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| Hiking | 3.50 Miles |
1,111 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.50 Miles | 2 Hrs 27 Mns | | 1.72 mph |
| 1,111 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | 8 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | The plan for the day was just to explore mines along FR 463 but as usual it turned into much more. I'll limit this triplog to the hike up Edwards Peak.
With the road conditions so good I got to the Edwards Park area just after 1 pm. With so much time left in the day and seeking a peak I hadn't climbed not far away the natural thing seemed to climb it. But being prepared for mine exploration it took a little time to get into to hike mode.
In that time three men dressed like hunters on an ATV pulled up. Initially we exchanged pleasantries but soon the questions I was asked prompted me to think something other that hunting brought them out here. Eventually one of the guys pulled out his DPS ID and said they were on the lookout for illegals, marijuana growers and meth labs. It seems there is such a proliferation of the activities all over the state that they are actively seeking help from all law-abiding citizens and off-trail hikers in particular. If we (hikers) notice any activities that seem out-of-place they asked us to call their anonymous hot line with the information, including the GPS coordinates. One specific thing to look for are small diameter PVC pipes, since they are being used to pipe water sometimes as much as a mile from a spring. Coordinates to an active lab/mj farm may bring a reward of up to $1,000.
While we were chatting, they were glassing the area around us and spotted first a pair of whitetail deer and a few minutes later a pair of bull elk in the area I planned on hiking in my loop to Edwards Peak. After bidding farewells I set off on my loop hike. I didn't expect the deer or elk would be anywhere nearby when I got there and while it was true of the elk I did catch up to the deer, getting a few photos and a few snippets of video. What I did find of the elk were fresh droppings and some pretty large hoof prints.
From that point on there was no drama at all, just a hike up hill and over dale until the climb up Edwards Peak, which was the easiest climbing I've done in months thanks to the relatively mild terrain. There were plenty of views of Four Peaks as well as Roosevelt Lake along the whole route so I took plenty of opportunities for photos. I found a large cairn on the summit but no summit log so I only spent a few moments at the top before planning out my route back to the car. On the hike back I found plenty of evidence of deer and elk but did not see any more.
Pretty easy hike to bag a relatively easy peak with plenty of great views.
I posted 50 photos on HAZ, the full set of 95 are here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=51 |
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