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| Hiking | 17.50 Miles |
2,880 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.50 Miles | 5 Hrs 45 Mns | | 3.04 mph |
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| 2,880 ft AEG | | | |
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| no partners | | | Today I headed on out of town to get to some cooler weather and to continue working on my new book 100 hikes Arizona. Mount Baldy was the plan for the day but rather than just doing the West Fork as listed in the book I did the loop. Parked the car at the East Fork trailhead and then took 96 accross to the West Fork Trail and headed up to the Summit(s). Weather was just perfect at 68 degrees as I headed out. On the way I saw three Deer and countless Elk. Once I started up the West Fork and began to gain elevation there was no more wildlife but that was quickly replaced with snow on the ground. The meadows quickly turned to pine and aspen as I worked my way up. Once at the junction of 94 and 95 and the Apache National Forest Boundry I just couldn't resist going to the Summit. Once on the North Side where the large Carin is I could see a well traveled trail (mostly by horse) heading to the South towards the other summit. I figure if I am in trouble I might as well go for the full deal so on I went. My guess is that they are about 1/2 mile or less apart. Either way it was really cool and tranquil. Once I got my fill of the Summits I headed toward the East Fork Trail to work my way back to the car. Shortly thereafter I came to the meadow with the old plane wreckage. Pretty much just a large piece of a wing remaing that I could see. This trail had tons of snow and was a little difficult at first. In addition to the snow and mud challenges were the many fallen trees on the trail. Down I went through the challenging trail and was met with some amazing rock formations. Towards the end were more meadows and Elk much like the West Fork. Ah back to the car and time for some grub. Los Dos Molinos in Springerville is where I ended this great day. |
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Route Editor
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