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| Hiking | 15.00 Miles |
4,750 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.00 Miles | 7 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.94 mph |
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| 4,750 ft AEG | | | |
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| no partners | | I'm honestly surprised this trail doesn't see more traffic, but I'm not complaining...this entire hike is beautiful, the trail is in good shape and the views are unbelievable.
We left Phoenix on Saturday evening and found a campsite near the windy trailhead. The high winds made sleep tough and dust and dirt blew everywhere all night. But all 5 of us rolled out of bed and started moving by 8, energized by caffeine. The early flat canyon hike was a nice warmup and was surprisingly lush. As we moved into the boulder field on the way up to Happy Valley Saddle, Elizabeth pushed us ahead, saying she only intended to hang out and read at the campground near the saaddle. We arranged to meet up with her there later, and Liz, Ben, Tanya, and I steadily made our way up the oak-and-boulder country to the Happy Valley Saddle, which greeted us with views of pine forests and - higher up - Rincon Peak.
The forest stroll was easy, dropping us at Rincon Peak Trail. Only 3.2 miles to go and the time was 10:30...nice! We fueled up and started making our way up the steady ascent though the oak, pinon, juniper, and pine forest. Very mixed in here. The ascent went from steady to heinously-steep at the last bit, but the summit was worth it. Panoramic, unobstructed views in all directions, which Mica Mountain doesn't offer! I enjoyed my Alaskan Amber up top while Ben sipped on a Labbatt Blue...think I made the right choice  Descent was fast on this trail, and we soon found Elizabeth enjoying a book in the ponderosa forest by early afternoon. She brought along a tree identification guide, but we quickly found out the oaks up there aren't so easily categorized, tricky plants...
As we made the final descent, the mid-afternoon light bathed the area in a glow which eased the dull aches and pains that started to pop up. Would do this one again, for sure |
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Route Editor
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