeah! We're doing great! In and out of the sun for the next hour and we're at Lookout Point to pick up the water we had cashed. It was too hot to stay here very long. Another mile and we're at Santa Maria Spring. About 11 AM now and we're making great time. Renee had lead all the way and the group has stayed together. She is setting a great pace and doing much better than Monday. I think we all are really motivated to finish. Spent 45 minutes at the spring for water fill-up and lunch. Off for the final push! Half -hour later we're at the Dripping Spring Trailhead. It's getting very hot at this point and unfortunately it's nothing but up from here! I remember all the switchbacks on the way down! Finally arrived at the trailhead, just before 2 PM. WOW! We all made it! I'm tired and very hot! What a relief we all came out on time with no injuries, just sunburns and scrapes. We all posed for the "after" picture under the Hermit's rest sign and then took the shuttle back to the Bright Angel lodge, and then the bus back to Mather campground. Nice to be back! Set up tents and then Ohhh! A shower! What heaven! I scrubbed forever and I still feel I have dirt on me! Took the Suburbans over to the Thunderbird Lodge for a buffet dinner of roast beef, salad, potatoes, and fresh vegetables. I loved the salad and vegetables. Haven't seen green anything in a week! It was a great dinner! Everyone told their various stories about their trips. Sounds like everyone had fun! Our group shared the top ten lists we made while walking out. We had a lot of laughs! Got back to camp about 9 PM and bed by 10. I spent my last night at the Canyon sleeping under the stars!