Well, this triplog is a little behind but I figured I would post it while I have the chance....

It was time for our annual backpacking trip and this time we decided to hike the Mazatzals starting at Barnhardt TH with intentions of Spending two days at Chilson Camp and two days at Horse Camp Seep with a long final day to get back out on Barnhardt. That was until we saw (and experienced) the weather forecast for the next few days. With the thought of hiking out 10 miles in the rain on Sunday we decided at Chilson Camp to hike around the peak back over to Y-Bar Spring for an easier hike out on either Saturday and Sunday....

Okay, enough backstory! Wednesday morning I picked up my friend Shaun who didn't make the beer run a few days earlier and we were off to Claytons. Jerry and Clayton were ready and waiting so we threw their bags in and went to pick up our 5th crewmember, Larry.. With the Kia groaning under our weight (and the 4+ pounds of frozen meat in my backpack) we took off for the 87. Once again we stopped at the house of Ronald McDonald and had some coffee and grease before hitting the trailhead. Good thing I don't go backpacking this direction all the time!

Once at the trailhead we all loaded up and got to it, after I *finally* managed to snap a group photo... It only took about 8 times of setting the timer, adjusting focus, and running to the group. With a 47lb pack on...
Camera 7 - Me 1.

The trail was a little tougher on me the second time around with my "everything and the kitchen sink" packing method but hey, I love roughing it! It also didn't help that at around the 5 mile mark we uncovered our beer from the burnt out stump (https://www.youtube.co...) and I threw another 13 pounds on... That last two miles to Chilson Camp seemed to take forever but I'm pretty sure I actually moved faster just to get the 60lbs off as soon as possible. Good thing I had new hiking shoes and a pack that didn't get uncomfortable with the weight, it was just that my feet didn't want to lift off the ground!

Before we finally made it to Chilson Camp I tried to find the spring via the location on my GPS. It shows it on the right side of the trail about 40' above your location on the trail. Every description I've read said there is a spring box up there and it's where the water goes across the trail. Well, there was no water on the trail so I dropped my pack and hiked up. Found water on the ground and followed it to an 18" or so diameter pipe with a lid. Removing the lid revealed brown mud water about 1" deep..... Discouraged I went back down and grabbed my pack to continue onto camp. Wasn't looking forward to backtracking for the water we saw in the canyon about a mile back. Funny thing is when we got to camp, there was a Homer's bucket with about 20 unopened bottles of water by the table and fire pit.

We got camp all set up and decided to hike back for water before making dinner so we grabbed our pumps and a few of us decided to cut straight up to the trail and avoid having to go north before we could head southeast.... 3 went one way and two went the other... As we were scoping for a clear path to bushwhack, we managed to find a beautiful hole in the ground about halfway up that was full of water We finally found the spring but it was nowhere near the GPS coordinates I had. (If you would like to find my coordinates, there is a geotagged photo in the photos section). It took about 15 minutes for the other folks that didn't want to hike up with no trail to finally get above us so we could tell them to come back. They promptly decided to come right down the side in about 2 minutes... Probably should of came with us to begin with!

Anywho, we drank some beer that night and had a good cheeseburger for dinner.. After catching a healthy buzz we caught some sleep and were woke up about 2am to a nice rain on our tents.. Next morning Jerry discovered his tent was not waterproof... Good thing we hung tarps above us beforehand!

On Thursday we cooked some breakfast and hiked down the Brody Seep trail for a bit and shot west to check out some pools of water in a nice V rock formation.. There was little trail so we followed the creek bed. This should have been a good notion for us to not go this way on Friday when we hiked to Y-Bar but I will get to that madness in a bit.... We drank a few beers and hiked back to camp to be lazy the rest of the day. Later, while we cooked dinner, a thru hiker on the Arizona Trail stopped in and asked if he could set up camp by us which was fine by us. His name was Mike and you can read his excellent blog here: freeroamingphotogra ... amp/ After filling up on a massive steak, potatoes, sweet peppers, and mushrooms, it was time to finish off the rest of our beer to lighten the load the following day. We also decided at this time to not go up to Horse Camp Seep, instead we would head to Y-Bar and spend one day there instead of two. With all the rain, we didn't want to be hiking out on Sunday when it was raining.. When we went to bed we had the notion we would sleep in, cook breakfast, and head out around noon. This was a bad idea...

So... Friday morning we woke up and took our sweet time getting ready. While we ate our breakfast Larry and Clayton decided we should take the Brody Seep trail back to AZT rather than backtracking on the Barnhardt trail to the AZT.. After what we had learned so far, we should have said no... But we went anyway. We left about noon and it was started to get cloudy and sprinkling a little bit. The trail on the way to Brody Seep was pretty hard to follow and I'm pretty sure we were on it only about 10% of the time. As we closed in on Brody Seep the going got worse and we could not find a clear trail anywhere. The amount of felled trees was crazy to say the least. I was a little ahead of the group and came to a *very* steep incline with no indication of a trail. In the end it started raining and I decided to just power up the hill. I had to grab whatever I could to pull myself up very slowly. I think it took me about 30 minutes to get up about 300' in a 10th of a mile. Once up I finally found the trail and it started raining a little. I dropped my pack and headed down the trail only to have it disappear. I switchbacked a few times on my own avoiding the vegetation and finally found the group after quite a yelling fit.. They were still at the very bottom of the hill and only Shaun was on his way up. I made him come to me and then I headed back to my bag to put my rainfly on it as it started pouring (and hailing) on us. Long story short, this little ordeal cost us about 3 hours of time to get everyone to the top.... After that the trail was decent enough but it was a steady uphill most of the way to Y-Bar spring. We passed it by and found an excellent camp... It was a very long day and we were all ready to eat and rest.

Sidebar, on our way we were expecting to find a branch in the trail to Y-Bar Tanks... Where the heck is it at? We could not find it at either end!

After we set up camp that night we really wanted another beer but we were running low on water. Most of us had Pat's Backcountry Brew's but it took water to make it... I was pretty filled up after a roast beef sandwich and some beef stew so I volunteered to go with Clayton and Larry back to Y-Bar Spring. I had a new water filter in a bag and was ready to try it out! After the quick quarter mile hike I dropped my bag under a small waterfall and filled it up.. Didn't take long to have 10L of water. Larry and Clayton used UV treatment on Nalgene bottles and the light was so bright moths kept flying into the water. After we got back I made a few flat beers (Larry has it down, the rest of us suck) it was time to pass out. We watched the sky go back and forth from bright stars to dark clouds and were pretty confident we should head out the next day.

Saturday morning we woke up and made some breakfast. I had Spam and a Mountain House dehydrated biscuits and gravy which was pretty awesome I must admit We were out of camp fairly early and on the way back via Y-Bar I'm pretty sure everyone in the group was thinking we were making the right decision by leaving a day early. The trail back was fairly steep going downhill and I'm sure no one wanted to do it in the pouring rain. We were back at the car by 2pm or so and decided to stop for a drink on the way home. I'm pretty sure we scared a little with our stench at Circle K.. Good thing I couldn't smell myself

Sunday around noon there were a flurry of text messages from everyone stating they were glad we left a day early because it was pouring rain! Fun trip, can't wait to check out more of the Mazatzal's!

This one's been in the thought / planning stage for more than a year.
Once the logistics of
covering aprox 24 miles,
on a day that Horseshoe Dam was closed (ie Verde cross-able w/ vehicle),
decent weather,
with a group of 6 to 10 hikers,
in an area few have ventured recently,
on a trail that is non-existent in places
was determined, it all fell into place.

We were thwarted 2 weeks ago by weather and our group dropped from 10 to 6. This was a key swap, since I figured it would take about 8 hours to set up and rip down a shuttle. JJ, Joe, Karl started on the Davenport Wash Trail, from the west at the Wilderness border, Ken, Fan and myself from the East at the Barnhart TH.

Temps were mostly nice on the day. Starting at 55, hitting mid 80's and ending, for us, at 72. Scattered clouds and a breeze help immensely during the day.

Hawaiian Mist and the Big Kahuna Falls were flowing decently on the way up the Barnhart Trail.

Passing the campsite just west of the intersection with the Mazatzal Divide Trail, some idiot backpackers neglected to put out their campfire and left cans from their meal in the fire. We covered it the best we could with rocks to keep it contained, not knowing when we'd get to our next water source for replenishment.

On our way through Chilson Camp we stopped and chatted with the guys camping there. A few were forest service workers out enjoying the weekend.

The views West of Chilson Camp, were pretty big. Table Mountain was the prominent peak, with numerous canyons around the South Fork of Deadmans Creek and Davenport Creek, supplying interesting views.

Now the fun begins. To this point we were on established trails. The Davenport Wash Trail from Chilson Camp to Club Cabin, has some issues. With a GPS track (Highly Recommended), you can navigate your way.

Climbing out of the South Fork of Deadmans Creek, we met the easterly traveling speedsters. We chatted for a brief moment, but I could tell that JJ's motor was running. Cue smoke, speedsters gone into a cloud dust.

From East to West, the worst section for us was betwen miles 11.5 - 13.25 (5000' to 4400'). Where we hiked, was in spots, through extremely thick brush.

At Club Cabin we topped off our water and had some lunch. Only 12 miles to go and it was 4:45pm.

At dusk we saw 2 rattlers about 5 minutes apart from each other and then spied a fox. We had a bit of trail finding issues in the dark, but made it back to Ken's Jeep, thankfully parked at the Wilderness boundary. A long, fun, challenging day.

Thanks to Richard for being a sounding board on a few issues, and
a Big Thanks to Ken and Karl for driving, and JJ for the Pizza.

Video https://youtu.be/_U ... uu74

** Of Note ** HAZTracks ran for 14+ Hours (Android - Galaxy S5) before the cell phone died 1/2 mile before we finished.
Cell was also on for the two hour trip to the TH. (16+ hours total)

I think that one is out of my system now....
.....do I dare start planning the next long distance Mazzy adventure that's been bugging me the last couple of years to do? It too will probably need to be a key swap.

My fall break dedicated to hiking brought me to the Mazzies for my final two days. My only real plan was to stay at Chilson Camp and try to locate some lesser traveled trails in the area for some future back packs and mega day hikes. Karl and Kathy were late additions to hike and could only day hike in Saturday. However, it worked out perfect for my plans as Karl had an interest in the same trail and area as me.

The hike into Chilson Camp was great! The major Falls were flowing, Barnhardt Canyon was roaring, the weather was cool and we made pretty solid time considering I was lugging a slightly heavier pack. From Chilson I hung my gear and switched to my day pack for some pretty rugged "on-trail" exploring. Kathy passed on our trail finding mission and headed up the AZT Trail.

We were actually able to locate the beginnings of Davenport Trail pretty easily and were both surprised at how easy it was to follow despite being over-grown, the victim of several dead fall areas, eroded, steep and rocky. We were able to stay generally on trail until probably the final three to four tenths drop into the South Fork of Deadman's Creek. The hillside is badly overgrown with waste high grass, the footing was not so great, and it was really steep. We did locate the section of trail we had missed on way out. However, on way in the few feet we were off-trail were very rough and probably the roughest and most stressful of day. Mainly because the dogs were long over-due for a water break and I was getting frustrated by the complete lack of trail, or in hindsight my inability to find trail. But as usual the reward was well worth the small struggle as the S. Fork was flowing strong complete with cool little cascades and small swimming holes. The dogs definitely enjoyed the destination and we were both happy to knock out a seldom traveled section of the Davenport Trail.

We got back to Chilson just after three. Chatted it up a bit with Kathy and Karl and then they hit the trail; I began my regular camp routines. The only drawback was water, the dead lizard in my initial source of water eventually led to a quarter mile detour down Brody Seep where the wash was pushing some crystal clear cold rain water, a longer walk, but much better alternative.

Perfect outdoor sleeping conditions. I woke up and went down to the Falls area along the N. Fork. All of the major washes and creeks were still flowing strong along with Deadmans. I know this area is capable of holding much higher levels of water and the Falls only get nicer with more rains and snows. However, the modest amount of run-off in the Mazzies this weekend really transformed the area, a sharp contrast to my previous July visits!

After my short morning hike, my hike out was pretty uneventful. It was nice to have water the whole way for the dogs and Barnhardt felt like a highway after a day of following Karl ;)

The Mazzies capped off a very productive fall break that also included the Primitive Blue Range and Eastern Supes not exactly the easiest terrain and trail to rack up 70 plus miles. In hindsight, I may have been able to squeeze in one more trip, but no worries, Christmas break is right around the corner ;)

Today was just a relaxing 18 mile jaunt through the Mazzies. However, before going over details of latest venture into an area that is quickly finding itself near the top of my favorite areas to go list, I would like to give a personal thanks to Mazatzal or Richard to most I assume.

In my infancy on HAZ one day back in November I had a PM titled "Thunder Guy New Ideas." It was after I had completed my somewhat bittersweet quest to hike every mile of every trail (not counting tourist traps) in the Supes. The theme of the PM can be summed up with this quote from Richard.

you should take look at the mazatzal wilderness. It is a wonderful place and way more remote and challenging (referring to Supes) but so rewarding to those willing to do arduous backpacks.

I will be 100 percent honest the Mazatzal Wilderness was not even on my radar at that point. However, he had me sold with the use of the words "remote" and "challenging." Since his PM I have not gone crazy in the Mazzies. Yet, I feel that between Twin Buttes, the Gorge, Deadman Mesa and more recently some areas off Barnhardt I am slowly earning my Mazzie stripes. With each hike and backpack I am left wanting more, and I can't wait to really tackle this wilderness in the cooler wetter months. It was a great lead to a new hiking area for me and I am very grateful for that. I should also mention that I bother Kyle about ten times a week with questions and crazy ideas leading up to these Mazzie trips as well. He has also been a great asset and I know he shares a similar affinity for the area. We just have to get out there together for something epic Kyle, let's make that happen come Fall.

Now back to today's hike.

Going with Joe's model for this one.

Y-Bar: Great trail! Aside from waterfalls that I have yet to see I would put this above Barnhardt actually. Can't go wrong with the little ponderosa forest and trail was in great shape, easy to follow. Felt a little lethargic and fatigued early on, was still working out some lactic acid from a good leg work out on Thursday.

Mazatzal Divide Trail: Easy sailing, easy to pick up far in distance, a couple of overgrown areas near some side drainages, damn that New Mexican Locust can really swallow a trail in a hurry! I hope I am using correct term for that devil tree/plant.

Brody Seep Trail: Only mistake I made all day. I should have listened to the hike description author's suggestion of taking slightly longer route to Chilson Spring area via Mazatzal divide. However, the small silver lining is I think I have identified the starting off point for the elusive Fisher Trail.

Sandy Saddle Trail:
Thank you NONOT for that great official route! It was spot on! Not the greatest trail, but I love a little challenge, and some rumors of its demise may be slightly exaggerated. However, I would recommend pants in lieu of Nike running shorts..sigh..Sandy Saddle is main attraction, actually a nice little area, perhaps future camp site for this guy, but overall, I don't think most would want to make it a special point to do this trail.

Barnhardt Trail Joe's Falls are probably more similar to a leaking faucet right now, however, enough water to keep a guy alive, soak your hat, head, satisfy the pups or drown someone with a little effort. ;) Dark humor sorry, its an infantry thing.

Plenty of water in canyon adjacent to trail, actually flowing strong in spots, but as an ECON teacher I applied the Law of Diminishing Returns and did a little cost benefit analysis of the situation and scrambling down the steep banks for the sake of a quick swim was not worth it to me today.

No Blanco no Cup today, I think the heat and lack of water may have even got to Blanco today and he is resting up for a quick turnaround to Primitive Blue Range on Wednesday. Likewise, as much as it pains me to say, I am not so inhibited when I go solo and I can really crank out quality miles at a much quicker pace, so it was probably for the best today.

Consumed a lot of water, donated about a half a pint of blood to wilderness Gods and for a third week in a row finished to some nasty thunder and lightning. I am starting to feel like a storm chaser, except the storms are chasing me!

Final Note: Bring on this "Midnight Mesa Loop" I hear of...I am ready!...well I think I am anyways ;)