As noted in earlier posts, I have a goal to hike the Tonto. I've hiked from the eastern beginnings of the Tonto to the tipoff at the Kiabab. In Oct 2009 I hiked from the Bass to the Boucher. Can we get another permit allowing us to hike from the tipoff to the Boucher?
Mr. J and I originally kicked around the idea of another President's day weekend hike. However, for various reasons, it was not to be. However, on President's day I sent a request for permits for the week of 8 March. After 9 days, I still didn't have a response, so after trying to get through on the phones to see if I could find out our status, I sent an email. Later that afternoon, I made one more phone call and this time I got through. The ranger told me that my permit was denied because the campsites were all occupied. I then asked if there were other possibilities that allowed us to do that segment of the trail. He said they had two open nights at Monument Creek. I signed up for those two nights and he put my name back on the list for consideration.
Saturday, Feb 27 I received an email stating that the two nights at Monument Creek were approved for March 11 & 12. Now we need to plan a trip around those two nights. My initial thoughts were to go down the Hermits, day hike to Boucher and back, and then hike out. If energy and time was ok, instead of hiking out the Hermits trail, we would make a long day and hike out of the Bright Angel. Justin suggested hiking down the BA to Indian Gardens and then over to Monument. It makes for a long day, but it is probably doable. Need to check out the mileages.
My victims for the hike are Mr. J and my son Justin. This will be Justin's first hike into the Grand Canyon since we did the Christmas holiday rim-rim-rim hike back in December 1991. He was 12 years old at the time and was quite the hiker/backpacker back then. He'll probably smoke the old guy again. The details for this hike can be seen at the Grand Canyon Adventures link.
I've done the Bright Angel trail from the trailhead to Indian Gardens multiple times as part of other hikes. These other hikes include the Rim-Rim hike in 1982 and a Rim-Rim-Rim hike with my sons in December of 1991. The last time I hiked this trail was in March 1992 and on the return trip up the BA, we were temporarily stopped when 4 mules were spooked and fell/slide/tumbled over 600 feet vertical and landed on the trail between my daughter and I and my sons. The boys were about 3 minutes ahead of us and didn't see or hear the mules. My daughter and I had to wait on the trail until Park Service personnel came down. Three of the mules were so severely injured that they had to be put down before we continue on our hike out.
