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| Hiking | 9.95 Miles |
1,367 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.95 Miles | 5 Hrs 51 Mns | | 2.02 mph |
| 1,367 ft AEG | 55 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Wanted to hike after the rain. First choice was Spur Cross but when they posted the picture of the swollen creek on FB after only 1.65" of rain, I decided it would be too wet out there. The trails, after rain, turn into very heavy mud in areas.
Since I was on my own as no one wanted to come out and play  , I decided to go with something I knew. I would like to have done Miner's Needle Loop but I was worried about the road to the TH on MYTONTO Jr. so decided on the Black Mesa Loop or hike to Peralta Junction and back using the First Water Road. Unfortunately, I had the same Strength class instructor on Friday nite that I had before our Sunday Abineau Loop this fall when I hiked with inner thigh pain and today was no different as my inner thighs were in more pain than I thought when I started hiking. When will I learn ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall") ?!
Well MYTONTO Jr. kicked  on First Water Road as I really put it through the paces including passing a vehicle. I drove a lot of dirt roads back in the day and I just love the opportunity to get to drive them now; even though it's limited. I arrived at the TH to see my normal parking spot open so I zoomed right in. I saw Jack and we chatted for a moment. Always good to see him.
Finally I was on the trail around 11AM going in a counter-clockwise direction on this loop hoping that more blue than clouds would eventually appear in the sky. There was water everywhere including big puddles you had to negotiate almost the entire way of this hike I would do today. But then again I knew and expected that, it's one of the reasons I wanted to get out today! I would encounter about a dozen hikers during the whole hike as we all would be trying to avoid getting our feet wet.
There were little pools of water in many places and the little drainages were all flowing  and like Jack said in his trip report, the littlest cascade would sound like a large one. It was funny one time as I heard what I thot was a waterfall and came around the corner to see an itsy bitsy cascade that was making all that noise  . I took a lot of video along the way with lots of narration. I have some subscribers that really like that so you know I aim to please my limited audience  .
I really love hiking this trail in this direction and this was an odd time of day since I didn't start until 11. It's nice to be hiking toward the Needle as you play peek-a-boo off and on during the whole hike. As I continued hiking on the desert floor across the main creek crossing, which was dry as a bone) I spotted a blue jay? or maybe a blue bird. Then not too far from there a bright red cardinal flew by. I actually spotted him though he was quite a distance away. I took photos and videos and then he flew off when I spotted him again. There's just something special about seeing those birds out here  .
I decided since I was in some pain I would just go over to Boulder Canyon at a spot I remembered from the Loop hike I did a couple years ago and have lunch rather than go up to the Peralta Junction. There are a few pools here. I couldn't decide which way to face during my lunch break but I opted to face toward Black Top Mesa, Palomino Mountains (where I had done Aylor's Arch with John) and Weaver's Needle (where he had summited with Sirena).
After lunch I wished I could have done Boulder Canyon but it wasn't in the cards today so I headed back to the junction with Black Mesa Trail. With the recent rain, it took me a moment to determine if I was on the trail. It's been a few years since I've been on this so I only remembered parts of it. Once again you cross West Boulder which is really wide here with a couple forks. And then it's the slight climb up to some sort of saddle that I forgot about. You get a brief look at Yellow Peak before veering to the left (west). There was lots of water up here too . And then it's the slog up to the mesa where I was looking forward to seeing the cholla forest and being up top as I think it's so cool up there.
Well I'm almost to the top when the fighting of my inner thigh pain was messing with my right hip flexor; one of those OUCH moments and then several. So I finally decided to pop the ibuprofen and in 20 minutes, the hiking was now tolerable and I could enjoy the views without wincing. I found myself stopping to look many times at the saguaros and cholla and views back to the mountains behind me before I finally started heading down from the mesa. The brittle bush was blooming in this area and I could see water down in the drainage below me.
As I got closer to the main floor of the desert, I thot I might give that drainage a try when it headed west. There was a pool we had climbed to from the drainage off of the Second Water trail and when I was there last, I scoped this out. So I thot, today was as good as any to give it a go. It was a bit of a short cut afterall... well only 1/4 mile and by the time you slog thru the drainage, it would be quicker just to stay on the trail. So down I went. Of course there was water to get around and one little cliffy area and then another with some water pools. If the water hadn't been there, I would have traversed it much quicker I'm sure.
It turned into what I called  "drainage-whacking". And for awhile I thot maybe I was in a different drainage. I came to another area that involved a little downclimb. Here I was glad there wasn't more water or I would have had to go way up and around but I managed to negotiate my way down. Well that was fun  ! And soon, where it widens out again I came to.... you guessed it, the pool. I ended up exactly where I was supposed to  . How 'bout that!
There was water draining into the pool and all the way down into the drainage. There would be no getting down that today but no problem since the last time we came up here we discovered you can climb up and around (to the SE side); except this time I climbed straight up (don't know why really) and then veered left to where you wrap around the upper part of this rock outcropping and then head down to the Second Water Trail.
From here I pretty much stayed on the trail except when I went down to get a photo of the usually stagnant pool that was dropping water down a pour off. It was not much but I thot since you don't get to see flowing water from that pool it was worth it today. Oh, just before this pool the trail and water are one but you can go off to the right (west) for a little bit.
At the bottom where you cross that main drainage before heading up the hill there was a big pool of water. I saw that further down there was a pool as big as a swimming pool  or so it appeared. It was awesome. Next time after it rains, I want to go down that drainage which has been tempting me for awhile anyway. I believe this drainage eventually ends up in First Water down by Hackberry (however you can bail a lot earlier I think); there were quite a few pools of water down there.
And finally, my hiking day is done. I thot of John from time to time... remembering and smiling.
PS. ScoutII and HAZ were within .05 on the mileage this time. Don't know why but I'm pleased. Hopefully that trend will continue. 3-5-14 Let me amend this remark as Scout read 10.40, when I uploaded to Mapsource it read 10 and on HAZ it was 9.95. So I guess while I'm hiking I need to adjust each mile by about .04 give or take.
I took lots of video of course but that's me; especially when I'm by myself but you get lots of narration 
Video 1 heading toward Parker Pass: http://youtu.be/UxgV6-kNrGo
Video 2 to W Boulder Dutchman Crossing: http://youtu.be/G9bb-BTklhI
Video 3 to lunch spot at Little Boulder Canyon and then back up Black Mesa trail to view of Yellow Peak http://youtu.be/ZT0ESItkxAc
Video 4 heading for the top of Black Mesa http://youtu.be/44V95a6Kae4
Video 5 drainage-whacking with Tibber http://youtu.be/hleioRHjvuQ
Video 6 to little waterfall from pool onto Second Water Trail http://youtu.be/0mru4a2Olz0
Video 7 finishing off Second Water Trail http://youtu.be/wo9gKpWGkZw |
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Wildflowers Observation None
Spurts of Paintbrush, globemallow, blue dycks, wiry willow, brittle bush, lupine, desert marigold and one smattering of OWL CLOVER! |
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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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