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Garden Valley Loop
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mini location map2012-09-12
5 by photographer avatarRickVincent
photographer avatar
 
Garden Valley LoopPhoenix, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Hiking4.80 Miles 337 AEG
Hiking4.80 Miles
337 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
:zzz: Woke up at 4:30am and met my friend Carrie at 5am. We drove out to First Water TH and began our hike in the dark with headlamps on. One other car had already beat us to the trailhead. I noticed a couple of small white dogs near the car. We said hello to the other person, but could really only see his outline behind the bright light of his headlamp.

Carrie isn't as much of a trail runner as I am, so we just moved along at an easy 2.5mph pace :whistle: . We stowed the headlamps before the climb up to Garden Valley. The air was very thick with moisture, but fortunately it wasn't as warm as just a few days earlier.

The trail was well-saturated from the rain and as we made our way across Garden Valley, our shoes became heavy with mud :yuck: . There were a few hard-to-see slick spots that could of put us flat on the ground, but our youth and/or fantastic athletic agility kept both of us on our feet :wlift: .

The mosquitoes were biting, which was not a problem for Carrie who was prepared with long spandex tight pants and a long sleeve shirt. I, in my shorts and sleeveless shirt, was prime bait for the demon bloodsuckers :x .

One of the best parts of this hike is the descent coming out of Garden Valley. Beautiful vistas seem to be around every corner including a nice view of 4 Peaks at one point.

We soon arrived at the Hackberry spring area and stared up at the massive walls surrounding us. The water was gently flowing, and included a few 1 foot tall or smaller waterfalls that create that sound we all love to hear....aaaaahhhh! :GB:

We boulder-hopped our way down First Water creek then made our exit up past the old windmill, up the hill and back out to the road. I only slightly mentioned to Carrie that this trip took twice as long as I normally take. She felt bad :sorrry: , but I assured her that I enjoyed the easy pace and the good company. :thanx:
 Geology
 Geology [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Natural Arch
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Four Peaks
_____________________
This is my gym. I have to travel down a bumpy road to get there. There are no treadmillls, no machines, and no personal trainers. I walk..I run..I breathe the fresh air. I can go any time I want, as much as I want and there is no membership fee.
 
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RickVincent's
361 Photosets

  2013-03-24
  2013-03-15
  2013-03-12
  2013-02-20
  2013-02-10
  2012-12-28
  2012-12-24
  2012-12-15
  2012-11-22
  2012-11-03
  2012-10-27
  2012-10-14
  2012-10-13
  2012-10-07
  2012-09-25
  2012-09-23
  2012-09-22
  2012-09-12
  2012-09-09
  2012-09-01
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