If you read Sirena's trip report, you'll note that a couple of the folks we ran into that day either knew her or me or both of us, which made for a fun bit of conversation. I was making up a little tune (think along the lines of Gentle On my Mind) as we hiked in. The little break you get crossing the Esplanade under the watchful eye of Mount Huethawali feels like a piece of heaven. I love this trail.up and down it is a delight to hike. It ALSO meant that we didn't have to carry the gear needed for 11 degree camping with us for the remaining 5 nights. Although it meant a very LONG hike in, it also let us spend that 11 degree night in a camping trailer (provided by the most generous Scat Daddy) rather than cowboy camping it. We originally had permits to camp at South Bass TH the night before our hike in, and we were VERY glad we changed our itinerary to drive in and hike down on the same day.

Thanks to Tim for getting us out there safe and happy! Of course, the fact that I was still finding red mud in my Subaru 3 years after driving it to do Royal Arch should have been evidence enough. It seemed almost a let-down that there was no mud on the road in, as I'd really sold it hard to my hiking companions not familiar with that road that as was gnarly and potentially dangerous. A stroke of luck kept the worst of the moisture away from our area, and the roads were dry and safer than expected. The days before our hike, a storm blew into Northern AZ which threatened to make the roads impassable out to South Bass. Oh, and doing the trip this way means you have to hike out Hermit, which I hate by the way. I vowed that come hell, high water or bad roads I would complete it this year - and the canyon pulled out some of her best attempts at stopping me. Cancelled shuttles, sick hiking partners and bad weather have cancelled my prior 3 attempts at this stretch of the trail. The Gems passage between South Bass and Hermit may not be the most difficult portion of this route, but it has proven over the years to logistically challenging and down right elusive. My concept of hiking the whole of the Tonto from the LCR to Royal Arch Creek seemed doable enough back in 2009 - and now 7 years later I can finally count it finished. I've been trying to 'get er done' with this hike for years. And now, ladies and gentleman, an epic tale of adventure, danger and triumph in the grandest canyon on earth.

Tonto man on moon song