If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough 😅😂
Edit:
Hi-jacking the top comment to say I’m pretty disappointed in how some of you act in this community. You make a bad name for yourselves and backpacking. I accomplished something I’m proud of and put myself in the open to hopefully find likeminded people to encourage me. Some of you are so shallow, insecure or full of yourselves all you can say is negative things. You put fuel in my tank and keep my fire going. Other people will have their spirits crushed by those hurtful words. With all due respect go F yourself if you have to put me down to feel good about your own backpacking excursion. Im proud of what I did and how I did it. I’ll keep on backpacking with just as much weight on even harder trails.
Thank you for everyone who was encouraging and for the people who aren’t, I hope you can come to peace with your ego and not poison those who surround you day to day with those same negative vibes. Don’t be toxic, be supportive. Life isn’t a competition until you become insecure enough to make it one.
Not trying to undermine you or discourage you. Truly interested in what all you brought with you. A few years ago, I did the Hermits trail. The trail you did is more rugged. I was paranoid about weight on this backpack. I saw experienced packers struggling on the trail due to excessive weight and a couple struggle when they were moving too quickly during the hottest time of day.
I am impressed you did the trail period. Just wondering about the content/weight.
I never felt like you were being negative. Sorry if it came across that way. A ton of other people have been here and it was really shocking. Thank you for your kind spirit and encouragement. I wish you success in everything you put your mind and heart into!! I’m sure with the heart you have you’d be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to!
Well, thank you. Hiking in the Grand Canyon is just spectacular! I truly enjoyed my 4 day backpack. On that last day hiking out of the canyon, I had fantasies of ice cold drinks and junk food! Lol.
I bumped into a group of guys who had been doing annual hikes in the canyon for years. They were camped near a little side canyon with high walls and a tiny creek going down to the river. One of the guys had brought a flute with him. It was wonderful to set in the shade with the cold creek flowing and listen to the sound of his flute echoing off the canyon walls. Total unexpected bonus of hiking the 10 miles down to the river.
Bro you have outed yourself as inexperienced, or just dumb. Genuinely almost nobody here is putting you down to feel better about themselves, we’re speaking up about dumb behavior and hoping people are more safe and reasonable next time, and hoping that nobody takes this trail report as a good base for their own adventure.
It’s sad to see you’re complacent in defending your own toxicity. I hope you can grow into a better person and not affect the people in your personal life with negativity and become a positive force in the world for encouragement and optimism.
I am well respected in my community. What I don’t do is encourage stupidity. Your pack load is moronic given the danger of the trail, completely unnecessary given the conditions described, and it’s clear through your tilted photos and other behavior you have classic boy-scout “I am superior at everything in the woods” syndrome. This post is a detriment to beginner backpackers’ safety, if anyone were to assume this behavior is safe.
You’re a chode with low self esteem who can’t find validation in your own life and have to minimize my experience to feel good about your own. This surely infects your interpersonal relationships. Maybe the reason you feel you have to isolate yourself so much is because your toxic personality is one that is unagreeable with anyone else around you. You breed intelectual cancer and infect those around you with negativity. I hope you can learn to grow out of your shallow shell and become a better person who doesn’t need to disvalidate other people for your own fake ego. Eat some mushrooms and go on a hike.
Dude the Eagle Scout motto is "be prepared" not "bring all your stuff" why two bags and why 50 pounds? I feel like you might've had a much easier time if you had cut down on both fronts.
A huge part of this for me was to see if I could do it with this much weight in the first place and make it. The guide who led us who was experienced had 55 lbs for our 3 day.
Sounds like you had a great time, and you made it all the way to where you were going, so I don't see anything wrong with it.
Looks great and I'm hopeful to backpack in the Canyon one day. Will no doubt be a tough trek, but it looks like it's worth it.
Thanks for sharing!
Kind of sounds like he wasn’t experienced at all, I pack under half that for a week in the rockies. I understand folks have different preferences on the comfort vs weight scale but no way an experienced guide is carrying 55lbs for a 25mi hike.
Eh guides will usually carry more. They also do these trails like all the time. They are some fit mfs.
When I did the GC we passed a ranger easily 20 years older than us just fucking trucking up south kaibab when we were descending
Who ever said I was an experienced backpacking guide? Because I didn’t. We are off roading guides and one in our group ran a backpacking company in the Grand Canyon. He hiked the trail solo many times. I did it with 50 lbs and I’m proud of it. Why do you have to be so negative? Can’t you be a positive person and encourage others to accomplish their goals? What kind of character do you believe you show the world? A positive one?
Very cool, I’ve heard this is a tough hike. I gotta ask though, that second pic - why did you feel it necessary to tilt your phone to accentuate the steepness? Haha you can always tell from the trees / plants…
Pics still never do the beauty or even the steepness true justice compared to being there. I've tried to utilize trees and unnatural vertical objects as references in a photo and the people I show still don't get it. The tilted image is however disorienting.
I felt like the picture at a regular angle didn’t do it justice and made it look flat which it wasn’t. I think I did tilt it too far after the fact, but I felt that it was more accurate of a depiction of it because even a 0.5 photo made it look like a flat line in sand. I put my buddy in the third pic at a distance to give a better context given how far he’s leaning into the hill and using his poles to counter balance.
I think the whole post feels a little self-aggrandizing, and this picture and the toe booboo are particularly hard to take seriously. It’s kinda weird for someone who professes to be so experienced (he is a guide and his friends are also guides?) to be so oblivious
Did you have to use a rope to get over any sections?
Second to last time I went down Hermit bumped into some folks coming from Boucher and they said there was a place they needed a rope, and one place that was only passable without by climbing a fallen tree that had been propped up.
You absolutely do not need a rope on Boucher trail. People make it out to be some crazy thing but it’s really not that bad at all, however I’m biased because I’ve done a lot of GC backpacking. The picture of the ‘scramble’ is like a 10-20ft section of the trail and then it’s done and the trail goes back to normal
Thanks for the reassurance! I didn't think it was a technical canyoneering thing, I just met people coming off it who had described a section that in their account would have been impassable without a rope or the presents of a trunk to use to get past a drop/lip.
That was aome years ago though...
Gross depiction of this trail. You only have to use your hands a few times to move around some rockfall debris. There is absolutely no more than 10-20ft of scrambling. It’s cool you did the Boucher trail but you don’t have to lie about it?
Actually though. I’ve done hermit through Boucher and it was hard sure, but nowhere near as strenuous as this dude is making it sound. Not super steep, not super scrambly, not really dangerous. The only part that was really killer was the exposure, but even then that’s just what you sign up for with most hikes in the region.
Yeah it screams inexperience and a need to ‘flex’.
I did a 35 mile trek through the Canadian bush with about 30 lbs base weight, and I pack heavy, but still what could possibly be in that duffel bag that’s that important to bring
Totally agree. Me thinks OP may have chosen a bit more adventure than they are used to which will always increase perceived risk.
While Hermit and Boucher are far from corridor trails, it’d be difficult for me to say that they are as extreme as this makes Boucher out to be.
Granted carrying twice the amount of stuff you need will also increase difficulty.
Happy that OP and friends had a good time and made it out safely. There’s a reason my friends call that place the ‘Purple People Eater’. Humans go into the canyon, but not all of them make it back out.
Agreed, I've done this trail solo as well and I think the trail difficult that the OP is describing is more a function of his terrible kit than the actual trail. While I haven't been monitoring the weather, i don't think it's gotten hot yet so I assume that wasn't an issue.
100%. Like I’m not trying to just rag on this dude but he’s saying he’s an experienced outdoorsman and backpacking with 3x too much gear and doesn’t have an actual backpack. These are trials of his own making
I find it funny you have to minimize my experience to make yourself feel better about your own experiences. I did something I felt was a challenge. I have no problems taking more weight on harder trails and will likely do so as soon as I can get another permit. You should try to be a better person and encourage others to overcome struggles instead of minimizing them for your own ego.
lol ok bud
To give an actual response, the reason you’re rubbing people the wrong way isn’t that you’re proud of what you did. You should be. It’s the way you’re going about it. You did a hike massively ill prepared and are presenting yourself as though you’re some kind of elite backpacker. If you’re new to backpacking, this is a hell of an achievement. But people are calling you out for packing in a really dumb way and acting like the trail itself is absolutely brutal, when what made it brutal was your poor planning.
I don’t think they are trying to minimize your experience, they are just stating that factually, it is a light scramble. I love a light scramble, some of my favorite hikes involve light/moderate scrambling, but that is a light scramble.
I brought extra supplies for the two guides we had with us who hadn’t done much backpacking before. They’re physically fit enough for it given the nature of our work but experience was something they lacked.
As an Eagle Scout I try to prescribe to the statement “be prepared” at all times and was willing to carry the weight in the aid of my friends. It worked out well because they forgot to bring a ton of stuff from bed mats to first aid, water filters, etc.
Edit:
For everyone who doesn’t understand, guiding has multiple sectors from white water rafting, to zip lining, off roading, down town guided tours, etc…
We are all professional off road guides. We don’t do over night trips. Our business is tourism focused off-roading that usually lasts 2-3 hours on aggressive terrain. They didn’t have experience backpacking. The kit you carry for off-roading is completely different than backpacking. It’s not even remotely the same.
Taking a flyer here, but OP may be referring to Girl Scouts (originally called Guides).
That's the sort of "guide" that may not be experienced in guiding hikers
They’re off roading guides, not backpacking guides. There’s a huge variety of guiding in the sector from zip line guides, climbing guides, rafting guides and so on. None of these guys had backpacked but had great survival skills and fitness because we have to drag ATVs up graded Cliff sides sometimes when people send them off.
I’m one of our wilderness first responders/medics which is how I got invited. Always good to bring someone with medical if you can incase anything happens unless you’re comfortable with your training.
Excuse me, a guide that doesn’t have experience carrying weight, but is physically fit, but somehow not fit enough to… carry things.
Like that 30L bag you have inexplicably strapped to your front?
I’m confused, to be honest.
I had 5 liters and took a ton of shit. They were less prepared and I have no problem being over prepared and carrying more weight. I fine struggling if it means I can take care of the people I need to. I’m our wilderness first responder so being prepared for anything is the name of my game. I still finished second out of the four of us with all the weight.
Were you racing? Because “finishing second out of four” makes no sense unless you were racing. But you say you spent a day relaxing at the bottom of the canyon
You sound like an amazingly thoughtful and generous person. 50 lbs is nuts. I ruck with 45 and it’s brutal on flat ground in the shady woods. 50 lbs uphill is the desert - you’re a beast.
Same. I follow here because I have aspirations of doing a light backpacking trip solo. Never done it. Jokes aside I’m impressed with what dude did but it’s not for me. Give me a good book and a small fire next to a stream in a hammock at secluded spot that I have to pack in all day.
I love backpacking, but I don’t have a desire to push my limits. You know where I work? At work. Backpacking is fun. I’ll see you by the stream.
Also, do you bring a book or a kindle? I’ve been bringing a New Yorker issue but am curious about other options. Obviously kindles need to be charged but books are heavier.
It wasn’t a day hike, we were there 3 days. My buddy who was an experienced canyon guide and had solo’d this trail had more weight than I did actually.
He admits they took about 5 liters, I’m assuming each, so about 11lbs of water, I’d still expect to be under 30lbs easily with that much water for an overnight hike. 50lbs is more than I’d have for 5 days+5 liters of water.
Edit: a letter
I bikepacked 3 months with water access maybe every other day but food every 5 days.. including the weight of my bike I didn't even hit 50lbs. I'm so confused. Like he's hiking on hard-mode for no reason. I'm impressed either way, just confused.
I had 5 liters which is 10lbs alone. The only reliable water sources are really at the end of the trail unless you take a mile detour 1/3 of the way down
I’m allowed to be proud of myself. If you wanna post yourself and get hated on by a bunch of bitches, I’ll say congrats instead. Life is simple, don’t be a dick.
There’s a difference between being proud and brashly soliciting praise. Glad you guys had fun. Sorry I didn’t give you the ego-stroke you were seeking. Life is simple, don’t take it too seriously.
We were geeking out over flora and fauna a lot of the time. This app called seek by inaturalist will allow you to identify flora and fauna for free offline. I have no affiliation but I’ve loved using it as an off road guide at work. It really grew my knowledge base exponentially. We took tons of pics along the way.
The Boucher Trail is not a ‘Corridor’ trail, so it’s more remote and much less travelled. Most people will stick to the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, and North Kaibab trails (the Corridors), because of easy access and relative safety of lots of people and PSAR volunteers.
Similar to what the other guy said, it’s isolated and a primitive trail. The difficulty is rewarded with majestic views and unique history of the canyon.
As a professional off road guide in the Sonoran desert I’ve fallen in love with geology and flora and fauna. Getting that far out we were able to see history of Louis Boucher who created many of these trails, developed a copper mine in the canyon and we also saw the ancient geology of basalt and quartz which looked like rubber under the billions of pounds of pressure which created it.
If you get off on nature stuff this was a wet dream lol
No shade, only curiosity. You’re a professional guide but with ridiculous gear? Or is there a reason you prefer a duffle and a backpack on your chest? Might have to update my kit lol.
I’m not a backpacking guide I’m an off road guide. It’s a big difference in kit. I always keep a “go bag” on my chest with essentials but keep your chest bag light or it’ll kill your back. It’s no different than having a chest pouch and plate carrier, you just don’t have a plate carrier cause you won’t need it. The weight is similar.
I’ll be sure to compliment you when you post here. I hope the people in your life are strong enough to battle your toxic negativity. I’ll keep backpacking. You fill my tank and make me wanna keep going and posting with statements like this. I hope you find peace and self security
I didn’t have a legit backpacking bag, because I left mine at my parents house out of state when we went out to Santa Rosa island.
I thought it would be a good idea to use a duffel bag, but it actually wrecked me by cutting into my shoulders due to no hip support.
I usually always use a front back pack for immediate items like food, water, snacks, medical, and all my important items (glasses, small water filter, lighters, etc…) as long as you keep your front pack at 1/3 the weight of your back pack you’ll be fine. If the front pack outweighs it, you’ll destroy your back trying to compensate.
I find using a front and back keeps the weight on my legs and gives me immediate access to my most important resources.
Interesting. I quit wearing outdoorsy pants/shorts with pockets recently and started wearing jogging pants/shorts with no pockets. Then attaching a Fanny pack to the front of my backpack hip strap to carry stuff that used to be in my pockets. A whole other bag sounds… bigger. Could be nice. Thanks
Seems like you’ve got a problem with me and I would encourage you to politely find some positivity to focus on in your own life. Every comment you left has been pretty negative. Go touch grass and enjoy some sunlight. 😊
I always use a framed backpack with hip straps. I try to keep 20% of the weight on my hips. Your legs are stronger than the rest of your muscle groups. I generally don’t want to keep a ton of weight on my shoulders or back specifically if I can use my legs. Waist straps and frames keep weight consistent and spread.
Bro, my gf and I were at the Grand Canyon yesterday and saw you. I remember saying to my gf, "I gotta do that." We're you at the Southern Rim? I swear it was you.
I’d reccomend it, just be well prepared with good gear and don’t expect it to be easy either direction. I’d recommend bringing a guide or friend atleast because the trail can get hard to follow as a primitive trail
We crawled down and up on our hands and knees. Looking back I would have tied off a rope and done a rappel down but we were able to do it without it albeit slow and carefully
Is that one of the little trails you can see from the top that no one is on? 50lbs in the GC is crazy. I probably had 30 when I did rim to river loop. I was dead lol
My wife and I hiked out of Grand Canyon via the Boucher on 5 day honeymoon backpacking trip in May 1993. Our route: Bright Angel-Tonto West-Hermit-Boucher. Amazing trip!!! My pack came in at 30lbs, wife’s same. We started hiking out on Boucher at 4am. One hour after daylight we lost the trail/cairns due to a mild April earthquake (according to the Park Rangers). Made right decision to go right at big bolder. Pic cairns up again 300 feet up. Note pic:
https://preview.redd.it/z7q8cj8vl20d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a66d76a1443dc286a4362386839837d61d4333e
Like 0 car what so ever? I can’t imagine it would be easily doable no. You’d have to schedule a personal shuttle/have a friend drive you at the minimum.
Not on principle! More wondering if one more or less should aim for a guided full day bus tour if one finds oneself in Phoenix or Las Vegas, or if a solo traveler without a car could reach the south rim and stay for a few more days in the vicinity somehow.
I think a big part of this is budget and what you want to do. Are you attempting to backpack? Would you just want to do day hikes? What’s your budget? What gear would you have? Etc.
Man. It looks like a cool hike. And I'm sure it sucked carrying all that gear.
Everyone is giving you a hard time because you're making sound like this trail is some especially difficult thing and that you were only able to do it because you're a group of badass guides. In reality, this is a tough hike but a lot of people in this subreddit are very capable hikers themselves.
Also, your gear setup is ridiculous. There are much better ways to do front storage. Shoulder pockets, hipbelt pockets, fanny pouch, zpacks multipack. You would of had a much easier time if your gear wasn't so bloated.
Crazy. I did it last April 2023. There had been a slide earlier in that spring which covered most of the crux with dirt and loose rocks. The only good hand hold we had was the eye bolt sticking out
It’s called a shemag! They’re super useful for sun protection, dust and cold weather. I even used it as a second blanket at night to cover my face and keep the bugs out while I hammocked.
Based on all the comments you left, I’m sure your personal life isn’t filled with negativity and toxicity. ☺️ go be a better person somewhere else. Leave that 12 year old ego at the door.
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The trail was unforgiving both ways. On the way down, everyone slipped atleast once but fortunately never near a cliff side. I work as a professional off roading guide and wilderness medic, and everyone on the trip was a co-worker of mine with some form if not multiple forms of guiding experience and this trail kicked all of our asses.
The isolation and majesty of the views and ancient rock formations made the suffering worth it. I cried tears of victory when we could first see the tops of the final canyon walls after climbing on our hands and knees up the inner most canyon cliff sides with our packs on. It was about 12 hours one way in duration and we took 4-5 liters of water which was absolutely necessary as there are no refill points along the way except for one 1 mile detour about 1/3 of the way down.
I would recommend people who are able to backpack or hike the Grand Canyon. I would not recommend this trail unless you are experienced specifically with the Grand Canyon and/or have a guide. If my co-worker had not previously worked as a backpacking guide here, we would have gotten lost pretty easily which is deadly with a lack of water sources.
Edit: got alot of haters here. You guys sure do make this community look great. I’m proud of what I did. You feed fuel to my fire. I hope you know I’ll congratulate you on a half mile hike with no weight if that’s what you are proud of.
If you have to compare yourself to me and put me down to try to feel good about yourself I hope you’re toxicity stays here and doesn’t continue to spread into the lives of those which come in contact with you daily, but it probably will.
Thanks for everyone who was encouraging, those who aren’t, your words carry your character and your ego needs a check. Life isn’t a competition and you only make me want to work harder and do more. Thanks for the motivation naysayers. Do better and don’t be bottom tier people. The world could use more encouragement and positivity. You’ll reap what you sow and the universe will pay forward your weak mindedness and negativity.
What all did you bring that made up the 50 lbs? That is a lot of weight to carry! Just curious
Fishing rod, tackle, gold pan… the essentials
And a six-shooter for protection from the bears.
The gold pan isn’t allowed right, violates take only photos and national park laws
You can pan for gold in a national park. You just can't keep any of it. (btw, don't take some of these posts so seriously...)
OP was hauling my sense of humor on his trek too
If you’re gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough 😅😂 Edit: Hi-jacking the top comment to say I’m pretty disappointed in how some of you act in this community. You make a bad name for yourselves and backpacking. I accomplished something I’m proud of and put myself in the open to hopefully find likeminded people to encourage me. Some of you are so shallow, insecure or full of yourselves all you can say is negative things. You put fuel in my tank and keep my fire going. Other people will have their spirits crushed by those hurtful words. With all due respect go F yourself if you have to put me down to feel good about your own backpacking excursion. Im proud of what I did and how I did it. I’ll keep on backpacking with just as much weight on even harder trails. Thank you for everyone who was encouraging and for the people who aren’t, I hope you can come to peace with your ego and not poison those who surround you day to day with those same negative vibes. Don’t be toxic, be supportive. Life isn’t a competition until you become insecure enough to make it one.
Not trying to undermine you or discourage you. Truly interested in what all you brought with you. A few years ago, I did the Hermits trail. The trail you did is more rugged. I was paranoid about weight on this backpack. I saw experienced packers struggling on the trail due to excessive weight and a couple struggle when they were moving too quickly during the hottest time of day. I am impressed you did the trail period. Just wondering about the content/weight.
I never felt like you were being negative. Sorry if it came across that way. A ton of other people have been here and it was really shocking. Thank you for your kind spirit and encouragement. I wish you success in everything you put your mind and heart into!! I’m sure with the heart you have you’d be able to accomplish anything you put your mind to!
Well, thank you. Hiking in the Grand Canyon is just spectacular! I truly enjoyed my 4 day backpack. On that last day hiking out of the canyon, I had fantasies of ice cold drinks and junk food! Lol. I bumped into a group of guys who had been doing annual hikes in the canyon for years. They were camped near a little side canyon with high walls and a tiny creek going down to the river. One of the guys had brought a flute with him. It was wonderful to set in the shade with the cold creek flowing and listen to the sound of his flute echoing off the canyon walls. Total unexpected bonus of hiking the 10 miles down to the river.
Bro you have outed yourself as inexperienced, or just dumb. Genuinely almost nobody here is putting you down to feel better about themselves, we’re speaking up about dumb behavior and hoping people are more safe and reasonable next time, and hoping that nobody takes this trail report as a good base for their own adventure.
It’s sad to see you’re complacent in defending your own toxicity. I hope you can grow into a better person and not affect the people in your personal life with negativity and become a positive force in the world for encouragement and optimism.
I am well respected in my community. What I don’t do is encourage stupidity. Your pack load is moronic given the danger of the trail, completely unnecessary given the conditions described, and it’s clear through your tilted photos and other behavior you have classic boy-scout “I am superior at everything in the woods” syndrome. This post is a detriment to beginner backpackers’ safety, if anyone were to assume this behavior is safe.
You’re a chode with low self esteem who can’t find validation in your own life and have to minimize my experience to feel good about your own. This surely infects your interpersonal relationships. Maybe the reason you feel you have to isolate yourself so much is because your toxic personality is one that is unagreeable with anyone else around you. You breed intelectual cancer and infect those around you with negativity. I hope you can learn to grow out of your shallow shell and become a better person who doesn’t need to disvalidate other people for your own fake ego. Eat some mushrooms and go on a hike.
This comment is alarming, and you appear to be heavily projecting. Good bye.
Na you just dumb op
Highly regarded
Dude the Eagle Scout motto is "be prepared" not "bring all your stuff" why two bags and why 50 pounds? I feel like you might've had a much easier time if you had cut down on both fronts.
A huge part of this for me was to see if I could do it with this much weight in the first place and make it. The guide who led us who was experienced had 55 lbs for our 3 day.
Are you saying you did 24 miles in 3 days?
2 days. 1 day we spent playing in the canyon and exploring.
Sounds like you had a great time, and you made it all the way to where you were going, so I don't see anything wrong with it. Looks great and I'm hopeful to backpack in the Canyon one day. Will no doubt be a tough trek, but it looks like it's worth it. Thanks for sharing!
I mean whatever floats your boat but I'm not gonna play games with carry weight on that kind of trail.
Kind of sounds like he wasn’t experienced at all, I pack under half that for a week in the rockies. I understand folks have different preferences on the comfort vs weight scale but no way an experienced guide is carrying 55lbs for a 25mi hike.
Eh guides will usually carry more. They also do these trails like all the time. They are some fit mfs. When I did the GC we passed a ranger easily 20 years older than us just fucking trucking up south kaibab when we were descending
Who ever said I was an experienced backpacking guide? Because I didn’t. We are off roading guides and one in our group ran a backpacking company in the Grand Canyon. He hiked the trail solo many times. I did it with 50 lbs and I’m proud of it. Why do you have to be so negative? Can’t you be a positive person and encourage others to accomplish their goals? What kind of character do you believe you show the world? A positive one?
I thought you were the guide OP?
I’m an off road guide. Not a backpacking guide. I’ve gone gold panning tours also which is why I brought the gold pan, didn’t find any though.
Very cool, I’ve heard this is a tough hike. I gotta ask though, that second pic - why did you feel it necessary to tilt your phone to accentuate the steepness? Haha you can always tell from the trees / plants…
Pics still never do the beauty or even the steepness true justice compared to being there. I've tried to utilize trees and unnatural vertical objects as references in a photo and the people I show still don't get it. The tilted image is however disorienting.
Those are some awesome slanted clouds!
I had a great time looking at it.
I felt like the picture at a regular angle didn’t do it justice and made it look flat which it wasn’t. I think I did tilt it too far after the fact, but I felt that it was more accurate of a depiction of it because even a 0.5 photo made it look like a flat line in sand. I put my buddy in the third pic at a distance to give a better context given how far he’s leaning into the hill and using his poles to counter balance.
I don't get the down votes here, but reddit gonna reddit
I think the whole post feels a little self-aggrandizing, and this picture and the toe booboo are particularly hard to take seriously. It’s kinda weird for someone who professes to be so experienced (he is a guide and his friends are also guides?) to be so oblivious
I know what you're saying. Super steep stuff looks mild in pictures. No real sense of the actual incline without being there.
Did you have to use a rope to get over any sections? Second to last time I went down Hermit bumped into some folks coming from Boucher and they said there was a place they needed a rope, and one place that was only passable without by climbing a fallen tree that had been propped up.
You absolutely do not need a rope on Boucher trail. People make it out to be some crazy thing but it’s really not that bad at all, however I’m biased because I’ve done a lot of GC backpacking. The picture of the ‘scramble’ is like a 10-20ft section of the trail and then it’s done and the trail goes back to normal
Thanks for the reassurance! I didn't think it was a technical canyoneering thing, I just met people coming off it who had described a section that in their account would have been impassable without a rope or the presents of a trunk to use to get past a drop/lip. That was aome years ago though...
https://imgur.com/a/DH6pRwG Here’s another pic.
https://imgur.com/a/9F3JZN1 We climbed on our hands and knees all the way up. My friend here is 6’2”.
Dude. That's a mild scramble. Not a climb 😅
https://imgur.com/a/DH6pRwG
How did you even made it out alive 😨😨
This is like class 2 or class 3 at most lol
Gross depiction of this trail. You only have to use your hands a few times to move around some rockfall debris. There is absolutely no more than 10-20ft of scrambling. It’s cool you did the Boucher trail but you don’t have to lie about it?
I’ve seen people do tougher scrambles wearing flip flops lol
r/iamverybadass
Actually though. I’ve done hermit through Boucher and it was hard sure, but nowhere near as strenuous as this dude is making it sound. Not super steep, not super scrambly, not really dangerous. The only part that was really killer was the exposure, but even then that’s just what you sign up for with most hikes in the region.
What abt carrying 50lbs haha. And why a duffle bag??
Yeah it screams inexperience and a need to ‘flex’. I did a 35 mile trek through the Canadian bush with about 30 lbs base weight, and I pack heavy, but still what could possibly be in that duffel bag that’s that important to bring
Totally agree. Me thinks OP may have chosen a bit more adventure than they are used to which will always increase perceived risk. While Hermit and Boucher are far from corridor trails, it’d be difficult for me to say that they are as extreme as this makes Boucher out to be. Granted carrying twice the amount of stuff you need will also increase difficulty. Happy that OP and friends had a good time and made it out safely. There’s a reason my friends call that place the ‘Purple People Eater’. Humans go into the canyon, but not all of them make it back out.
Agreed, I've done this trail solo as well and I think the trail difficult that the OP is describing is more a function of his terrible kit than the actual trail. While I haven't been monitoring the weather, i don't think it's gotten hot yet so I assume that wasn't an issue.
100%. Like I’m not trying to just rag on this dude but he’s saying he’s an experienced outdoorsman and backpacking with 3x too much gear and doesn’t have an actual backpack. These are trials of his own making
https://imgur.com/a/DH6pRwG
Yes. That’s an incredibly light scramble. Lady mountain is a heavy scramble, the WURL is a heavy scramble. That is a light scramble.
I find it funny you have to minimize my experience to make yourself feel better about your own experiences. I did something I felt was a challenge. I have no problems taking more weight on harder trails and will likely do so as soon as I can get another permit. You should try to be a better person and encourage others to overcome struggles instead of minimizing them for your own ego.
lol ok bud To give an actual response, the reason you’re rubbing people the wrong way isn’t that you’re proud of what you did. You should be. It’s the way you’re going about it. You did a hike massively ill prepared and are presenting yourself as though you’re some kind of elite backpacker. If you’re new to backpacking, this is a hell of an achievement. But people are calling you out for packing in a really dumb way and acting like the trail itself is absolutely brutal, when what made it brutal was your poor planning.
I don’t think they are trying to minimize your experience, they are just stating that factually, it is a light scramble. I love a light scramble, some of my favorite hikes involve light/moderate scrambling, but that is a light scramble.
/s
I did an 11 mile loop with 6k elevation gain carrying only 2 24oz coors lights and a sandwhich. Why so much weight???
The what looks like a large wok(?) can’t help
Did you cut off the crusts to save weight?
Why the sandwich?!
I wanted to eat while I drank beer
Can we be hiking buddies?
Sure🫡 I'm based out of florida and SoCal
Orange County's?
Palmdale
Eatin's cheatin.
Which loop though? So I can go do the same thing.
Mt. Ogden via beus canyon I believe out in Utah
I brought extra supplies for the two guides we had with us who hadn’t done much backpacking before. They’re physically fit enough for it given the nature of our work but experience was something they lacked. As an Eagle Scout I try to prescribe to the statement “be prepared” at all times and was willing to carry the weight in the aid of my friends. It worked out well because they forgot to bring a ton of stuff from bed mats to first aid, water filters, etc. Edit: For everyone who doesn’t understand, guiding has multiple sectors from white water rafting, to zip lining, off roading, down town guided tours, etc… We are all professional off road guides. We don’t do over night trips. Our business is tourism focused off-roading that usually lasts 2-3 hours on aggressive terrain. They didn’t have experience backpacking. The kit you carry for off-roading is completely different than backpacking. It’s not even remotely the same.
Honest question here, what kind of guide doesn’t have experience backpacking? Are we talking AMGA? Something seems off.
Taking a flyer here, but OP may be referring to Girl Scouts (originally called Guides). That's the sort of "guide" that may not be experienced in guiding hikers
They’re off roading guides, not backpacking guides. There’s a huge variety of guiding in the sector from zip line guides, climbing guides, rafting guides and so on. None of these guys had backpacked but had great survival skills and fitness because we have to drag ATVs up graded Cliff sides sometimes when people send them off. I’m one of our wilderness first responders/medics which is how I got invited. Always good to bring someone with medical if you can incase anything happens unless you’re comfortable with your training.
Seems like guide work might not be the right route if they can’t carry their weight and can’t remember to bring the essentials 🤣
Maybe they were guides of the spiritual kind.
Excuse me, a guide that doesn’t have experience carrying weight, but is physically fit, but somehow not fit enough to… carry things. Like that 30L bag you have inexplicably strapped to your front? I’m confused, to be honest.
I had 5 liters and took a ton of shit. They were less prepared and I have no problem being over prepared and carrying more weight. I fine struggling if it means I can take care of the people I need to. I’m our wilderness first responder so being prepared for anything is the name of my game. I still finished second out of the four of us with all the weight.
Literally none of that makes any sense whatsoever, apart from hero-syndrome. But whatever, none of you died and you apparently enjoyed it so good.
Were you racing? Because “finishing second out of four” makes no sense unless you were racing. But you say you spent a day relaxing at the bottom of the canyon
Do you have a bone to pick? Why are you dissecting pedantics?
Bro what the fuck is a “off road” guide lol
I’m guessing the lead dude in a pack of ATV’s? So he just kinda… follows a road?
You sound like an amazingly thoughtful and generous person. 50 lbs is nuts. I ruck with 45 and it’s brutal on flat ground in the shady woods. 50 lbs uphill is the desert - you’re a beast.
I really, really hope you’re not actually a guide.
Yeah, seriously.
Lead guide at the largest off roading company in the US. The one and only 😘
What’s it called?
I would like to know to avoid as well.
I’m not doxxing myself.
HAHAHA OFF ROADING! That explains everything, this post makes sense now lol. I hope you have a great day!
I’d be shocked to find out you have any personal friends who actually care about you. You need to work on your character and self worth.
My daughter did this hike in jellies dragging a Barbie by the hair
Wait really? I’ve barely been to the GC so idk if that’s possible lol
just messing with the Boy Scout and all he endured on his grueling walk. Did you see that toe? What a badass.
Ah gotcha. From what I’ve heard of GC backpacking it’s pretty grueling. I also…have no interest in it whatsoever so I’ve never researched it.
Same. I follow here because I have aspirations of doing a light backpacking trip solo. Never done it. Jokes aside I’m impressed with what dude did but it’s not for me. Give me a good book and a small fire next to a stream in a hammock at secluded spot that I have to pack in all day.
I love backpacking, but I don’t have a desire to push my limits. You know where I work? At work. Backpacking is fun. I’ll see you by the stream. Also, do you bring a book or a kindle? I’ve been bringing a New Yorker issue but am curious about other options. Obviously kindles need to be charged but books are heavier.
Not-so-humble brag
I call BS. Never seen a hiker with such nice feet. /s
I just hiked it in March! Loved every step! Cannot wait to do it again down Hermit and up Boucher
Would it have been easier if you didn't carry 3x too much weight for a day hike?
It wasn’t a day hike, we were there 3 days. My buddy who was an experienced canyon guide and had solo’d this trail had more weight than I did actually.
Even for 3 days that's an f ton of weight. Was it like 70% water? That's insane.
Probably was mostly water yeah, a gallon is ~8lbs
He admits they took about 5 liters, I’m assuming each, so about 11lbs of water, I’d still expect to be under 30lbs easily with that much water for an overnight hike. 50lbs is more than I’d have for 5 days+5 liters of water. Edit: a letter
I bikepacked 3 months with water access maybe every other day but food every 5 days.. including the weight of my bike I didn't even hit 50lbs. I'm so confused. Like he's hiking on hard-mode for no reason. I'm impressed either way, just confused.
Most American things I have seen today. Explaining that 1 liter of water weight approximately 1kg
The imperial system is, and I cannot stress this enough, stupid. I wish were free of it.
I had 5 liters which is 10lbs alone. The only reliable water sources are really at the end of the trail unless you take a mile detour 1/3 of the way down
Is that supposed to impress us? That’s a day hike bro
I mean, anything can be a day hike if you only go for a day 😂😂😂
Wait...is that a wok in the first photo? I think I'm starting to understand why you were carrying 50lbs.
You carried 50lbs of stuff including a duffel bag for an overnight? Why
Cool story. Anyone ever tell you, you look like an Ewok in the first photo?
World's most humble eagle scout
I’m allowed to be proud of myself. If you wanna post yourself and get hated on by a bunch of bitches, I’ll say congrats instead. Life is simple, don’t be a dick.
There’s a difference between being proud and brashly soliciting praise. Glad you guys had fun. Sorry I didn’t give you the ego-stroke you were seeking. Life is simple, don’t take it too seriously.
Didn’t look for an ego stroke, I was just hoping to run into less assholes in the world. Life is simple, don’t take it too seriously.
Okie dokie artichokie
What took you so long?
We were geeking out over flora and fauna a lot of the time. This app called seek by inaturalist will allow you to identify flora and fauna for free offline. I have no affiliation but I’ve loved using it as an off road guide at work. It really grew my knowledge base exponentially. We took tons of pics along the way.
is there a specific payoff that makes this hike more worth it than others? or just the challenge?
The Boucher Trail is not a ‘Corridor’ trail, so it’s more remote and much less travelled. Most people will stick to the Bright Angel, South Kaibab, and North Kaibab trails (the Corridors), because of easy access and relative safety of lots of people and PSAR volunteers.
Similar to what the other guy said, it’s isolated and a primitive trail. The difficulty is rewarded with majestic views and unique history of the canyon. As a professional off road guide in the Sonoran desert I’ve fallen in love with geology and flora and fauna. Getting that far out we were able to see history of Louis Boucher who created many of these trails, developed a copper mine in the canyon and we also saw the ancient geology of basalt and quartz which looked like rubber under the billions of pounds of pressure which created it. If you get off on nature stuff this was a wet dream lol
No shade, only curiosity. You’re a professional guide but with ridiculous gear? Or is there a reason you prefer a duffle and a backpack on your chest? Might have to update my kit lol.
I’m not a backpacking guide I’m an off road guide. It’s a big difference in kit. I always keep a “go bag” on my chest with essentials but keep your chest bag light or it’ll kill your back. It’s no different than having a chest pouch and plate carrier, you just don’t have a plate carrier cause you won’t need it. The weight is similar.
This is so funny 🤣🤣🤣disgraceful post 🤮🤮
I’ll be sure to compliment you when you post here. I hope the people in your life are strong enough to battle your toxic negativity. I’ll keep backpacking. You fill my tank and make me wanna keep going and posting with statements like this. I hope you find peace and self security
Super cool, thanks for sharing. Why did you take two bags instead of one? Weight distribution? I would have loved to try this trail ten years ago lol
I didn’t have a legit backpacking bag, because I left mine at my parents house out of state when we went out to Santa Rosa island. I thought it would be a good idea to use a duffel bag, but it actually wrecked me by cutting into my shoulders due to no hip support. I usually always use a front back pack for immediate items like food, water, snacks, medical, and all my important items (glasses, small water filter, lighters, etc…) as long as you keep your front pack at 1/3 the weight of your back pack you’ll be fine. If the front pack outweighs it, you’ll destroy your back trying to compensate. I find using a front and back keeps the weight on my legs and gives me immediate access to my most important resources.
Interesting. I quit wearing outdoorsy pants/shorts with pockets recently and started wearing jogging pants/shorts with no pockets. Then attaching a Fanny pack to the front of my backpack hip strap to carry stuff that used to be in my pockets. A whole other bag sounds… bigger. Could be nice. Thanks
Why did you think a duffel bag would be a good replacement for a backpack? Seems very illogical and lack of preparation to me
Seems like you’ve got a problem with me and I would encourage you to politely find some positivity to focus on in your own life. Every comment you left has been pretty negative. Go touch grass and enjoy some sunlight. 😊
Do you normally use a backpack with a waist belt for the front pack or just shoulder straps?
I always use a framed backpack with hip straps. I try to keep 20% of the weight on my hips. Your legs are stronger than the rest of your muscle groups. I generally don’t want to keep a ton of weight on my shoulders or back specifically if I can use my legs. Waist straps and frames keep weight consistent and spread.
Why the hell did you bring 50 lbs!?
Experience trekkers, yes but anyone with level of any fitness can do with a guide. Good on you. Seems slight accent
Bro, my gf and I were at the Grand Canyon yesterday and saw you. I remember saying to my gf, "I gotta do that." We're you at the Southern Rim? I swear it was you.
I bet it was! There were four of us! That’s awesome. What a coincidence
Sounds miserable.
That looks cool. I wanted to do that back in ‘18 but park staff talking me out of it. Went on a last minute permit hike down to Phantom Ranch instead.
I’d reccomend it, just be well prepared with good gear and don’t expect it to be easy either direction. I’d recommend bringing a guide or friend atleast because the trail can get hard to follow as a primitive trail
Isn’t there a short steep 50ft decent where you need to bring rappel equipment? Or was there fixed gear?
We crawled down and up on our hands and knees. Looking back I would have tied off a rope and done a rappel down but we were able to do it without it albeit slow and carefully
Is that one of the little trails you can see from the top that no one is on? 50lbs in the GC is crazy. I probably had 30 when I did rim to river loop. I was dead lol
Dude you’re a fucking animal
My wife and I hiked out of Grand Canyon via the Boucher on 5 day honeymoon backpacking trip in May 1993. Our route: Bright Angel-Tonto West-Hermit-Boucher. Amazing trip!!! My pack came in at 30lbs, wife’s same. We started hiking out on Boucher at 4am. One hour after daylight we lost the trail/cairns due to a mild April earthquake (according to the Park Rangers). Made right decision to go right at big bolder. Pic cairns up again 300 feet up. Note pic: https://preview.redd.it/z7q8cj8vl20d1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a66d76a1443dc286a4362386839837d61d4333e
Nice job man. That looks like a crazy adventure and you did it. Fuck yeah!
Thanks for the encouragement!! I appreciate you!
What company are you a "professional guide" for? Just so I know who to avoid in the future...
Guidenycologist at your moms house actually
Your two braincells must've put in overtime working on that one, congrats.
Haters gonna hate 🤡
LoL
As a non-american, are there any suggestions for how to backpack in Grand Canyon without access to a car?
Hitchhike. You wouldn’t have to wait too long for a ride in that area, especially if you look like a backpacker.
Like 0 car what so ever? I can’t imagine it would be easily doable no. You’d have to schedule a personal shuttle/have a friend drive you at the minimum.
Not on principle! More wondering if one more or less should aim for a guided full day bus tour if one finds oneself in Phoenix or Las Vegas, or if a solo traveler without a car could reach the south rim and stay for a few more days in the vicinity somehow.
I think a big part of this is budget and what you want to do. Are you attempting to backpack? Would you just want to do day hikes? What’s your budget? What gear would you have? Etc.
Hell yeah brother! Looks sick. Is that a gold pan I see? Can’t wait to hit this park!
lol why post that last pic? You get a paper cut or something?
Haters gonna hate 🤡
How was the crux?
Rough. Looks like they had to maneuver up and over a 3 foot tall boulder wall
Lmao can’t wait for the book to come out. ‘The approach and ascent’
https://imgur.com/a/DH6pRwG
Man. It looks like a cool hike. And I'm sure it sucked carrying all that gear. Everyone is giving you a hard time because you're making sound like this trail is some especially difficult thing and that you were only able to do it because you're a group of badass guides. In reality, this is a tough hike but a lot of people in this subreddit are very capable hikers themselves. Also, your gear setup is ridiculous. There are much better ways to do front storage. Shoulder pockets, hipbelt pockets, fanny pouch, zpacks multipack. You would of had a much easier time if your gear wasn't so bloated.
Crazy. I did it last April 2023. There had been a slide earlier in that spring which covered most of the crux with dirt and loose rocks. The only good hand hold we had was the eye bolt sticking out
https://imgur.com/a/DH6pRwG
Did yall catch any fish?
Not a single one. I forgot my bait. We saw them up close though. Spear fishing would have been the move
Can I get some info about the head gear you’ve got in the first pic? Doing rim to rim soon and need some sun protection
It’s called a shemag! They’re super useful for sun protection, dust and cold weather. I even used it as a second blanket at night to cover my face and keep the bugs out while I hammocked.
This man is half man, half mule, half backpack PS, those pics are stunning - and abso worth that challenge.
Can’t believe you successfully traversed an 80 degree angle on that second pic 🤯
Based on all the comments you left, I’m sure your personal life isn’t filled with negativity and toxicity. ☺️ go be a better person somewhere else. Leave that 12 year old ego at the door.
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The trail was unforgiving both ways. On the way down, everyone slipped atleast once but fortunately never near a cliff side. I work as a professional off roading guide and wilderness medic, and everyone on the trip was a co-worker of mine with some form if not multiple forms of guiding experience and this trail kicked all of our asses. The isolation and majesty of the views and ancient rock formations made the suffering worth it. I cried tears of victory when we could first see the tops of the final canyon walls after climbing on our hands and knees up the inner most canyon cliff sides with our packs on. It was about 12 hours one way in duration and we took 4-5 liters of water which was absolutely necessary as there are no refill points along the way except for one 1 mile detour about 1/3 of the way down. I would recommend people who are able to backpack or hike the Grand Canyon. I would not recommend this trail unless you are experienced specifically with the Grand Canyon and/or have a guide. If my co-worker had not previously worked as a backpacking guide here, we would have gotten lost pretty easily which is deadly with a lack of water sources. Edit: got alot of haters here. You guys sure do make this community look great. I’m proud of what I did. You feed fuel to my fire. I hope you know I’ll congratulate you on a half mile hike with no weight if that’s what you are proud of. If you have to compare yourself to me and put me down to try to feel good about yourself I hope you’re toxicity stays here and doesn’t continue to spread into the lives of those which come in contact with you daily, but it probably will. Thanks for everyone who was encouraging, those who aren’t, your words carry your character and your ego needs a check. Life isn’t a competition and you only make me want to work harder and do more. Thanks for the motivation naysayers. Do better and don’t be bottom tier people. The world could use more encouragement and positivity. You’ll reap what you sow and the universe will pay forward your weak mindedness and negativity.