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| Hiking | 12.00 Miles |
1,287 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.00 Miles | 7 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 1,287 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 20 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | I created a 4-day weekend for myself and I already had Monday scheduled for a hike out of the Peralta side of the Supes so I wanted to find something out of the First Water side. This hike fit the bill and just the right amount of mileage. Now to try and find someone to go with me. Several folks were booked but sunray decided to give it a go. He was kind enough to drive too; can't beat that! 
We hit the trail at 8AM. It was a very nice morning with a great sky, cool temps and  scenery. I realized I had never hiked all the way thru Garden Valley in the morning so that was a real treat. We stopped at the Ruins to take in the 360 of this beautiful area before heading past the stock tank on the eastern edge of Second Water Trail. As always, I was impressed by the large chollas in Garden Valley and then the multitude of saguaros on the south side of Hackberry Mesa (to your left).
I was going along and taking my movies with some narration and Brian says, "I felt like I was watching one of your videos on youtube."  No Brian, this is LIVE . A little further along I commented how quiet it was and he said he was just going to say the same thing. I think that's one of the great moments when you're hiking.... that quiet moment while you're walking.
There were two areas where some campers were set up with their tents. Otherwise we didn't encounter but two people and a dog until we got to the edge before the descent toward Boulder Creek. We were alerted by a couple other hikers that a BIG group was not far behind. We were having a snack at the time and thot we would let them pass. However, when they got up to us, they decided to take pictures and such so we headed on down the trail. The group would catch us toward the bottom and we would let them pass.
We would meet two of the group at the Boulder Canyon junction (FYI-the sign is not there but the post is). Brian had pegged them earlier as being from a homeowner community and he was right. I'll let Brian tell you the criteria for that identification  . I'd say the group was well over the 15 people limit but about every other time I'm out there we seem to encounter these large groups.
So now, after taking in the grand view of the Battleship, the new part of this hike would begin. I had thought we would be hiking through 3 miles of the creek bed but I'm happy to report that is not the case. You do cross this creek bed many, many times and fortunately, there are cairns (or as we called them, our "buddies") to make it easier. We kept waiting to have to walk in the dry creek bed for an extended period of time but that never happened. So we really wondered why more people don't do this wonderful loop  . Of course, it's much easier without the water but probably not near as much fun as it would be with water  .
Just before breaking for lunch, we noticed some hikers as they made their way up Battleship so I zoomed in for some photos and movies. It was pretty cool. They seem to get up that part pretty fast. We had our lunch at a confluence of some sort. I'm thinking maybe Needles Canyon due to the cool rock structure above to the east but I'm not sure. There was also some autumn-colored cottonwood trees in this area so that was quite nice. 
Here when you get across the creek is where you will encounter a bit of a bushwhack to get out (It is marked by a large cairn or two). I kept the camera rolling as we  through. Not too far from here we encountered a hiker who was heading back. We inquired as to why since it would be nicer to complete the Loop. He didn't have a map so really didn't know about that. He was initially going to hike the Battleship based on the instructions he had from HAZ but he missed a turn or something. Anyway we persuaded him to keep going and I let him lead.
I tell ya, about the moment I let him lead, we got off route. We were just at the end of Boulder Canyon and of course, got to talking. I'm thinking this guy is probably a good hiker but it should have dawned on me if he couldn't follow the instructions to Battleship , how was he going to follow a cairned route ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") . Fortunately, with 3 of us searching and me having a slight idea of where the trail went, we eventually hooked up with it. He parted company at the Black Mesa Loop. Brian and I continued on the Lost Dutchman. (Frank has a big hike coming up in Guatemala so we wished him well. He is a HAZ member.)
Before finding the Lost Dutchman, we were treated to an incredibly beautiful vista with Bluff Spring Mountain, Palomino Mountain and Weavers Needle. It was just wonderful and presented the perfect "Panasonic moment". We had cloud cover the rest of the way which was nice as it made the trek that much more pleasant.
I told Brian Parker Pass would be one of the easiest passes he'd ever climb and he agreed. We were surprised at how many backpackers were just coming in (around 3PM). A couple couples were headed to Charlebois and the group of boy scouts leader didnt' know what the camping area was called where they were going; some of his troop already looked a little tired.
It was a great hike and a nice re-introduction to the Supes for Brian as we circled a very large area with great views and great company.
Video on Second Water: http://youtu.be/FqLCxlAmOVQ
Video on Second Water and start of Boulder: http://youtu.be/SpranoULqOo
Video on Boulder Canyon: http://youtu.be/P7rPCaqSwOQ
Video on Lost Dutchman: 11-24-2011 is being re-loaded as I was trying a couple different modes so will go back to the way I normally load them. 11-25-2011 now loaded: http://youtu.be/3eZlM0JDZFk |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
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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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