File:Harvey Butchart's hiking map - Flickr - brewbooks (2).jpg

The Grand Canyon National Park Backcountry Office on the South Rim has a copy of Harvey Butchart's hiking map. After we finished our Rim to Rim hike, and had a nice breakfast, we caught a shuttle over here to check out this map.

This section shows Fossil Bay.

In March, 1959 - Harvey observed: 'We noticed something we hadn't seen before; a way to get down from the rim into Fossil Bay. We didn't try it, but it looked sure fire. The route is south of the place where one would say the wash starts. This will be useful when I want to go along the Esplanade from Apache Point to the spring above 140 Mile Canyon."

In May, 1960 he wrote: "It's not quite honest to say that we have ruled out the possibility of getting down the Redwall in Fossil Bay..."

He tied again in July, 1960: " It was warm weather all night. That was the reason I had changed my plan from going down Fossil to see whether I could descend the Redwall. It will surely rain sometime, and also it will be cooler in the fall. I'm beginning to lose confidence in my resistance to heat. "

These excerpts are from Harvey Butchart’s Hiking Log - Detailed Hiking Log (March 24, 1959 - July 30, 1960) Harvey Butchart’s Hiking Log - Detailed Hiking Log (March 24, 1959 - July 30, 1960) Northern Arizona University. Cline Library.

Also show are Stanton Point and Specter Chasm.

You can read a little more about John H. "Harvey" Butchart at the excellent GRAND CANYON Explorer web site by Bob Ribokas

Here is the Caption that was with the map:

Canyon Master The remarkable collection of routes inscribed across this map represent a summation of one man's passion for unspoiled grand Canyon backcountry. When J. Harvey Butchart came to the canyon as a young man in 1945 almost nothing was known about the vast sections of trail-less terrain that comprise the majority of the inner Canyon. During his initial forays below the rim he sensed the potential for exploratory hiking, applied himself systematically to the task at hand, and over the course of 42 years of hard core Canyon walking became a legend among legions of students of the Grand Canyon.

Harvey Butchart began his Canyon career at age 38 when he accepted a teaching position at the state college in Flagstaff . Unknown corners of the Canyon beckoned until inevitable age put an end to canyon exploration at age 80. In between, the raw statistics generated by this human dynamo set a record that will not be surpassed anytime soon: 1024 days out in the Canyon, 12,000 mostly off-trail miles, 116 routes through the Redwall Limestone, 25 first ascents of inner canyon summits, a continuous line of travel from Lee's Ferry to Havasu Creek, and a veritable spider web of obscure routes through the greater Canyon. Butchart lived a life dominated by the world of the Grand Canyon, something of an ideal for today's generation of Canyon hikers.

Harvey was born to missionary parents in Hofei, China in 1907 and returned to the United States in 1920. He graduated from Eureka College in '28 and completed graduate work in 1932 with a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Illinois and spent his entire academic career in Flagstaff, retiring professor emeritus in 1976. Harvey's legacy, over 1000 pages of carefully written route descriptions, maps, and photo collections are part of the permanent collections of the University of Northern Arizona , providing a lasting and invaluable resource for all who seek a deeper understanding of this remarkable place.

Harvey Butchart hiked the final mile on May 29, 2002, age 95. His passing left a void within hte community of Canyon walkers that can never be filled. We can retrace the routes that he pioneered, but the honor of being first will always be his alone. A few week's after Harvey's passing a large gathering of grand canyon addicts convened on the rim to acknowledge a debt. Stories were recounted, a few tears were shed. Ashes were scattered and as the wind carried his essence into his beloved gorge one last time many glasses were raised in tribute to a true Grand Canyon original. Visitors often ask: How long is it going to take to see this place?" For Harvey, the answer was: "A lifetime."