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| Hiking | 0.30 Miles |
257 AEG |
| | Hiking | 0.30 Miles | | | |
| 257 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Note: I have a smudge inside my camera lens, so the right-side of most images is a little blurry.
My first stop in my "tour of the Galiuros" was Kennedy Peak. I drove in the night before my hike and camped near the Deer Creek trailhead. I was surprised to see 3 other groups in the area (all hunters - I was the only hiker), so I had to spend a little time searching in the dark for a spot to camp. After a good night's sleep, my dog and I drove to the trailhead and began our hike.
Previously, I have done a 4-day backpack out of Deer Creek to Powers Garden. And I've done another 4-day backpack to Powers Garden through the North end of Rattlesnake Canyon. So I knew a little about what to expect on this trail. I had my topo maps and a route planned out, but was prepared for some vague-ness. The first mile of trail is pretty easy and well-marked, but then I came to an intersection with a sign. It pointed to Kennedy Peak, so I followed the trail. For the next couple miles, the trail would sometimes be right on target with where my map said trail existed. And sometimes I would be several hundred feet off where the trail was supposed to be. The trail was usually pretty easy to follow.
Once I made my way to the main small canyon (where the trail begins to get a lot steeper), the trail matched up quite well with my map. Hiking through the burned areas posed some small challenges: mostly stepping over downed trees and some occasional hunting for the trail after a creek bed crossing. Nothing too serious, in my opinion. The hike up to the ridgeline is quite steep and it always seems like you are *just* about there. But then you realize you still have more to climb. Eventually, we made it to the top of the ridgeline. From there, we turned left and began the last bit of hiking to get to Kennedy Peak. The trail along the ridgeline was easy to find and passed through burnt and unburnt areas.
The last bit of hiking to get to Kennedy Peak was the most challenging for me. I could not find where the trail to the summit left the ridgeline trail (hint: it was where the old sign on the ground lies). Once you find the trail, it is easiest to just make sure you stay on it. As they say in navigation, "stay found" and it is not so bad. A little climbing over downed trees was required. My dog was no help in finding the trail here. Upon reaching the peak, I enjoyed a celebratory lunch and took a bunch of pictures. I find more and more that "peak" photos simply don't capture the grandeur of the view. Everything seems much smaller and less spectacular than I remember it. Maybe I need a better camera or the photography skills to capture a better picture?
The hike down was uneventful and took me about 3 hours. Finding the trail on the way down was much easier than on the way up. Towards the end, it was getting quite hot and windy. We would see no one else the entire hike. I will note that wildlife was pretty minimal. I saw 2 deer, 1 lizard, and a bird.
I would love to come back here and backpack more of the East Divide Trail. I think water availability is the only thing holding me back.
Also of note is the road into Deer Creek. It actually seemed better than I remember. Even the part of the road that crosses the initial wash was smoothed over and packed down hard. I would say that, with some caution and slow going, your average passenger car could make it to the trailhead. That opinion could change, however, if you're going when it's wet. |
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