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| Hells Hole & Boyer Trails, AZ | |
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| | Hells Hole & Boyer Trails, AZ | | | |
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Hells Hole & Boyer Trails, AZ
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| Hiking | 10.00 Miles |
2,277 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.00 Miles | 6 Hrs 24 Mns | | 1.69 mph |
| 2,277 ft AEG | 30 Mns Break | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| partners | | Day 3 of our Sierra Ancha hiking/camping trip brought a warm and sunny day so where do we hike today? We decided on starting from Reynolds TH along Young Highway but were unsure whether the destination would be Hells Hole or Peak 5940, just off Boyer Trail 148.
On the drive from our campsite near Moody TH to Reynolds TH we saw a number of wild turkeys along the road... with hunting season opening on Friday they better be hiding soon! 
Just before reaching Reynolds TH we came upon Road Closed signs and around the corner we found huge double-dump trucks, back-hoes and other construction gear blocking the way. We couldn't continue for a closer look but it appeared the highway had been washed out by the heavy rains on Tuesday. Thinking we could still park at the trailhead I drove past the barriers and turned in toward the TH but a bunch of pickups were blocking the way so I drove up to the locked gate for the group campsite. When the construction foreman came and I asked if we could park there he said to go back up the road a ways and wait until the last two dump trucks passed by then I could come back and park next to a construction shed at the TH.
Not wanting to waste time just sitting and waiting, we drove about a half-mile up the highway and parked at the first wide spot next to the road and set off cross-country to hit Hells Hole Trail 284.
Lots of ups and downs on this trail and lots of trees so there weren't too many wide views of the area. By time we reached the 148/284 trail junction it was getting pretty warm in the sun so we sat there for a moment to decide, which is it? Hells Hole or continue on the Boyer Trail?
Hells Hole meant another mile along with a thousand-foot drop along with the thousand-foot climb back out later so we opted for the flatter route along Boyer Trail.
When we reached the spot where the old trail used to go slightly SW along the lower slope of Peak 5940, again it was decision time. Instead of turning off the existing trail to ascend Peak 5940, again we opted to stick with the Boyer Trail, planning on turning back when we hit the saddle at Peak 5404. But that didn't last long... not long after the trail began to drop fast we realized we'd be going well below 5404 before climbing up to the saddle and every mile we continued meant another mile added to the return. So we turned back and found a nice cool area of flat rock and had our usual PB&J lunch and a short nap. Ahhh! That's the life!
Ok, enough rest already! If we stayed any longer we'd never want to get moving again so it was time to hit the trail again. And again it is up and down and up and down all the way back. When we reached the Hells Hole junction we had a thought of going just a little way to see what it looks like, but that's just what it was, just a thought, and a fleeting one at that.
Cruising along the last stretch of Trail 248 Tracey managed to see something of interest off to the side. It looked to be a bunker of some type so we went over to take a closer look. Since the horizontal door was unlocked, that was just an invitation to check it out.
Wow! The horizontal metal door wasn't exactly light! 
I pulled the door up vertical to have Tracey keep it in place while I checked it out but she was having none of that!
What if the door slammed shut and you can't get back out?... and with other relatively irrational what-if's. Ok, to keep her happy I reluctantly closed the door and we left it. (for another time... I'll be back alone if need be) 
Still hearing the heavy equipment working near the TH we didn't even want to see how they were progressing so again cut a bee-line back to the Cherokee.
Another relatively small photoset so I posted them all on HAZ. Again no video... maybe there will be tomorrow. |
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