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| Hiking | 35.60 Miles |
2,734 AEG |
| | Hiking | 35.60 Miles | 4 Hrs 14 Mns | | 13.02 mph |
| 2,734 ft AEG | 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Northbound: Snowbowl to FR 418 triplog written 7-11-2013. What a great Plan B this turned out to be  . Plan A involved Philomena Springs; it would have been dicey for our group to make it up there so Tracy and Shawn came up with this gem for arizonahikers.com HOTM. A few of us decided to make a day hike out of it while a few others camped just off the 418 therefore allowing us to set up a shuttle. Thx to Shawn and Michelle for helping in that process.
We were a tad late getting to the TH and we apologize. Once on the trail, it was already a great day as we weaved in and out of the grassland and the forest and the aspen areas. And of course, it was pretty much all down hill  ; can't go too wrong with that and the grade was pleasant. We were delighted at the aspen groves we would pass through as well as the forest. There was a smattering of lupine from time to time too.
Coming out of one of the aspen groves, to your right (east) I noticed a lonesome sign in the distance. Shawn decided to check it out and we all eventually meandered up there to see old fence posts at the corner of the grove and what seemed like a makeshift bench. As we got ready to leave we also noticed some interesting carving on a couple of the trees.
But what was most fascinating  is that the aspen grove was lined up as in a box and we noticed that the fence posts followed the straight lines of the aspen running east west as we made our way back to the trail. There must be a story here as if the aspen were fenced in. I later saw that this is the route Joe and Bruce took up to Philomena Springs and Humphrey's Summit this very same day.
There were quite a few bikers on the trail coming and going. The temp would warm slightly as the humidity rose but nothing the least bit uncomfortable for our moderate pace. Shawn would share some of his AZT hike experience he had when coming through. We continued on the lower plains and in and out of forest. Rain was threatening and I did pull out the chrome dome off and on. In one of the forested areas, Shawn found a couple nice logs to sit on for early lunch time. Later on in the hike we found this totally cool log that all of us could sit and bounce on. It was fun!  Yes, I'm easily amused  .
We continued on thru some more forest with some sweet grassy areas below until we came to the Piece de Resistance, a beautiful aspen forest shooting out of a green base of ferns sprinkled with lupine, OH MY!  Ambika and me lingered here for a bit trying to find the perfect photograph to convey the beauty of this place. It certainly seemed magical for the moment under cloudy skies.
At the end of our hike, Shawn and Tracy shared some watermelon and yes, it does go good with beer . We chatted until the thunder and lightning and then rain came down. Seemed like time to head back to Snowbowl. Arriving at Snowbowl it was a chilly 72 degrees; not that I was complaining.
Here are a few videos from our wonderful day on the trail:
from Snowbowl; a bit of Aspen Loop and Arizona Trail 34 - [ youtube video ] ...
hike on AZT34 toward FR 418 - [ youtube video ] ...
completion of the hike on AZT34 including the incredible aspen forest - [ youtube video ] ... |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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