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| Trio of Peaks - Goldfield Mountains, AZ | |
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| | Trio of Peaks - Goldfield Mountains, AZ | | | |
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Trio of Peaks - Goldfield Mountains, AZ
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| Hiking | 3.25 Miles |
1,695 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.25 Miles | 3 Hrs 50 Mns | | 0.89 mph |
| 1,695 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I have a number of hikes all planned and ready-to-go but with all the very welcome rain I postponed them due to poor road conditions. So I decided to pick something close to home. I had one climbable peak left to knock out in the Apache Junction Quadrangle so I figured I'd finish it off. Being so easy, barely a half-mile round-trip I was done with it in no time which left me with plenty of time for more hiking. So, what next?
I had cast my eyes on Peaks 3047 & 3089 just to the northeast back in September when Tracey and I climbed Peak 3134. Although neither was of 300' in prominence they were interesting enough to check out. So already being in the neighborhood (Bulldog OHV Area) now was the perfect time.
The ATV's and four-wheelers had already made a mud-hole where I planned to begin the hike from so I already had to improvise. But no matter, it just provided another area on interest smack dab in the center of a loop I had planned. So instead of a long counter-clockwise loop to follow a wash, traverse the length of a ridge to the two aforementioned peaks and back down, I headed straight and scaled the bare rock and went right up the middle. I got every bit of elevation gain as if I had taken the long way around, it just came in a much steeper manner. At the time I had no idea if I'd be cliff'ed out or not on the other side of the saddle. Thankfully the saddle not only provided some great views but there was a way down the other side.
After a quick 200' drop into the drainage I began the 1,000' climb to the ridge I had planned on traversing from well to the east. As the drainage became narrower and steeper I was getting concerned I'd be stopped by a sheer wall. I decided to start ascending the north side as it appeared to provide the best option to bypass an upcoming choke-point. I was very careful traversing a narrow ledge with plenty of exposure... between smooth rock with damp lichen/moss, loose gravel and a dose of cats-claw thrown in I had a few moments that had my heart in my throat. 
But once by that spot it was just a matter of a steep climb. The terrain had very much the same issues, at least I had more to grab onto and no single 50'+ drop.
I reached the ridge a few hundred yards northwest of Peak 3047, my first destination so it wasn't long and I was there. I'd planned to eat lunch at Peak 3089 but it was already noon so I grabbed a Balance Bar to hold me a while longer. A quick series of photos for my panorama and a video with both my Canon (like the previous replacements it now has dust behind the lens) and my GoPro 3+ and I was on my way to peak #3 for the day.
Another 200' drop to the saddle before the last 250' climb, taking only enough time to scan for a descent route when the time comes. I had mapped out a GPS route for one possibility but not being able to see how it looked yet I scanned for a back-up route, found a still-iffy option and headed off for the summit. I took time for a PB&J lunch along with the requisite photo & video panoramas and prepared for the descent. I scanned for a direct route to the south but I couldn't see past a ledge halfway down so decided to stick to my original route or my back-up.
In the end I didn't even bother to head for my mapped route (which would have worked fine if I had taken it) and followed a game trail directly down the drainage. There were a few spots I had to cross the wet wash to avoid thorny brush but as usual when following game trails, it worked out quite well. After clearing the drainage the game trail continued where I wanted to go so followed it over the last bare-rock saddle and most of the way back to the muddy Cherokee.
All in all, a nice triple-peak hike while gathering some great photos along the way. It was not only a nice reminder of how much there is to see so close to home, but I found a few more items of interest to return for.
I posted 35 photos on HAZ with the full sets on my web site as usual.
The videos are here:
Peak 2630 summit video = 1:20
Peak 3047 summit video = 1:40
Peak 3089 summit video = 1:45 |
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