HikeArizona.COM

I'm planning on tackling Brown's Peak for the first time. I will be going on Saturday the 31st of this month. Anybody interested, Post or PM me. Details to follow.

Aaron

What time? What experience level for this hike?
I sent a pm to you also.

Thanks,
Sherileeaz (Sheri)

Hey Sheri,
I'm figuring on meeting at the parking area/restrooms on the Four Peaks road #143, just off the beeline around 8am. As far as experience level all I can say is that i've never climbed it. From all of the descriptions i've read on HAZ, It looks like a lot of steep climbing and rock scrambling once you reach the base of the peak at Browns Saddle. For more info check out "Browns Peak" in the traildex.

Aaron

Well since we are newbies, we will pass this time, but will join you and others eventually. Maybe even race you to the top! just kidding! Tell us how it went!

Happy hiking!

Sheri

Hi Aaron,

I'm up for joining you on the hike if you're still interested. I would have my dog, Bailey, with me.

Let me know,
Marlee

Your welcome to come marlee. Not sure if the dog could make it though do to the steep rocky terain. But feel free to bring him if you think he can make it.

AK

Hi Marlee, I've done Browns Peak and this is one hike your dog will thank you for leaving her home. There is lots of scrambling over loose scree rock involved and some minor bouldering and vertical ascents. Not a dog friendly hike. It is more of a climb than a hike once you get in the chute.

Aaron,

I've been wanting to do this trip for quite a while. What kind of pace/shape is your group in? I'm not a power hiker and don't want to hold up the group. To put some numbers to this, we've hiked from the Four Peaks parking lot up to the saddle a couple times and do it about 75 to 90 minutes. this includes stops for water, pictures,etc. Is this pace compatible with your group? I won't be offended if you are looking for faster partners.

Thanks,
Bill

Hey bzachar,

Well the two that I have in the group so far can probably smoke me in a hike. I'm not saying that i'm totaly out of shape, but i do prefer a steady/leisurely pace. I like to rubber neck on hikes, so i'm never in a hurry. I'm definitely not a power hiker so feel free to come along.



For anyone coming along on this little adventure, plan on meeting at 7:30am at the restrooms/parking area on the Four Peaks road #143. We leave at 8am saturday the 31st. To reach the meeting area, take SR87 (Beeline) north to the Four Peaks turnoff. (R) Continue about .5mi to the parking/restrooms area on the right.

Aaron,
I signed up for the trip in the "Group Hike" area.
Bill

Got it Bill. See ya Saturday!

Aaron

AK wrote:Your welcome to come marlee. Not sure if the dog could make it though do to the steep rocky terain. But feel free to bring him if you think he can make it.

AK

See the Jack Russell?

http://www.hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=541

AK, Sheri, and Billy - I left the trailhead at 9:36 with Bailey. I knew right where you guys were; the other groups explained that you were waiting for one other person. We were all sure I was gonna meet up with you, so they all continued back down. I was so close to you that I heard your voices at the peak (as the groups coming down the mountain were explaining to me who was left up there.) Please tell me, you must have come down a different route! Because I got all the way to the top, signed the notebook in the box right under you guys, and didn't see you then or the whole way back! Very long story on getting back - at my truck (without Bailey) I made my first ever 911 call to some friends with 4x4's - I was gonna need some help. We got off the trail, bushwacked it down to a trail which ended up being the mining camp trail. We put on a million extra miles while I walked back and forth and everywhere (Sheri, I have seen all 4 peaks - a couple of times over - at least the bottoms of them!) trying to find the trail that took us back. Which, would have been find, if Bailey, who already climbed up to and back down from the peak!) would have stayed in places like I asked her while I investigated. She insisted on following me no matter what. She drinks a whole lot of water (and I had extra), but just not enough for 15 hrs. of hiking. After finding the saddle (coming in from the miner camp trail), I walked that trail up and down 3 round trips to the saddle. The first to make phone calls to friends from my cell which was getting signal at the time (I realize now it is important to have everyone's phone number - internet communication just didn't do the trick out there!), the 2nd to unsuccessfully try to bring back a liter of water I had in my truck to Bailey who stopped just above the saddle (I could find her), and the third to return back (because it got dark - I was gonna sleep in my truck and search for her with flashlights when some friends came with supplies) when 2 guys with flashlights yelled back from up above if I was looking for a dog. They were miners out returning home. They said I could have all the liquid they had, so I went back up again, they brought me to her, we replenished her and they hiked us out of there with their flashlights (a very slow venture - Bailey was pooped.) When we got back there was supplies at my truck a friend had left. He left a note saying he hiked all the way up to Browns Peak looking for me and my dog, but the 3 of us (me and the two miners) couldn't believe that! Must have just missed each other somehow again. In the meantime, other friends called more friends and Mom and Dad (in Pine) and everyone came with 4x4's looking for me. My cell wasn't working anymore up there, so noone could communicate with me and I couldn't call them and tell them I was o.k. Now, that we're safe, and I found these two miners to help me before my friends or sherriff or search and rescue needed to search for me (my truck was missing) all I'm getting is the lovely friends chastising me for hiking alone. Oddly enough, something I didn't think I was gonna be doing. When I got back in range (way down the Beeline) and muddled through the 12 messages left for me, I learned that Mom and Dad were near the Casino. So I met up with them (they called off the sherriff that was coming out 7:00am this morning), they went home, and I went back up to the trailhead, looking for my friends who were yelling on the cell phone that if I wasn't out there they were gonna kick my pumpkin. Well, at least I got them to come when I needed them They're just mad I didn't need them after they made this huge ordeal with driving out to find me. (Not the way I'm sure they wanted to spend their Saturday night/Sunday morning.) And here I was, happy that I met the miners. I would have stayed at the trailhead for them after I got back, but problem was, cell phone wasn't working to hear their messages that they were coming. Just the two friends that left the supplies and note, and left. I got home in Cave Creek a little after 7:00am, gave myself and Bailey a shower, and went to bed (after tring to call one friend (or ex-friend) back and him hanging up on me.) Interesting. I woke up with the phone ringing again, wanted to let you guys know what happened, and I'm going back to bed. Glad you all had fun.

Oops - I meant to say I couldN'T find her.

Wow Marlee! Glad to see you two made it out ok. I pm'ed you yesterday. It basically said that we did run into you in the slot on Browns Peak. You Talked to my friend Will (asain guy with glasses) he was asking what your dogs name was and that he had a dog with the same name. You were on your way up and we were on our way back down. We were the last people coming down behind that large group in the slot. You were crawling on the rocks around the traffic jam in the slot and I was on the other side of that rock climbing down a wall out of sight from you, but could here Will talking to you. We missed each other by mere feet. The whole thing about it was I didn't put the whole thing together about your dogs name and Will's conversation with you til we were on our way out. Talk about just missing each other. Will said that Baily didn't look too good, plus we could here him barking on the summit when we were at the saddle. Hope that you two are doing ok now. I'm going to be heading back up to the peak in a few weeks or so with a friend of mine that couldn't make it this last time. Let me know if you would like to go. Or not. I wouldn't blame you for not wanting to even see that place for a while. Please pm me and let me know how you guys are.

Aaron

Check your HAZ mailbox

Hey Marlee :]

I am really glad that your dog survived the hike and subsequent search for him, but....

Sherileeaz backed out on this hike because it was not for new people...

And 2 people warned you to not bring your dog, but you felt inclined to anyway.

If someone on this forum more experienced than me on a trail gives me advice, I would take it.

Just my 2 cents for the future...

Marlee, glad everything turned out OK for you.

I'm not trying to preach but if you are going to be hiking in the desert ( or anywhere for that matter) you may want to buy some sort of topo software so you can print out maps of the area you will be hiking in. You may also want to learn some sort of land navigation, whether it be GPS or map and compass. If you had a GPS and a topomap, you could have pin pointed your location gnats a_ _. If you had a GPS and no map you could have given your rescuers your location and they could have walked right to you.

I think you probably figured out I wasn't kidding when I said Browns Peak is not a hike for a dog.

I have made my share of mistakes out there too, so don't feel alone, that is how we learn and grow, but like ellehcim said, don't be too proud to heed the advise of others. I hope this experience doesn't sour you on hiking, but is used as a learning experience and turns you into a better more prepared hiker.

Ok you guys (michelle backwards and arizona heat) - Thanks for your concern and candor. I would just like to clear some things up. I tried to explain in my epic story, but apparantly not well enough. The dog was not the problem here. I've lived quite an experienced life, and have done so safely and fulfilled. I owe a lot of that to always listening to others who have more experience in any area than myself. I am not one of those people that needs to make a mistake myself in order to learn from it. Part of your misunderstanding in my intentions might come from me "pming" AK, rather than posting to this forum. I told him that I would not join him on this hike due to the various concerns about me taking my dog, and I didn't want to hold up the group at all. Bottom line for me this weekend was to take Bailey out somewhere, no matter where because she has spent the last two weeks cooped up. I was canyoneering in Salome Canyon for 5 days where I couldn't take her due to the required repelling in places, and then was partying all Memorial Weekend. Poor thing (especially for a dog who is used to doing something athletic with me all the time) - so I promised myself I would get her out this weekend. I did tell him that, personally, I thought she could make it, but I wasn't about to go against the group's wishes. He said it is up to me, feel free to bring her, he has heard of dogs up there before. And then, the posting came across that showed the Jack Russell up there. Bailey has never not been able to make it anywhere any other dog could make it. After AK's response I decided to take Bailey only as far as she could go, and if she couldn't make it the whole way and it was still early enough, take her for a jog or something. She would prefer that over nothing at all. As it turned out, the hike was not too difficult for her, and we made it to the peak, with plently of water, etc. to make it back. So, and I want to make this clear to ellehcim in particular - the dog was not the problem for the hike, as it was discussed (peak and back). It is coming down from the peak that was the problem. To this day, I have no idea how I got off the trail. Just missed some simple turn somewhere. But I've been lost before, have enjoyed my share of bushwacking, and always manage to stay safe and figure things out (granted, I usually have a map or gps!) I did not intend to continue the hike alone, knowing I could hook up with any of the many groups who also made it up, if it weren't for the fact that my three people were right ahead of me. And noone was worried that I wouldn't run into them, so they felt fine with continuing back without me. The fact that Bailey and I put in an additional 10 hours of hiking is how we went through the extra water that I had (for that exact reason). Actually, with even more water, we are both in good enough shape to easily have done what we did (which is why I like canyons!)

It was not right for me to rely on the group to have maps. I've been up to 4 Peaks before - signed a log in that same box over 10 years ago - and knew that it was a very established trail, with lots of people (a rarity for most of my trips.) I unfortuneately let this cushion allow me to make the mistake of not preparing as I usually do. However, this is not due to me not listening to the advise of others (I know my dog's abilities, and would never endanger her had we not gotten lost), and I am not bullheaded. This hike was also very different for me in that I didn't know anyone in my group. I usually hike with good friends, who communicate and know each other better. That is not a negative comment about this vehicle to meet hiking partners (I think this is a great website), it is simply an acknowledgement of the difference in what I am used to, and I didn't account for that.

And a response to the comments of me being an inexperienced hiker, or me getting soured on hiking...that is just not me. I've been doing this stuff for years and am going on another 4 day canyoneering trip in New Mexico next weekend, with Bailey.

Thanks for the great communication, Marlee.

Have fun on you trip to New Mexico, Canyoneering is something I want to start doing lots more of.

Sorry if I offended you, that was not my intention. I was only trying to make helpful suggestions, but sounds like you have a good handle on things. I was under the assumption you were just starting out, thus the suggestions about navigation.

Like I said in my post, I have made plenty of mistakes also, and still do. I can certainly understand how your ordeal happened!! Point being we can all learn from each others mistakes and should go prepared with maps and gps etc, no matter how comfortable we are feeling about the hike we are about to partake.

~Sherileeaz backed out on this hike because it was not for new people. ellehcim~


Marlee:

As Ellehcim said, I didn't go on this hike. Thanks for the recap of your adventure. I'm glad you and bailey are safe. I can tell that you have a good attitude about your experience that day considering all that happened.

Sherileeaz