The Grandest of Canyons
I’ve covered Grand Canyon National Park in two other posts (here and here), so I will try and keep this one short. Now, after reading my title, one might wonder. Where do Hermits rest? Well, I will tell you. Hermits rest at Hermits Rest.
The first time I went to Hermits Rest was with my friend Carl. We took the National Park shuttle all the way to the end of Hermit Road, and then found our way to Hermit Trail. Hermits Rest was designed by Mary Colter, who took compass and straightedge to many buildings in the Park. The Hermit who inspired Hermits Rest was one Louis Boucher, a prospector, miner, and canyon guide. Although he took tourists on guided mule trips, in his personal life he was a true Hermit. He once quoted the poet Badger Clark, “I loved my fellow man the best, when he was scattered some.”
Carl and I followed the footsteps of Louis Boucher and started hiking down the Hermit Trail. There are several cool waypoints on the trail, including Santa Maria Spring, Hermit Creek, and Hermit Rapids all the way at the Colorado River. Although the trail is downhill, the latter two spots are not for a day trip. Trips to the bottom generally require camping.
Santa Maria Spring
We made for Santa Maria Spring, which is five miles round trip. The hike to the spring was majestic. Views of the canyon are in every direction. It’s amazing to see how quickly you drop, and yet how far you still have to go. Better than reading my words though is looking at the pictures, which I posted at the bottom of this page.
When I imagined hiking down the canyon, I wondered if it would be a constant experience of tight trails and big drop offs. It wasn’t quite so. However, there certainly are many dangerous locations in the canyon, and one must keep their wits about them. People going over the edge, or “OTE”, is a common accident. In fact, there is a book called “Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon”, that recounts all the fatal misadventures.
We made it to Santa Maria Spring, which is like an oasis in the rocky desert. There is a basin collecting the spring water, but some of the algae growth made me hesitant to fill up the water bottle. We rested in the stone shelter for a bit, before hiking back up to the rim. Hermits Rest is a great spot to hang out, but if I was a true Hermit, I would make for Santa Maria Spring.
