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| Hiking | 9.24 Miles |
2,037 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.24 Miles | 4 Hrs 11 Mns | | 2.36 mph |
| 2,037 ft AEG | 16 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | | This was my 2nd PATS area loop of the day and much more pleasant than the first. A whole lot more seclusion and excellent views. I was attempting to follow Kingsnakes's route and just knew to follow the ridgeline down as I decided to do this loop CCW and bag Gibson Peak first. The first few miles are well defined trails/jeep road and it flew by quickly. Shortly before Tank 1 I encountered a lone elk who ran off the trail and into the brush to watch me go by. Both tanks had water. It was 90° when started up exposed side of Gibson where the hike became off-trail and I starting wishing I had a little cloud cover. The views up to this point had been fairly good and only got better once atop Gibson Peak where I stopped for a hydration break and signed the register. Quite a few interesting items in the summit box. Couldn't really see Roosevelt today but Mt Ord, the Mogollon Rim, Sierra Ancha and Mazzies all came into view. The trip down Stewart Ridge was not particularly enjoyable due to the thick brush. I chose to go around hill 5724 and went low, a decision that I paid dearly for. I ended up shredding my legs, wearing cactus needles, tearing holes in my clothing and I went home with pockets full of leaves and twigs. I would've stepped on a baby whitetail deer had it not darted out from the bush it was shading under. It had to have heard me coming but waitied until the last second, probably hoping I would just go around. Reaching the burn area was a reprive from the brush but I was back in the sun again and would be the remainder of the trek as I made my way down the ridgeline and over the hills. Great hike despite the sunburn and thick brush. |
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| If there is no struggle, there is no progress. |
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