19 April 2024
Tonto Trail, Salt Creek to Boucher Creek
(12 miles, +1,700/-2,300 feet).

What a difference 13 hours in the tent makes!

I felt so much better this morning.

Last night it was so hot that I actually laid there without clothes for the first two hours. But it eventually cooled down and I was able to drift in and out of enough sleep cycles that I awoke refreshed.

My first order of business was to go to the toilet.

It was spectacular!

Our hike this morning took us through a feature on the USGS map called “The Inferno.” But it didn’t seem particularly hellish.

Monument Creek was quite the oasis. Green and full of water. I drank two liters!

Before leaving we both soaked our shirts in the Creek for a quick cool down.

On the way out of Monument Creek we became enthralled with a lone tower in the canyon.

Unfortunately, this caused us to miss our turn as we followed two women who were on a different trail down to the Colorado. Two hundred feet lower we realized our mistake.

D’oh!

We went back and forth a couple of times before finding the route back out of Monument Creek.

Hermit Creek was another lovely oasis.

We met one poor guy who was dazed and confused. He was hiking with a friend and now he couldn’t find him. We tried to help him figure out how to get back to the place they were supposed to meet. I hope it worked out!

The canyon at Boucher Creek is much more open than the others we saw today, and has more of a wild feel like Cremation. There are several wonderful campsites, but we are the only ones here!

We picked a spot that had some nice rocks set up for communal eating. Tomorrow we will leave our tents here and do a there-and-back hike to Slate Creek.