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| Arizona Canal - McDonald to Hayden, AZ | |
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| | Arizona Canal - McDonald to Hayden, AZ | | | |
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Arizona Canal - McDonald to Hayden, AZ
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| Hiking | 2.55 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 2.55 Miles | 1 Hour 30 Mns | | 2.51 mph |
| 29 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Inching closer to Granite Reef Dam, segment by segment. Some segments, like this one, are shorter than others. Hiked in reverse, starting at Hayden and going downstream to McDonald, all of course in Scottsdale. I have done mostly upstream, or easterly, so far. My GPS said the distance was 1.21 miles one-way. SRP says 1.19. Just 14 miles more to the canal's beginning at Granite Reef. Maybe that I'll live long enough. . . .
Highlight of this segment: The canal, for the first time in my experience, went underground in crossing Scottsdale's Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt at the Silverado Golf Course. The unseen water drops down 20' or more, then is pumped back up on the west side of the Greenbelt. There's a paved walkway / golf cart path from one side to the other.
Hiking on the west side by a large thicket, I came across a spooky area on the W bank with abandoned ramshackle houses, idle construction equipment, empty lots and, getting close to McDonald, finally ambled past the back of those New Age shops along Cattletrack Road, just to the W. Like yogalution, Tolen Nutrition, Massage Therapy, Rolfing Resources, Holistic Health Coaching and even a cabinet-maker. You can't see all the buildings from the canal. The area was so interesting that I had to drive down Cattletrack and take a closer look.
About halfway along, I found a cluster of desert willows with beautiful flowers reminiscent of ironwood's purple and white blossoms. Saw many birds but only a few waterfowl. Lots of white-winged doves and swallows, the latter skimming and even touching the water at high speed. But also a few blackbirds, mourning doves and grackles and one lonesome cormorant. Oh, and the snowy egret wading in the golf pond near the fountain. Counted only seven humans, other than golfers: one hiker, four bikers and two joggers. In all, a rather yawn of a hike. |
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Route Editor
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