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| | | Black Canyon Trail to Home - Part 3, AZ | | | |
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Black Canyon Trail to Home - Part 3, AZ
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| Backpack | 23.06 Miles |
2,542 AEG |
| | Backpack | 23.06 Miles | 10 Hrs 53 Mns | | 2.83 mph |
| 2,542 ft AEG | | 23 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | triplog for Black Canyon Trail to Home - Part 2
Last night we camped where the trail crosses the Agua Fria river near Horseshoe Bar south of the Black Canyon City trailhead. It was calm when we went to bed, but was breezy this morning when we broke camp. We were on the trail shortly after seven.
It was cold and windy when we started but we warmed up quickly as the trail gains about 665' in the first few miles to reach our high point for the day where there is some milk quartz arranged in BCT, a bicycle, and peace sign. A while later we saw a geocaching buddy of ours searching for one of Craig's puzzle caches. We yelled hello and Happy New Year across the way then continued our hike.
At one point I noticed a crested saguaro so I stopped to get a picture when three mountain bikers rode up. We chatted for a bit before they headed off. Shortly after that, I crossed a small saddle where there were a couple of brothers and their sons out camping. All but one were in their tents. It seemed like a cold place to camp. Just past Cottonwood Gulch, before the road to Tip Top, I caught up to Craig where he stopped for a break in a sheltered but warm spot. We had a snack and took off a layer of clothes as it was finally warming up.
When we reached Little Pan Loop, we took the west side to avoid the road, plus we both like it more than the east side. As earlier, I would slow to take pictures, so Craig was ahead of me. I passed a couple hiking with their dog. The man backed into a Buckhorn Cholla. Ouch! A bit later, I passed two men out hiking.
The man camping seemed happy when I told him there was good flow at the Agua Fria at Horseshoe Bar. He said there was no water were they crossed it so I was surprised when I approached it and there was lots of water both up and down stream. Well, the river was actually underground where the trail crossed.
Craig was waiting at the far side of the river. It was getting warm out and he stopped for some drink. I had a drink too and we continued on to across the road from the Table Mesa trailhead where we had water cached and stopped for lunch. There were a lot of people out shooting so it sounded like a battlefield. I turned on my phone and had a message from a friend saying he was enjoying a beer with his lunch. He didn't get a very friendly response.
I don't know why, but the Table Mesa area was very warm. We were a little concerned about the amount of water we had to get to the Henderson trailhead. Fortunately, after we crossed a ridge about four miles later, it cooled off and was very comfortable for the rest of the hike. The trail is really nice from there on the approach to the north end of the Boy Scout Loop though it does get rocky as it drops to the loop.
We took the east side of the Boy Scout Loop for the same reasons we took the west side of Little Pan Loop: to avoid the roads and we both like it better than the other side. Shortly after we finished the Boy Scout Loop, we stopped for a quick break before continuing. Craig took off ahead of me, so when I passed by some OHVers they commented how I was behind. They asked where we came from and I said Orme Road. Some woman asked if we started this morning and I said, "No, no, no." The others laughed and one commented how we probably started 20 minutes ago. It actually was pretty funny.
From there, I picked up the pace trying to catch up to Craig before we reached Henderson. He had developed a sore foot and wasn't walking his usual pace so I figured I would. I reached him just as we crested a hill that I thought was right before Henderson though it was close to a mile farther. We hiked together most of the rest of the way until I decided to take some pictures of the sunset.
Once we reached the Henderson trailhead, I went and fetched the water we had cached and we had a nice evening relaxing at the picnic table and eating dinner. It was cool, but not cold like the previous nights. It was a good feeling to know that we were almost done traversing the BCT and close to finishing the trip.
triplog for Black Canyon Trail to Home - Part 4 |
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