HikeArizona.COM

1/30/2009 Saturday

Little 4 Peaks Grandmother load and cleanup

The four peaks mother load has become a signature hike for HAZ. This event is a
scaled version that is closer, shorter and less difficult but still claiming four peaks in one day!

This will be a short hike combined with a bit of trail cleaning. The plan is to meet at the parking place on AZ88 at MP 205.2 ( N33.512846 W111.454024 ) at 9 am on Saturday 1/30. From 9 to 10, we will pick up trash at the ad-hoc gun range about 1/4 mile up the trail (N33.513562 W 111.45705) and then proceed up to the peaks area. The summit log is on a 5th peak which is along the way. We than go to the 4 little peaks and make the short climbs up them to complete the grandmother load. We will collect the bagged trash and haul it to the parking place on the return.
Please bring some work gloves, water and lunch. Trash bags will be available and I am working with the forest service on some details about how and where to dump them.
Although this is the "grandmother load", there is no trail and it takes about 1 mile of light bushwhacking, there is about 900 feet of gain and there is some scrambling to actually summit all 4 peaks.

I threw up a hike and a date so others may join. That may be a busy day for me, if not I look to commit

Jim
Hope you can make it but remember the objective is to take out more beer cans than we bring in

johnr1 wrote:Jim
Hope you can make it but remember the objective is to take out more beer cans than we bring in

Very interested --Just need to clear up a few other "interested" items and see what the closure on those are.

11 days until the Grandmother Lode/clean-up festivities. Per John here is an update:

I finally connected with the Forset Service volunteer coordinator and they have no problem with what we are planning, esp. since it is outside the wilderness. She said the basic rules are stay on roads with vehicles (easy - can't get a vehicle off the road), be careful what you pick up, plenty of water, sun/screen protection, etc.

She will pass request on to the guy handling refuge collection to coordinate where to take the trash.

Now of course, if it's only John and I picking up trash, there won't be much to coordinate so to speak.

For more details about the Grandmother Lode (next best thing to a Mother Lode) hike itself, PM John.

So if you would like to do a little clean-up with us, experience some of the beauty of the Goldfields and check a Lode off of your list, feel free to join us.

Thank you,

tibber

If you have nothing else planned, come join us for the "Little 4 Peaks clean up and the Gma Lode climb up" festivities.... We'll be there no matter the head count but you know the ole saying "the more the merrier" - oh, and we'll get a lot more cleaned up too.

What does the snow report look like? The peaks look fantastic from the valley. Wondering how this might affect the clean-up plan. Perhaps all the beer cans are buried in white stuff.

The Little Four Peaks are about 4,000 feet lower than the Four Peaks
http://hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=56277

The weather fore cast for Saturday is 68 degrees, partly cloudy and 10% chance of rain which is near perfect for picking up a few shells and cans plus bagging the Grandmother load.

As Joe posted, Little four peaks is a long way from the snow covered four peaks and in fact is quite close to the first water trail which many HAZ members were making use of this past weekend.

Come join us to give back a little to the Tonto forest and enjoy a short and interesting hike to a very different view of the North side of the Superstitions.

joe bartels wrote:The Little Four Peaks are about 4,000 feet lower than the Four Peaks
http://hikearizona.com/phoZOOM.php?ZIP=56277

So many hikes, so much to learn.

Just a few days away now. Looking forward to hiking and giving back to Mother Nature with a little trail cleaning!


Linda

Heh, I just found out that if I put the N33.512846 W111.454024 in my Yahoo Maps, it will take me right to where the TH parking is rather than me having to use Tortilla Flats to gauge my drive time. Perhaps as people go to the trailheads, we could get that marking added to the directions page on HAZ.

You must be reading a book or something, it's all listed on site here

Highway 60, exit 196. Follow State Route 88 north which becomes the Apache Trail. Continue north to milepost 205. One quarter mile further, park by dirt mound blocked road on right side of the road. There is room for about four vehicles.

Each hike also has mapped directions from Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff & Showlow down by directions, here's from Phoenix
http://hikearizona.com/location_g.php?ZTN=1372&XD=2

Thank you. I know about the mapped directions BUT I want to know how long from my house to the trailhead. In HAZ directions I changed the address on the FROM area but the system didn't keep the TO and sent me somewhere else (E Juniper St).... that's why I went to my Yahoo map using Tortilla Flats as the closest place I knew Yahoo maps would recognize. Then I thot I would input the GPS coordinates John had provided and that gets me exactly there and cuts 15 minutes off the time from using Tortilla Flats. I hope that makes sense.

I will be missing this event.

In response to tibber:
Gotcha
The TO is where the crosshair is centered on the map

Guess it needs a TO field or draggable icons to be easier to understand.

The length of time to drive from anywhere in the greater Phoenix area to Tortilla Flat is directly proportional to the number of snowbirds driving in front of you!

You guilted me into it. What time is this blessed event? Do I need to bring anything other than gloves and a lot of beer?

Glad to have you Jim.
We are meeting up at the parking lot/trailhead on 88 at 9 am. (the original announcement has coordinates and directions.You don't need to bring anything except gloves and water for a short hike. (and your camera - some of the views are nice. We will grab lunch afterwards. I have a seat if you want to carpool from South Tempe or Tibber may be closer for you. PM or call for details.

Supposed to be 68 and partly cloudy