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| Fountain Hills McDowell Mntn Preserve, AZ | | -
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| | Fountain Hills McDowell Mntn Preserve, AZ | | | |
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Fountain Hills McDowell Mntn Preserve, AZ
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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
1,969 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | 4 Hrs 42 Mns | | 2.83 mph |
| 1,969 ft AEG | 1 Hour 10 Mns Break | 18 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | A friend of mine is hiking the Grand Canyon soon, and to get ready he's hiking alot around Phoenix prior to going up north. I kept him company on this ten mile hike. He wanted to stay "close-to-home" on this one so we hiked in the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve. The start was from Fountain Hill's Golden Eagle Trailhead parking, and from there we made our way to the Dixie Mine trail.
From the Dixie Mine trail we took the Sonoran Trail, and started aiming at the foot of Peak 3804, which is 3 peaks southeast of Thompson Pk. The Sonoran Trail is a nice workout in itself as it meanders up ridgelines and down washes many, many times until it reaches the Promenade Trail. I'm always surprised at how much total ascent there is on this short trail.
The Fountain Hills trail system is rather small, yet they have at least 8 or 9 rescue helipads adjacent to their trails. On the Sonoran Trail alone there are seven rescue helipads, in only a 1.2 mile stretch of its total 2.6 mile length. Those seven helipads are located on all those ridges you hike over on that 1.2 mile section.
We then hiked the Promenade Trail to its end, turned around and made the hike an out-and-back. We saw two mule deer going for a stroll. I have no photos as they wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get my camera out. They briskly went over one of those ridgelines, never be seen again. They must have been "Stealth" mule deer. |
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Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
J.R.R.TOLKIEN |
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