| | -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
| 1 label |  |
|
|
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 9.00 Miles |
3,313 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.00 Miles | 6 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.38 mph |
| 3,313 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | I've lived in AZ all my life and this is the first time I've hiked the peak! Drove from Queen Creek to Trailhead on Friday night. Slept in the back of the minivan, but I should have headed up the trail since it was a FULL moon! I awoke at 0500 just in time to see the moon setting over the western horizon and the camera was just out of reach (or was it that I was snug in my sleeping bag!) Ate a quick B-Fast and headed out. Reached summit in 3hrs 50min (0945) and, according to my new Heart Rate monitor, expended 4900 Cals. I was there alone, except for the dive-bombing ravens and a couple of buzzing airplanes. There was a nice, suprizingly warm, breeze blowing. Someone was nice to leave an unopened bottle of water, which I downed with my trail mix. The sky was somewhat hazy, could barely make out the South rim and Oak Creek. I started down at 10:50.
I reached the famous "7th switchback" at noon and pondered whether to attempt to locate the B-24 crash site sans GPS. I decided that I could spare one hour, so off I headed following the cairns. After 15 minutes I came across 1/2" thick armor plating and began to scan more throrougly, I 'found' an engine, lines, and exhaust manifolds (all neatly stacked) against a log. I cricled some more and found the aircraft skin. I looped around wider and found nothing more... missed the propellers and landing gear that I saw in the other descriptions before I went up there. Rather than head back to the start point, I angle SW thru the forest and came upon the trail in short order.
FUN HIKE!
Gear I took (* didnt use):
North Face Exocet Daypack
100oz Camelback bladder (I had bladder control problems... it leaked during the the first 45 minutes and soaked my toilet paper... made it tough when the Taco Bell started ringing at the top)
Sams Cajun trail mix w/ M&Ms
Dunham (NB) boots w/ Dr Scholls insert (one hot spot and one small blister)
Fleece jacket (used only on the way up)
wide brimmed hat
Mobile phone (T-Mobile had strong signal - work called me 1/2 way up!)
Canon digital camera
compact zoom binoculars
F/A kit (*)
Ipod (* - didn't want to leave it in the car, but didn't use it)
vitamins and Advil
water bottle with super-saturated Gatorade mix |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
