My hiking partner was sick so I scrapped the original plans for the day but figured I still would need to get some exercise, so I headed to the TH. Man, it was biker city today, maybe 60 bikers in total but only 30 hikers. They have us outnumbered!
Surprisingly they were all pleasant and I didn't have a bad encounter with any.

I really didn't know what I was going to do when I started. I just played it by ear and didn't really decide which way to go until I'd get to the intersections, favoring trails I hadn't done before. I had a few routes on my GPS map from my previous Toms Thumb figure 8, the Windgate-Bell Loop, Thomson Peak, and a partial Quartz track. As I went on I figured I might as well try to piece them together, even though I was missing some important bits in between. Luckily I made the correct turns (did ask one biker at a rather obscure intersection) and it turned out to be a wonderful day. What great weather we had this weekend!

It was a little difficult to find the Quartz trail off of Thompson Peak rd, but once I got on the trail I only lost it once. Only needed pants and an extra layer the first 1.5 hours. No bodily injury sustained whatsoever, what a change from the usual Spotted a ton of mulies in a secluded spot along Quartz.

Most interesting parts were probably the Quartz obelisk and the copper mines. I'd recommend this loop wholeheartedly to anyone willing to do the miles and AEG! You could shave off a few by avoiding all my side trips.

Hmmm, not all the hikes are on HAZ, here was my route: Desert View-Gateway Access-Bell-Prospector-Thompson Peak-Quartz-Nature Wash-Paradise-Levee-104th St-Equestrian-Desert View...I think that's all of them