Battle Axe area: 4x4 drive & hike 11/22

[CannondaleKid]

When: Tuesday 11/22
Time: Leaving E Mesa (Recker & Brown) area no later than 6:30 am, returning ~5 pm
What: 4x4 trip and hike
Where: US 60 to Superior, S on 177 to Battle Axe Rd, drive out Battle Axe Rd and hang a left down into Walnut Canyon followed by a hike up the butte to Peak 2939, located between The Spine and Battle Axe Mountain.
Lat/Long of Peak 2939: 33.14029 -111.071112

I have Tuesday off but Tracey doesn't so I have an open seat for a fellow HAZer to ride along... (my Sammy only seats 2)
If any others wish to tag along in their own vehicle (preferably a high-clearance 4x4) they are more than welcome to join in.

Climbing to the peak and exploring the butte it's on shouldn't take a whole lot time but with plenty of other places to explore close by I'm sure we'll have plenty to check out. I'm expecting to be heading back out Battle Axe Rd by 3:30 pm to arrive back in E Mesa around 5 pm.

Photos of the destination:
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=219738 (Peak 2939 is off to the right)
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=219741 (Peak 2939 is marked)
http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=221128 (Peak 2939 is marked)
The last photo was taken from The Spine (http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1929)

[Nighthiker]

Off that day but camping, hiked the drainage around the south side and headed down stream to the Gila River. If you want to see the Gila River you need to lug a chainsaw in with you as the vegetation is so thick.

[chumley]

Would love to join up on a trip like this in the future. Unfortunately I can't make it to this one.

[CannondaleKid]

Off that day but camping, hiked the drainage around the south side and headed down stream to the Gila River. If you want to see the Gila River you need to lug a chainsaw in with you as the vegetation is so thick.

Twice in the last week-and-half I've been down that wash, driving across the Gila River (some river... more like a dry wash right now) in three different places with no problem getting through to it.

Would love to join up on a trip like this in the future. Unfortunately I can't make it to this one.

I'll be doing many trips (1-2 drive/hikes every week) in the general vicinity over the next 2-3 months so I'll keep you in mind.

With almost a dozen 4x4 trips in the area between Superior and Florence bounded between the Gila River and the US 60 and have come up with a whole list of places I'd like to check out on foot.

Due to my ever-changing work schedule I rarely know more than a week out what days I'll have off other than working pretty much every weekend. So it's 95% likely any trip will be on a weekday, which I enjoy more anyway for the solitude.

[Sredfield]

I'm told the river is turned off until Dec 5, when it will be on for 3 weeks, then off for five more. Don't bet your life or vehicle on this information but I believe it is from a reliable source.

[CannondaleKid]

I'm told the river is turned off until Dec 5, when it will be on for 3 weeks, then off for five more.

Cool, I'll be sure to get out there when it's flowing again for a comparison to what it looked like dry.
I'm curious... where is the river shut off?

Don't bet your life or vehicle on this information but I believe it if from a reliable source.

I won't, but thanks for the input.
BTW, I don't drive anywhere suspect (especially running water) if I can't safely walk it first. One of the reasons I didn't continue driving west very far from where we parked when we hiked The Spine hike last week.

[Sredfield]

I believe it is turned off at San Carlos dam. I got that information from the San Carlos Irrigation Project office.

[chumley]

They're working on the Hayden-Ashurst diversion dam near Florence and the canals downstream of it on a 5-3 week schedule. But, I'm pretty sure it's running dry anyway and that schedule won't affect the flow at all. See my triplog here: http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=17058

Relevant photo from October 11th: http://hikearizona.com/photo.php?ZIP=214878

And streamflow data at Kelvin (below the San Carlos dam). You'll notice there are no 5-3 week spikes in the historical flow here.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?cb_00 ... o=09474000

[Sredfield]

We rumbled out on Battle Axe Road and then Rincon Road to the AZT crossing today. I left 10 gallons of water behind the rock there for whoever, there was none there when we got there. We saw 6 gallons where the trail leaves the road at the bottom of the hill.

Our purpose was to examine a spring just up the wash that parallels the trail to the west there. The spring is about .3 mile north of the road/trail/wash intersection at the bottom of the hill. Coordinates are N33.11669 W111.14442. A rancher told some BLM folks about it who passed in on to us. We did find it, and there is indeed water. Not a gushing stream mind you but sufficient to pump/filter if needed. It looked like an washed out stock watering effort; there are remains of piping and a metal trough there. Right now one would have to filter out of very shallow depressions; if permitted there are some things to be done to improve it for more use.

This spring will be an alternate to filtering and treating the Gila. I've really mixed emotions about the Gila, tests show that the heavy metals that were the scare for years are below municipal water standards, but that the bio-nasties are present. One expert says you have to filter it AND treat it with chemicals because simply filtering doesn't get the bio-nasties, and just treating it doesn't get the bio-nasties hiding in the particulates. I would filter and drink it if I needed to, I've drunk worse, but really don't like to recommend it for anyone else.

[Grasshopper]

Our purpose was to examine a spring just up the wash that parallels the trail to the west there. The spring is about .3 mile north of the road/trail/wash intersection at the bottom of the hill. Coordinates are N33.11669 W111.14442. A rancher told some BLM folks about it who passed in on to us. We did find it, and there is indeed water. Not a gushing stream mind you but sufficient to pump/filter if needed.

Maybe we should setup a new spring name (Shawn?) under a new "Named place" location for it on HAZ and then maybe it could be referenced somewhere in the AZT Passage #16 narrative for future reference for those to be aware of who thru-hike AZT #16? Just a thought..
AZT Passage #16 with spring location: http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=2541

[Sredfield]

Sorry Hank, I think it's already named "Mint" Spring. Wish I could take credit, but I've walked right past it a couple times already. It will be listed in the ATA Water Source but having it listed on HAZ will allow for real time conditions reporting. Great!

[Grasshopper]

I think it's already named "Mint" Spring

Well this is good that it has a known name as this name is not showing on any of our HAZ overlay topo maps, but anyway I have now officially added it as new spring
Named place label "Mint Spring - AZT Passage16". It should now show up on our Gila River Canyons - AZT #16 hike description when viewing the available area springs.

Also, I suggest you do a short triplog for your last visit here. At the bottom of the triplog you can pull up this new spring and be the first to update its perennial spring status in-leau of not being able to name it Any pics of the spring area you have to post would be an added benefit. A valuable find for sure! Congrats..