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| Marsh Valley through La Barge Canyon Loop, AZ | | -
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| | Marsh Valley through La Barge Canyon Loop, AZ | | | |
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Marsh Valley through La Barge Canyon Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 13.00 Miles |
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| | Hiking | 13.00 Miles | 8 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.66 mph |
| 1 Hour Break | | |
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| Partners |
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none
[ show ]
| no partners | | I wanted to do the Marsh Valley Loop, but differently. I took the regular route last year; Second Water, Boulder Canyon, Cavalry, and Dutchman's back to First Water. This time I wanted to cross over from Boulder Canyon to the La Barge Canyon and hike southeast through the wash and connect to the Cavalry. I had never hiked through the south exit of La Barge before, therefore, my plans were flexible.
1. Hike the Cavalry connection to Dutchman's to First Water (normal loop).
2. Hike the Cavalry to Bull Pass up and over and Dutchman's to First Water ( shorter route).
3. Hike the Cavalry to Boulder Canyon to Second Water to First Water (shortest route).
Circumstances would dictate my choice.
My hiking gear included some Christmas gifts, trekking poles, an older but larger backpack, hat, heavy coat (temperatures in the 30's to begin the hike), hiking book, map, GPS, fixbit, headlamp, water, snacks, food, first aid, sunscreen, camera, phone, and notebook. Oh!, and waterproof boots; just maybe I would need those.
The beginning of the hike was routine. Second Water trail receives a lot of wear and tear as it connects to so many other trails. I left the trail head at 7:30 A.M. and hiked down to the Boulder Canyon junction, at 9:15 A.M., https://youtube.com ... i4L4 then to the cross over by 10:00 A.M. I took photos and videos, which slowed me down. The hike was pleasant, and the temperatures were rising, so I took off the coat, wrapped it, and stuffed it into my pack. (This is important for what happened later).
A month before, three of us took this same route to cross over to La Barge, then back up for the Battleship, and return to the trail head. That hike took 7 hours. On this hike, the cross over was familiar. It only took 20 minutes to reach the campsite near the entrance to the canyon. As a side note - The hike down from Canyon Lake to La Barge Canyon reaches this very same campsite. This would be my third foray into the canyon - once from Canyon lake, and twice from First Water. Oh, I forgot to mention, I received a new camera for Christmas, making the video taking easier. (The memory gets consumed too quickly with my android.) I had taken a couple of videos on the ascent and descent of the cross over, and would now shoot some in the canyon.
I need to back track for a moment. To prepare for this hike I did a lot of reading, both in Carlson's book and on the HikeAZ website, triplogs, plus a look at topos and maps, such as Beartooth. The book and the map were in my back pack. The south exit of La Barge was new to me. The map showed the wash parallel to the Cavalry trail for a while before connecting with it just prior to the junction with the Dutchman's. This would influence my route choices later. After taking several videos in the canyon I was ready to plot my course through the southeast exit.
Several factors needed to be addressed - slick wall to the east, jagged wall to the west, large pools in the center, and gigantic boulders all over the "dad gummed place". (Hoss Cartright slang). I tried the west side first. The water was keeping me from staying low so I tried climbing higher and heading south. However, it was getting steeper and I was fearful, and rightfully so my wife would say, so I turned around, went back and surveyed the east side.
The obstacles here were - the same pools of water and the slick wall sloping steeply towards " did I mention the pools" of water. Okay, so I decide to take off my back pack to make it easier to manipulate climbing and sliding along side "did I mention" the pools of water. Before I traverse this slick rock beside the pool, I decide to slide my pack gently down the slope. (merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream). Then I could cross easier, with less weight. I guess we both know where this is headed. So, I ever so slowly release the back pack and . . . S W O O O O S S S H H H ! ! ! right down into the pool it goes, gently floating, floating away, farther and farther into the water. PANIC immediately smacks me!! Help me, help me, somebody please!. . . No one comes. What else could I do? I "gently" slide down the slippery slope right into the pool (glad that I had waterproof boots). I managed to stay upright, but wallet-deep in the water, frantically waving my trekking poles ( Did I mention I got new trekking poles for Christmas?).
I hooked onto the floating pack, drawing it towards me. Of course it submerged as soon as I grabbed for it. Now I had the back pack, my two trekking poles, and had on my waterproof boots. I am standing with waterproof boots, in waist deep cold water, on a slimy, slippery rock surface, facing the wrong way! (Planes, trains, and Automobiles). Stay calm, do not fall. Turn around slowly and step towards the southeast exit. I am no longer concerned about the danger of the pools of water. Check that off the list! Now, I slowly wade up and out of the pool, making my way to more solid ground. Remember earlier that I took off my coat before entering the box canyon? It is in the back pack, soaked from the slide into the pool. My back pack now weighs twice as much and I still have to scramble up, over, around, and through some massive boulders; just to get through the southeast exit of the canyon.
I tried wringing out the coat to lighten the load. I had my android, map, and book in a bag. They were only a little wet. I cleaned the phone. It did not work, but several hours later I messed with it again and it was fine. At 11:20 A.M. I took a short 16-second video with a look back and a look forward. It was 10:45 A.M. when I reached the back side of the box canyon. A lot happened in that short span of 25 minutes. The boulders were large and difficult to navigate, especially with an extra heavy back pack. I hope to reference some you tube videos for you to visualize the aftermath. https://youtube.com ... lPCI
As I hiked farther east through the wash the number of large boulders diminished and the hiking became easier.https://youtube.com ... RP-0 But, I came to a fork and went right. It was a very nice forestry-type terrain. It reminded me of the north side of Picket Post. There was a lot of water, and fallen leaves. Soon the terrain began closing in on me (reminds me of the Jim Reeves song - "Four Walls"). I decided to back track and take the left fork. Good decision. The wash became more manageable. I decided to ascend a hill to my right (south), to figure out where I was.https://youtube.com ... 1-T4
It was about 1:00 P.M. and I had only gone 5-6 miles. Upon reaching the pass, I could see Weaver's Needle and the Marsh Valley before me. In Carlson's book "Superstition Wilderness Trails West" there is a photo on page 310. It is near the area where I came up out of the wash. After having lunch and resting a bit from my earlier ordeal, I easily bushwhacked down the southern slope and connected with the Cavalry trail at 1:15 P.M. To choose option 1 or 2, which I listed at the beginning of my triplog, I would have needed to be about a half mile farther east. I did not think I had enough time, so I chose option 3, which was to hike the Cavalry trail back to Boulder Canyon.
It sure was nice hiking on a regular trail after boulder hopping and bushwhacking for the better part of 2 1/2 hours. The scenery was gorgeous and I soon recognized the Battleship as my hike brought me closer to Boulder Canyon. I took a few photos and a couple of videos on my way to Second Water trail.
The initial ascent on the rocky trail up past Obie Stoker's camp on the left and the old Cholla road on the right was a little exhausting but I still had enough energy to safely return to the First Water trail head at 4:20 P.M. Still an hour of daylight left. Maybe I could have chosen option #2? Remember the original "Time Machine" movie? Rod Taylor had taken three books with him when he went "Back to the Future". The question was posed - "What three books would you have chosen?"
My question to you is - "Which hiking return option would you have chosen?" |
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