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| Hiking | 8.83 Miles |
2,526 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.83 Miles | 8 Hrs | | 1.10 mph |
| 2,526 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | I wanted to do a hike on this side of the Superstitions as it is the last weekend free from Festival traffic until April 3. I managed to persuade John to come and he brot his friend Tom. Ambika's Saturday plans fell thru so I was able to persuade (offered to chauffeur) her to come as well. YEAH! So off we went at 8:30 up the Bluff Springs Trail via Cardiac Hill. We encountered a couple large groups of teens who didn't seem to be overjoyed at being out in the wilderness. John was also working for part of the trip so he had to deal with a couple different calls that came in before we reached the saddle overlooking Barks Canyon.
The light and clouds were just incredible this day. Needless to say, I was in all-out tibbermode as was Ambika. We were doing fine staying on trail until someone  decided to keep going north instead of following along the bend in Upper Barks. We ended up on what this unnamed person called a "climbers" route. It did provide for a different view but then of course, we had to bushwhack  our way down a drainage to get back to the real trail. It was a rough short-cut so to speak but he got us back on track.
Along the way to the Terrapin, before you have to climb a hill, John got to do his first of 4 climbs. Gotta keep the boy happy. After a short snack we headed up the trail again. This time the lead hikers were able to find the Terrapin turn off without a problem; of course the trail sign helped  . Before you knew it, we were up on top admiring the views to the south and east. The light was really something. Once again we started heading west and slightly north eventually catching back up with John and Ambika. We stopped and had a snack on some perfectly sized rocks (below the area where that one massive rock in the rock formation on the east creates a window at the south end which I have now dubbed Nefertiti). I pulled out the Crosscut hike description with the pics Kat had taken so that we wouldn't go astray.
I got to lead, well actually I just started before everyone else  , and in a short time I could see we would be heading down the Bluff Saddle and noticed the cairns at the Crosscut intersection just slightly left of the trail. So off John and Ambika went to get to the top of the hill. I was duly impressed by what you could see once you reached the top. What a magnificent valley this was  . I think the light created by the feathery flowing clouds helped magnify its beauty too. After walking gingerly down the hill to the valley floor, you got to really appreciate the grandness of Weavers Needle rising high into the crisp sky. Just WOW!
We reached the centerpiece of the valley where the one saguaro stands in front of a very large split boulder in a rock formation. This would be John's second climbing opportunity and the hardest of the bunch he would do this day. I got it on film. (see Pt II of III) As we walked through this valley we decided a lot of the rock formations looked like angry ducks so instead of my previously dubbed "Crosscut Valley", we went with the name "Angry Duck Valley". 
Previously, when we were initially up on the hill above the valley, I looked over toward the saddle we would need to get to and thot it looked like a long UP haul. However, once you start up to the saddle, it's a lot more gradual. It's a beautiful hike through this bouldered area with large rock formations on either side of you. And then you reach the opening to get you down to the west side. John and I happened to look up to the north and east and marveled at how you could see Weavers Needle above the rock wall in front of us. We were awe-struck by it. I took a couple photos but I don't know that they will convey the enormity of that scene... at least to us.
After enjoying our climb through and over the rock opening we made our way down to Peralta Trail. Once again we marveled at where we had come from and seeing Weavers Needle from this vantage point. We meandered up the Peralta a bit past the Pinyon Camp (at least I think it was) and headed over closer to the creek. We found a very nice area of bedrock and decided to take a leisurely lunch of nearly 45 minutes. From here we could see climbers up on the Needle. I did get a couple good zooms of them. We continued to soak up the sun and the scenery. It was simply lovely; could have stayed there a lot longer. 
On the way up to the Fremont Saddle, I could see a person standing out on the far (north) side of the Outlook so I took a picture. Just thot it was pretty neat. Once we got to the Saddle with the throngs of people, we couldn't get away fast enough. John and Tom went across the Saddle to the Cave Trail while Ambika and I went a new way I wanted to try that I had spotted last weekend. I also saw from Kat's trip report and pictures that she had gotten on the Cave Trail somewhere past the "Evil Eye" rock formation so I wanted to try it. Apparently the boys didn't have confidence in my route finding so they went the way John knew. Such little confidence.  Well needless to say, Ambika threw a High Five as we made the intersection and looked up to see them finally coming down .
The Cave Trail was just amazing as always. Ambika had not been on it before so I was happy to have her experience it. Fairly quickly John found his third climbing area that was under a large rock leaning against the mountainside. You could see light at the other side so John climbed under and thru and up on top of this giant rock. This too is on film, Part III of III. A person could linger for many hours up here just exploring around and having fun. We made quick time to Geronimo's Cave where we once again soaked in the views. It was a very clear day so we could see Superior and the mountains beyond, the White Canyon Wilderness including Battle Axe Mount, and the Catalinas with Mount Lemmon looming large as well as other "long ways away" views we don't know.
When we got to Devil's Slide, John kept going by it and along the east side while the rest of us went down the very steep, toes-trying-to-get-through-your-shoes, incline. When I looked up to catch a photo of Ambika, I noticed a large hole in the jumbled rock formation at the top. It was pretty cool. I'm thinking maybe that was the window that I saw on last week's hike. We came to the Bald Man's Head (that's what I read someone called the area past the Devil's Slide) and I was determined to march right down the face of it since last time I acted a bit like a scaredy cat. Not this time. 
The rest of the trip down the Cave Trail was just as wonderful and enjoyable. About the last 1/2 mile of the Cave Trail you are longing for a real trail that lasts for more than a few yards. John found one last rock to climb up before we descended into that last valley that takes you to the first rock outcropping at the top of the Cave trail where you can see the intersection with Bluff Springs. That last mile, as always, is a pain. That's when I am most grateful to have company to pass the time more quickly.
This is a relatively easy loop considering the terrain. The rewards are certainly worth every step as you get to experience the great variety of the Superstitions.
Here are 3 videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlENOUzaH_I (Bluff toward Terrapin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wimZVw2gVVI (Terrapin to Crosscut West)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMCrKFQDxXc (Peralta and Cave Trail)
FYI: Actual moving time was about 5 hours. |
| _____________________
For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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