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| Hiking | 12.52 Miles |
692 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.52 Miles | 7 Hrs 42 Mns | | 1.78 mph |
| 692 ft AEG | 40 Mns Break | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Dead Men's Canyon
With the promise of another absolutely perfect Arizona day, it was time for me to hit the Superstition trails again. While working the First Water TH as a Volunteer with the US Forest Service, I'm often asked questions about many of the little known trails that branch off the regular maintained ones. Another such trail branches off the Black Mesa trail alongside Yellow Peak where the bodies of the three men from Utah were discovered in January of 2011 (Details: http://superstition-sar.org/articles.php?id=20110228 ) After checking online, old maps and even Louis Ruiz at the Bluebird Mine Store, I was unable to come up with a name for this canyon so I am just referring to it as Dead Men's Canyon and Creek.
I signed the log and left the Trailhead before sunrise, even using my flashlight in the pre-dawn to locate the Dutchman's Trail as it winds along the First Water Creek. I made good time, by arriving at Parker's Pass before the sun was breaking over the still dark outline of Palomino Mountain, even entering what I call "Signpost Valley" where the turn-off to Black Mesa Trail came into view.
After pausing to take a couple of snapshots, it was off onto the Black Mesa Trail and crossing the broad expanse of the very dry West Boulder Creek. I ascended the steep portion of the trail heading in the direction of Garden Valley until I arrived at the dry wash descending from the trail into the unnamed canyon passing alongside the Western flank of Yellow Peak.
There are some great views to the North from here and Yellow Peak completely blocked out the rising sun as I made my way down the creek bed. The wash is just wide enough to be useful for hiking as the brush alongside the creek is green and healthy with the Catsclaw reaching out to grab exposed skin and clothing  At one point I took a break from the boulder hopping and noticed something shiny reflecting the sun a short distance up the Western hillside. Upon investigating further, I found an old claim marker (33 deg 28.669 X 111 deg 24.295) with three beer cans nailed onto the top sides  and less than 100 yards away (33 deg 28.700 X 111 deg 24.331) I found a second aging pole well planted into the rocky surface.
I wasn't aware how far up the slope I had traveled until I began working my way back down to the wash again. Lots of tripping hazards and narrow gashes in the rock surface made for slow going but eventually I arrived at the wash in a nice flat area where I looked for signs of any foundations. No signs of a camp or even a fire ring in this area kinda surprised me since it would make a good central location for prospectors to operate from.
Back to the boulder hopping, I continued slowly down the wash jumping from rock-to-rock wishing there was room alongside the creek for a trail to make life easier. Occasionally I would find a smooth section where the eons of water erosion had carved unique patterns into the ancient volcanic rock base even leaving deep pools that still held dark stagnant water.
Around the half way point, the canyon walls rose straight up and made sharp turns to the right and left, almost like a mini version of La Barge lower box, a very scenic area to be in  A bit further down, I came across a collection of bones.... nope, not human, scattered among the rocks..... Time to look around to see if anything's following me 
Finally as I rounded one of the sharp bends, there it was, Battleship Mountain sitting perkly in the sun straight ahead. The wash widened out now leaving plenty of room for the brush to close-in but still a long way off to Boulder Creek. Larger boulders, larger pools and narrow canyons dot the final 1/2 mile of wash but eventually give way to the expanse of Boulder Canyon  Now I could follow the marked cairns and trails.
I was mildly surprised to find water flowing in Boulder Creek, with pools of clear water where I could finally wash off the blood that had accumulated from brushing against the Catsclaw. I hadn't come across another person so far in my travels but that ended as I climbed the banks at Second Water signpost, meeting a group of four who were coming from Canyon Lake.
Now it was climb up the endless rock strewn trail leading up to Garden Valley where the trail finally flattened out again. While walking through, I investigated a couple of areas that lie well off the Second Water Trail where someone is sifting through the dirt in an effort to find early Indian artifacts. There are piles of broken pottery sherds, an obvious sigh that the searcher is looking for something more valuable than pottery.
The Forest Service has been aware of this illegal operation for some time now and we keep monitoring the area for signs of recent work. I would request that anyone noticing anything suspicious within the Garden Valley area, please report it to the Mesa Forest Service Office or one of the Volunteers that are at the trailhead.
It was a warm one today as I signed out on the logbook around 2:00 pm and looking for that "cool one" that's been waiting in my truck Oh Yeah.....Gotta Love the Superstitions
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| On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip. |
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Route Editor
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