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| Hiking | 2.65 Miles |
1,025 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.65 Miles | 3 Hrs 6 Mns | | 0.85 mph |
| 1,025 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Searching for GPSJoe in the "Waypoint F" area above the Thicket Spring Trail.
Last night I planned for searching in the rain, packing two sets of clothes, plus 2 extra long sleeve shirts/sweatshirts, a waterproof windbreaker and two extra pairs of socks. (I don't know why I brought the extra socks... I knew they'd be soaked the whole time since I'd be wearing my Teva sandals.)
Up early enough to be at the trail head 30 minutes before sunrise, even having to go slow on the road to the TH due to being slick as well as heavy fog. It was only a little drizzly mist when I started and stayed that way for a while. I started up the Mazatzal Divide Trail until the end of the second zigzag, where I was about to begin my search track for the day. Although I had only been on the trail from the TH, my pants were already soaked from the knees down from the wet grass on each side of the trail rubbing against my legs as I walked by. I took a good look around to get my bearings to help me stick to a direct route as much as possible then just headed off into the thick brush. By time I had gone a hundred yards my pants were completely soaked, seemingly weighing an extra 5 pounds. Oh well, I'm not going to stop searching just because my pants were wet.  Hey! From rain silly!
But, being committed (I should be in an asylum by now) to the search for the day I just set my mind to it and tried to ignore the obstacles, the weather and my joints... the cold & wet doesn't help the arthritis at all. (Yeah, I hear ya..)  Enough whining, get on with it old man!
As I made my way across the slope I was mostly into thick Manzanita, some kind of holly as well as a few others I don't even care to know the name of... it's bad enough just to bull my way through, knowing what it is won't make getting through it any slog easier. But every moment I was free enough to take a long look around, I did just that as well as pull out the GPS to see how close to my intended path I was. I was staying reasonably close for all the backing up and going around the impassable sections. More than once I found myself boxed in, having come through "with the grain" only to get stopped completely, then having to fight my way out. Only when I couldn't break enough branches to get free did I whip out my K-bar and cut enough offending material to press on again. About halfway through this leg of my search the temperature had dropped from 38 at the trail head into the low 30's, the wind had picked up and it was now a steady downpour. Having no chance of seeing with my glasses on I was going without (no big deal, I'm far-sighted in one and near-sighted in the other so they "balance") which presented another hazard. Thankfully so far whenever something whipped into my face I was able to shut the eyes in time, but I kept wondering how long that would continue.
Eventually I had made it across the route of my vertical climb search on Monday (12/13), but rather than turn around for another pass across waypoints area "F" I decided to keep going with hopes of covering the "hole" I left in the middle of my loop from Monday. But before I got more than halfway across, I realized I was in trouble... I was soaked completely through to the bone, my "waterproof" windbreaker was likely just water "resistant"... who cares if something is water proof in Nicaragua? (where it came from) It's hot and wet all the time there isn't it?
But I digress... Where was I?... Oh yeah, being soaked through and the wind chilling me even more, it felt like hypothermia was setting in. I could barely move my thumbs and index fingers, the rest having already given up all movement, my pants were sticking to my legs with a rubbing motion every step I took, yet they were so cold I felt nothing. Only my feet seemed to be faring reasonably well, while the toes were cold, (a given) with enough constant walking that must have kept the foot temperature up. But now my body was shivering so much my back was tensing up to the point I could no longer bend under the brush, so just kept pounding away at the brush to get through. Although I turned back before getting to the far vertical descent of Monday, now I truly wondered, oh crap, will I even make it back to the car before hypothermia stop me cold... (no pun intended)  But as long as I could keep moving I was bound and determined to stick to the search leg as much as possible, taking a glance at my GPS every couple minutes to stay on track.
Oh how wonderful it felt when I got to the end of the heaviest Manzanita and found the going a little easier. Only a little ways to go, a little bit of clearing so I could see portions of the Thicket Spring Trail below, but moments later it closed in with heavier rain and fog again. Finally! Back on the Mazatzal Divide Trail and heading back to the TH. By now I could no longer move my fingers and my knees were crying out in agony but now it was just "get back to the trail head."
Once at the car, I found I could not unbuckle my CamelBak to get at the car keys (in a small zippered compartment behind my neck). What an awful feeling!  I was so close to getting in and getting some warm into me and I could not get to the keys. I pulled my gloves off with my teeth but still could not get it unbuckled. I stood there for a good 15 minutes, taking a minute or two to work up the willpower to make my fingers work, to no avail. ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") I got to the point I was going to cut myself out with my K-bar to cut the offending straps when I found I couldn't unsnap the knife sheath! Ok, now I'm not only bracing for one last attempt, I'm praying for the strength and mobility to move my fingers just that much to free myself of the bondage I found myself in. I held my breath, and now, using only the index knuckles on each hand I broke free! 
But I still need to work the zipper enough to get it to move through wet material to open. Nothing doing with fingers so it was back to using teeth again. Viola! Cramming the key between my fingers I got the car unlocked. But knowing I needed to get warmed up fast, now came the tough job of changing into my last dry clothes... It was almost hopeless, I had to wait long enough for the car to warm up and blow warm enough air on my fingers to get them to move.
A good 30 minutes later I could finally move enough fingers to accomplish the task. Good thing I was sitting on the passenger side as the seat was now soaked as well. My mind had been working so slow I didn't even think about that possibility, but at this point I'll take heart in any small battle won.
Another 30 minutes later and I'm ready to attempt the drive back home. To begin with the road seemed ok, but whenever I came to a climb I had to be careful to keep from allowing the tires to spin in the greasy spots. But after a few miles I had a good feel to it and made careful progress. When I came to one hill I knew would be a bit greasier with a soft sticky clay feel to it, I built some speed to make it only to almost have a head-on with an old early-70's Chevy Suburban coming down the hill. I think we both had the same look on our faces, and likely the same feeling in our shorts... thankfully not quite to the point they'd need to be changed!
Knowing where we were, I knew no matter who backed up, it would be quite tricky, but I also knew he would have to back a long way to allow me to pass. So it was up to me to back up. Try backing up when the mirrors are covered with rain drops and your back so stiff from shivering that you can hardly turn your neck!  About 250 feet back I simply backed into the ditch within inches of the rock wall and waved him to pass me on the left, yes he got the outside... fair is fair, I had to back up, he gets to keep from sliding off the side. 
When he pulled next to me, our mirrors a fraction of an inch from touching, he stopped, rolled down his window and said, "I see there is someone else who had the same idea as me" to hike on a beautiful day like we were having, I guess?  I asked if he was going to do any searching. He said no, he was just going to hike to Peeley Summit. I mentioned about searching for a missing hiker and he said, wow, you're searching still, it's been three years hasn't it? It turned out he knew nothing about Joe, only about some guy that went missing 3+ years ago. Just like he didn't hear anything about Joe, I recalled nothing about anyone 3 years ago. Oh well, I asked him if he could keep a keen eye out while going around the north side where someone could have fallen off the trail. While I know many other have been on that part of the trail, whenever the weather cleared for even a few moments while I was searching, the air was so clear and the wetness brought so much more definition that it wouldn't hurt to look again. He said he would and gave me his card so I can call him tonight, to get the road condition when he leaves if nothing else.
My thought is still to search down below the trail where ever possible, as I see no GPS tracks posted of anyone even taking a 25' saunter off that direction. Yes, much of it is very steep but it wouldn't hurt to go far enough to look over some of the areas of rock fall. I actually hoped to do that after area F today if it hadn't been raining.
Ok, now that I'm back, seven hours after returning to the car, I now have full feeling back in all my fingers. (I didn't in three fingers when I posted my return on the forum) Now all I'm dealing with is join pain in the fingers, knees and ankles. Yup, I can hear you now.
I know, I know, such is the lot of an old geezer with arthritis. But then if I wasn't out hiking rain or shine the joints would be atrophying, and we can't have that now, can we? 
Whew! All that I yet I had a blast! Can't wait until Saturday now... if it doesn't rain that is!
Whoops... what did I find? NOTHING! Oh wait... just one empty Bud Light can. How it got into the middle of a Manzanita in the middle of nowhere... well, they guy must have been drunk. 
I posted 10 photos here on HAZ, 25 on my own web site:
http://www.changephoenix.com/10/2010-12-16GPSJoeSearch.html |
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