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| Hiking | 6.40 Miles |
2,780 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.40 Miles | 4 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.42 mph |
| 2,780 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Let it snow! After an action packed weekend entertaining my friends from Pittsburgh, including a trip to the Chiricahua's, Tombstone, and Devil's Canyon, you would think I'd had enough. The girls were pooped, but Dean and I were ready to go. Their plane back to Pitt didn't leave until Sunday at 4pm, so Dean and I decided to make one more trip. I told Dean about Flatiron, and that if we got an early start we could do it.
I was actually hoping for rain on Saturday night. Rain it did. Although, I never heard a drop. When I woke up at 5:50am, Dean was already up and preparing for the hike. He asked if we were still going. "Yeah!" I replied. Dean informed me that it had been raining. Ahh! That's why he asked if we were still going. I quickly concluded that the shorts I was wearing may not be the best choice. I grabbed my long pants and prepared to get out the door. Dean said he was bringing every layer (of clothing) he had in his bag. I thought I was doing okay with my three layers (tank top, short sleeve shirt, and light jacket). Something told me, maybe I should grab my heavy jacket w/ gloves and my heavy knit skull cap. It wouldn't hurt to at least have these items in the car.
We jumped in the car and backed down the wet driveway. Within minutes we were heading down Signal Butte staring at the cloud covered Superstitions in the darkness of early dawn. We noticed the white streaks descending below the clouds. Looks like snow. Being from Pittsburgh, Dean wasn't nearly as impressed or excited as I was. For Dean, this is what he left behind for a warm Arizona vacation. For me, it was a rare opportunity for a snow hike right in my own backyard, just 20 minutes from home.
We arrived at Lost Dutchman Park at 6:50am, paid our $7 plus an extra $1 just because I like the park. We drove down to the mostly empty Siphon Draw parking lot. Just two other cars were in the lot.
It was windy and cold. I opened the car door. The wind blew it back closed. We layered up, put on our jackets and skull caps, grabbed the packs and hit the Discovery Trail. I ensured Dean that the wind would let up once we reached the canyon. Of course, I was only guessing, but it sounded about right based on my earlier hike experiences into the area.
We made our way up the trail and sure enough the wind seemed to die down as we reached the mouth of the canyon. At 2600 feet we came across the first scatterings of snow, mostly stuck to the railroad ties that lead the way up the early part of the trail. I stopped to photograph these first signs of snow, which Dean found amusing. Unfortunate for Dean, there was much more snow to come.
At about 45 minutes in, we arrived at the Basin. The slick rock was just that....slick. I felt like Bambi on ice. I lacked confidence in every step. Its about this time that the wind kicked up. Did I mention I hate the wind? No? Well, I hate the wind. We had stopped to admire the trickle of the Basin Waterfall where we ate beef jerky and trail mix. The wind was chilling, so we put our packs back on and started climbing/crawling up the Basin. I was looking for foot holds and hand holds as if I were rock climbing. My new pair of Vasques were actually doing a pretty good job on the wet rock and my confidence quickly grew as I began to trust the shoe. Soon we were out of the Basin and on to the next challenge.
The trail looked so different with all this white stuff on the ground. Soon the trail was hidden under a 2-3 inch layer of snow. The hikers who had arrived before us left a clear trail of footprints which we closely followed, although cautiously. Afterall, I didn't know who these people were. Did they know where they were going?
At about 3800 feet we came across our mystery hikers. They had turned around and were heading back to the Trailhead. They introduced themselves as John, Julie and Sherry. They looked like strong, experienced hikers and they were in great spirits. They had decided it was getting a little too slushy, and thus turned back. This sounded like a smart idea, but Dean and I were committed to the goal, Flatiron. At least I think Dean was committed. I think he just didn't want to be the one to back out. I can tell he enjoyed hiking the mountainous Arizona terrain. He just didn't really like being in this snow. The gloves I had given him were fingerless, which didn't help. I kept asking him if his hands were too cold and if he wanted to turn back, but he seemed intent on moving forward.
From the moment we had left the house, Flatiron was hidden beneath a blanket of clouds. Now here we were just hundreds of feet from the summit and still no view of the grand butte. With John, Julie and Sherry turning around, there would be no more footsteps to follow. It was just Dean, myself and the occasional faded blue dot to guide the way. The snow was getting deeper. We continued on. The snow layer actually seemed to help us along. It was easier to spot the unobstructed lanes that seemed to lead up the mountain towards the still invisible Flatiron. I began calling out the elevation readings from my Garmin Foretrex 401 every 100 feet. Dean had told me, "Just keep dangling that carrot in front of me."
The climb sections were getting slipperier. Along the way, I would clear snow off the rocks with my hands to find solid handholds and footholds. At about 4400 feet I glanced up to my right. Still, no view of Flatiron.
Finally, we arrived at the last obstacle, the 12 foot vertical rock wall. I've always climbed the route to the right. It's easy, like climbing a ladder. This time, covered in 4-6 inches of snow, the "right" just didn't look.....well....right. I was drawn to the low dead branches of that tree on the left. Wipe off the snow and those branches looked a lot more reliable than my usual option. Having never ascended the left route, I examined the foothold pattern and climbed on. I brushed off the stack of snow on the tree branches and continued up the fairly easy climb without issue.
The air was thick with fog. Talk about having your "head in the clouds." Visibility was only about 30 feet. If not for my previous knowledge of the trail from this point on, I would have been completely lost. As I made my way down the "supposed" trail, I was still slightly unsure of my actual position. Even Dean commented, "Are you sure this is the trail?" I confirmed it was, although I'm not sure he believed me. All along, I watched intently to my right, knowing that the cliff edge was nearby.
Finally the trail seemed to widen. I sped up to a jogging pace, each footstep sinking 5-7 inches into the snow. Deer and small animal tracks were the only other prints guiding the way. I know this area. I was on Flatiron.
The view at the top, left much to the imagination. There was nothing to see but fog and snow covered cacti. The wind was unusually calm at first. I've always experienced high winds at this lookout. For just a fleeting moments (10-15 seconds) we saw an opening in the clouds. An oval of brilliant blue sky peaked through. The hole quickly dissolved and its at this point that we decided to head back down the mountain.
We followed our footsteps back to the 12 foot wall. I led the down climb on the same side of the wall we went up. Our previous footsteps were starting to melt away and the rock was slushier and even more slippery than before. I took every step with caution, using hands and elbows much more than I ever remember in past trips.
As we approached the high point above the Basin, the clouds were beginning to open up above the valley, making for incredible views of the city, minus the usual brown cloud. What I thought would be a slippery downclimb through the Basin turned out to be dry and easy most of the way. Once we were past the Basin it was free-sailing. Small pellets of white "sleet?", not flakes began to fall from the sky. The ground was quickly littered with what looked like styrofoam dots.
As we left the mouth of the canyon, we came across several groups of hikers just starting out on their journeys into the snowy abyss. We noticed a big nasty grayish/brown mass approaching from the Southeast. I was happy to be heading back to the car, and wondered what was in store for the other latecomers.
We ran most of the way down from the Basin. Not because we were worried about the coming storm clouds, but just because it felt good. We arrived back at the Siphon Draw 4-1/2 hours after we started. Suprisingly, given the conditions, a personal best. Afterall, my Pennsylvania guests had a plane to catch and I'm sure that Dean was ready to get out of this cold snowy place that he never thought he would see on his Arizona vacation. |
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| This is my gym. I have to travel down a bumpy road to get there. There are no treadmillls, no machines, and no personal trainers. I walk..I run..I breathe the fresh air. I can go any time I want, as much as I want and there is no membership fee. |
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