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| Hiking | 13.90 Miles |
3,338 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.90 Miles | 8 Hrs 12 Mns | | 2.36 mph |
| 3,338 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 18 Mns Break | 25 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | With so many short hikes lately Tracey said she was ready for something more significant. This hike did the job just fine, thank you.
We set out early enough to beat the (bog-slow) rush of snowbirds up SR88 to Tortilla Flat yet just late enough to save us the need for extra layers. We were a little surprised that for a Sunday only six vehicles were at the TH but that was ok with us. We left the TH promptly at 8 am and began the steady but moderate climb the first 3+ miles. We had gone barely a mile before I realized I failed to upload our planned GPS route. I wasn't too worried as this part of the Reavis Trail is VERY easy to follow, but I wasn't sure how well marked the turn onto the Reavis falls trail would be. All I could remember is that it headed east sometime before the Reavis Trail traversed the eastern slope of Dome Mountain, which I figured was about 4 miles out. So just after 3 miles we kept an eye out for a left turn. While the two large cairns on either side of the trail were obvious, did that mean it was the Reavis Falls trail intersection? Whether it was or not, we decided to take it, heading up the slope to the east.
Once over the ridge we were greeted by an easy cross-slope path for a while before it began to get steeper. Not far down the slope we came by an area of rocks that upon closer inspection appeared to be what was left of a ruins very similar to Circlestone. Because very little of the 'walls' were left, one needed to walk around the whole area to get a feel for the size (about 150' in diameter) and scope of it. After a quick look around we continued down the slope, now getting rockier. A short distance later Tracey noticed another low rock wall and with only a cursory inspection of the area she came up with a potsherd. She always seems to have an eye for them.
Now that we're getting into the more treacherous terrain Tracey came to the realization this wasn't a loop hike but an out-and-back hike so we would be climbing back up here later. It was rough on the knees trying to keep from falling forward all the time, but I felt it was better to face it now than later when we'd be tired. I'd much rather climb when tired... when you're already leaning over you don't have far to fall.
Oh yes, it got steeper after passing Lime Mountain. It was in that area when we met two backpackers and I asked it this was in fact the trail to the falls. They said it was and we'd reach the 'river' in about 1.2 miles then just turn right. As we descended into the creek there was a group of backpackers just breaking camp, but the 1.2 miles was right on, only we didn't expect it to take so long after we turned right. Plenty of boulder hopping and crossing back-and-forth but eventually we reached the falls. Even with our dawdling at the 'mini-Circlestone' ruins and the slow going along the creek, we made it to the falls in 3-1/2 hours.
While not a great deal of flow, it was actually a water fall. Pretty much being the slave driver this was our first break, which Tracey wasted little time in taking advantage, finding a smooth boulder to lay back on while enjoying her PB&J lunch. As usual I downed my 2 PB&J quickly and tried to get some stop action photos but wasn't very successful due to the lighting. So I settled for a 360 video of the area around the falls.
Ok, enough for the 30 minute break, it's time to hit the trail. We were able to make better time along the creek now that we were simply retracing our earlier path. As we figured, the first climb from the creek seemed brutal and my left knee was screaming for mercy all the way up. Although the temperature was barely in the 60's at this point, the afternoon sun beating on us made it feel much warmer. Thankfully there were large juniper trees scattered along the trail, providing shade on the numerous breaks we took. At what we knew would be the second-to-last shade on the climb, we laid back to enjoy the peacefulness of the scene while allowing us to catch our breath. Although it was only 10 minutes and I almost fell asleep, it felt like we'd rested an hour and was ready for the final climbing segment. Not much later we were up and over the ridge and it was just a 3+ mile cruise back to the TH.
Overall, it was a perfect day for a very physical and scenic hike. I posted 30 photos here on HAZ, the full set of 57 are here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/album.php?id=52
Video of Reavis Falls is here:
http://changephoenix.com/jpserver/web/public/file.php?id=54 |
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