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| Hiking | 4.50 Miles |
1,049 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.50 Miles | 4 Hrs 54 Mns | | 1.91 mph |
| 1,049 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 33 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Two weeks ago I hiked parts of the Little Four Peaks trail system but, due to time constraints, never did make it to the highest peak. Kelly (trekkin gecko) has had this on her hit list for some time now so she and Angela (tibber) wanted me to do it again with them. Angela had a family emergency and had to cancel but Kelly convinced Preston (kingsnake) and Larry (Oregon Hiker) to come along and hit the major peaks.
Start time was a cool 9:00 but the steep slope had us shedding layers in no time. We opted to to the posted route CCW and head right up to the peaks. Once we got to the rock climbing section of the upper portions I bailed and photographed the three of them as they hit the peaks. The outer peak was a rock climb that was right up Kelly's level, but not to the liking of Preston and Larry, so they stayed back as Kelly did a solo rock climb. I went ahead and hit the summit.
The views from the summit are second to none in this part of the Superstitions. It's fantastic to stand in one spot and do a 360 just taking in the views from all compass points. Four Peaks (the big one) was whitish from the previous day's rain/snow and had a layer of clouds lingering just below the peaks. The Superstitions were cloaked in a layer of haze, also from the previous weather, so were not very photogenic. The Willows and Cottonwoods down in First Water Creek are finally turning to shades of yellow for a late autumn showing. Although we couldn't see it, Saguaro Lake was visible only as a fog bank beyond the Goldfield Mountains, while Canyon Lake shimmered in the late morning sunlight.
The four of us stayed on the summit for a long time admiring the scenery all around us and identifying the various mountains that were showing off. The more distant mountains to the North were covered with a new layer of snow on their peaks and stood out against the darker base layers. We toured around the upper peaks as Kelly and Larry ascended another of the lesser peaks, then we headed back to the parking lot. The day was still young so we opted to hit a 4X4 trail (1817) that showed as Apache Gap on the map.
It was a relief to be off the steep slopes and walking a Jeep trail through some scenic portions of the Goldfield Mountains. We followed the trail to it's end then did some exploring around for future hikes in the area. Kelly had to head back home so the three of us stopped at the Bluebird Mine Store to cool our heels and enjoy a cold beverage  It was a pleasure to get out again with Larry, Preston and Kelly for a fun day with lots of scenery on some little used trails.
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
The Willows and Cottonwoods down in First Water Creek are finally beginning to come into their Autumn colors. |
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| On every trip into the Superstitions, I find another Gold Mine. Today the mine was filled with Memories. I can not wait for the next trip. |
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