A 365 mile "day trip" with Mike Mattes. This was a first for both of us venturing onto this reservation. Purchased our San Carlos Apache Tribe 1-day recreation permit from the Circle-K in Globe for $10 (NOTE: only available at the exteme east end of town Circle-K, north side of SR70 about a quarter mile east beyond the junction with SR60). Great to get out of the heat of the valley with highs around Dry Lake only reaching the mid to upper 70's.

We got a chance to climb up the Forest Ranger watch tower. Spectacular 360 degree views from this vantage point! After exploring the shores of dry lake, we attempted the 4WD trails towards the edge of Nantac Rim. Almost none of these roads appear on any of our maps, including an updated GPS topo. Let's just say navigation was difficult and we had to back-track...

Day ended around 3pm as we were chased out of the forest by an approaching monsoon storm.

We also combined this hike with Point-of-Pines Lake and Ruins. This was a quest to re-discover Emil Haury's Archeological Field School and some of his early site excavations at Cienega Creek and Point-of-Pines. Stay tuned for a new hike description when I get some time later in the week...