| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 9.66 Miles |
2,279 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.66 Miles | 5 Hrs 25 Mns | | 1.78 mph |
| 2,279 ft AEG | | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Been planning this hike for about 18 months. Never quite got around to it. So, when things began heating up early in the week, decided to do this rather than something at a lower elevation. Then it cooled down. 76° worth of global warming for three straight days.  Oh well, I had decided to go north, so I did, picking up Rockadoodledude along the way.
I had scouted out the ridge, from the jeep trail at its base, last August ( http://hikearizona.com/photoset=26425 ). I had measured it at about 8.0 miles and 800 feet. (Now realizing that the "800" was elevation difference from high to low, not gain.  ) Turned out to be about 3x that in AEG -- plus an extra 1.5 miles, but that was expected due to wandering and exploring. 
As I predicted from other hikes in the area, at lower elevations, brush was not a factor. The first half up Stewart Ridge was through a burn area, and the second two miles, to the summit, was in mixed pine and what I call "scrub oak" (the shrub with 1/2 x 1" leaves with tiny pricklers along the edge, but which don't hurt when you get caught on them). Very little catclaw, and only scattered prickly pear.
Great 360° view of Gila County from the summit, which was marked by a shelter of recent vintage. The summit registry was well-protected, and quite extensive, dating back to 1987. (With room for years to come.) Seems like someone gets up there, and bothers to log in, once every month or so. I neglected to check for Bob Packard. 
I had led the way up, and Mike led the way down. We got to the cul-de-sac at the end of the jeep trail, and started back. I had not had any pace problems to that point, but going up a steep, switch-backed, 250-foot climb -- of all things! -- had me sucking wind. It was my first hike at altitude in six months. (That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.) I took it a little easier after that, on the rather rocky jeep trail. We took a quick snack break at Tank 1, which had a fair amount of water, then cruised the final mile back to the Phoenix St. trailhead.
-----
Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5TV2RW4oI ... autoplay=1 |
| _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
