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| Hiking | 5.20 Miles |
1,350 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.20 Miles | | | |
| 1,350 ft AEG | | 6 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Gameplan was to launch at 6AM and piece mealing routes indicated it was to be a 11.25 mile loop hike from the Walker Road/Senator Highway junction (TH), up the east ridgeline of Mount Tritle, then continuing on the ridge to Maverick Mountain, then a freestyle drop down its north face to Wolf Creek Falls, then traverse along the Hassayampa drainage with a pit at the Senator mine and back to TH. Could not get any takers to join other then my 4-legged lead hiker (Tyson Bagger) so I just started from the house, which is the east gate of Millsite Village.
Since I was solo, I worked on the "trail", clearing trees, setting cairns, and trimming the route brush much of the way to the Tritle summit. Mr. Bagger spent his reconnaisance chasing any mammals within a 1/4 mile. I think he got 3 or 4 times the steps I got. Breezy and cool all the way to Tritle. Coming down off the Tritle summit drains into Forest Road 9403C which is a jeep trail more or less. The wind stopped and it started to heat up. I pre-hydrated with 2 quarts prior to launch, figured we would look for the unnamed 7145 for a pit stop as Mr. Bagger needed a water break. Unnamed 7145 was way overgrown and we stopped a little further down the route. He drank a full quart, I threw down a half, damn pumpkin dog, leaving only a half for the remainder of the adventure. 9403C reminds me of my poker bank roll, up and down and up and down. Came across a junction for Trail 65. And then I remembered. I was showing property down Mt. Tritle road the week earlier and seeing a sign for the 65 TH. Ah ha! Along this ridge offered up some pretty killer views of the three Yavapai County High pointers.... Tritle (7782); Union (7979) and Davis (7960) and another great vantage point of the entire South Spruce Ridgeline.
I savored the cobbly and rocky 9403C as I remembered Joe Bartels calling Maverick a "scathing bundle of joy". I knew once I got off this trail it was probably not going to be very pleasant. It was rare day for me to be wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I know bushwacking through the thorny New Mexican Locust can be treacherous which is what Joe was probably referring to. It did not help that I was on the phone with Amy earlier telling me how excited it was to see not one but two of the biggest rattlesnakes on her off trail bush wack. Much of the Bradshaws are covered in the mountain snow berry. Off trail, you never know what your going to step on, so unwittingly Amy fueled my fears of stepping on a rattler.
I fielded another call and much to my dismay overshot my ideal entry point leading to the Maverick summit. So as to not pumpkin my "route" I just banged right to catch the ridgeline. A ghost spirit whispered "scathing bundle of joy...scathing bundle of joy".... lets just say I hate the New Mexican Locust.... we are not friends. Had to plough through that pumpkin pumpkin, what joy.
Maverick Mountain, the red headed step child of the Bradshaws. Essentially alone with no trail, no love.
Once on the ridge, was able to follow the red/orange flags dangling from branches and shrubs although at times choose to take my own route to accomodate my hike pal.
I set a summit register and jammed in the crack of the two main branches of juniper. Maverick's summit is completely covered in Mountain snowberry and a Gamble Oak Thicket. Most summits I've had the joys of bagging have always been a rock outcropping, not Maverick. Its in a class of its own.
I took five minutes here to sign the register and enjoy some shade. Mr. Bagger slurped the balance of the water. No fear though, the north face is predominately all oak thicket and New Mexican Locust thicket and once we hit the Hassayampa drainage we will find water and pools and then work our way to the Wolf Creek falls. What a disappointment. Behind my house the Hassayampa has pools and trickles of water. Not off Maverick. Completely dry. Bagger was a real trooper, unlike when he was puppy he was pulling no punches and pressed on, but I was out of water too. Looking at our route I thought I may have overshot the Wolf Creek & Hassayampa confluence so I made some cuts and ventured back northeasterly. No dice. We did not go far enough. We found some shade and parked it. Mission abort. Pulled up route scout to see where I am at and see where I can get saved. I was about mile from Wolf Creek road, straight line. Called in a pick up exhausted and dehydrated. More NM Locust and now overgrown Manzanita, more elevation to gain. Dehydration is a mother pumpkin.
I want a redo, except I will wait for mid October. |
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"Before there was a trail..... there was no trail" |
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