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| Mineral Creek - Pinal County, AZ | |
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| | Mineral Creek - Pinal County, AZ | | | |
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Mineral Creek - Pinal County, AZ
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| Hiking | 5.50 Miles |
573 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.50 Miles | 4 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.32 mph |
| 573 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 16 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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none
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| no partners | | My goal for the day was to map out the numerous old mining, jeep and forest service roads to find the best way in to Mineral Creek, followed by a short exploratory hike to prepare for a hike the full length of Mineral Creek maybe mid-winter or at least when it's cooler and there's more water flow.
By time I had checked out the roads I wanted to, it was already 11 am as well as hot and very humid so it just re-affirmed this would be a short hike. But as usual things didn't turn out that way. To begin with the creek bed was dry as a bone so I kept going hoping to at least see some standing water. But once I saw water, then I wanted to see more flow, and more, and more, until I found myself much farther out than planned, reaching within a mile of the riparian area just north of Ray Mine.
Between the extra distance, high temps and much higher humidity than expected, I was fully drenched from head to toe by time I turned around. The new 'better-wicking' underlayer shirt may work great when humidity is very low, but under these circumstances it held everything in like a sponge. Even my outer long-sleeve shirt for brush protection was completely soaked. So the return trip was a doozy, being hot, sweaty, worn out, and starving. (I didn't plan on being out this long) Still, I loved it... I found so many interesting things that it will take more than a few trips to check them all out.
I will post at least half of the photos on HAZ, with the full set of 59 photos here:
http://changephoenix.c...
I posted a 6-minute 30-second video of the hike highlights here:
http://changephoenix.c...
I'm working on a description for this hike, but at the moment the biggest challenge is putting directions together. I've come up with 4 different approaches depending on how far you are willing to drive as well as what vehicle you have. From East Mesa to the trailhead:
105 miles = Passenger car plus a few miles on foot.
77 miles = Stock 4x4.
72 miles = High clearance 4x4. (expect plenty of Arizona pinstripes)
65 miles = High clearance 4x4 with rear locker (front locker is highly recommended) and skid plates. (It's almost a given your vehicle WILL sustain some damage on this route... by far the toughest terrain my Samurai has ever traversed.) |
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