Woke up early this morning to scope for water at Dripping Springs before our 5 day backpacking trip in two weeks. I left the house about 4am and reached the Queen Valley turnoff about 5. When I finally got the Kia onto Hewitt Canyon I was surprised at how much worse the road was than the last time I was out here. Two years ago I drove a Corolla almost to Rogers TH before turning around. Definitely won't be doing that again!
I hit Woodbury about 6 and was on the trail shortly after. I had never done this route to Dripping Springs and was pretty surprised at how easy of a hike it was. Other than the steep climbs up the road at the beginning and end of course!
The trail started out easy to follow but shortly after the ranch house I lost it a few times and followed the creek bed. It didn't really matter though because either way it was pretty smooth sailing. It was a cool morning and I was pretty stunned by some of the views! Lots of cacti!
I ran into some water right around Musk Hog Canyon but I wouldn't have wanted to pump it because it wasn't flowing and had a nice scum on the surface. Fraser Canyon was much more promising as there were several large pools to filter and some areas were flowing lightly. I stopped for a break before turning around and had my breakfast near the Dripping Spring Beach (at least that's what I call it). Overall this looks like a good spot to work into a Superstitions loop in a few weeks. Always like to camp near water so I have more room for beer in my pack!
On my return trip I found a few sections of trail that I hadn't seen on my way in. The sun was finally coming over the mountains and that was when I realized I forgot my floppy hat... Bummer. I walked for about 15 minutes with my hand over my eyes before the sun was finally high enough to stop blinding me. Pretty sure that led to even more walking in the stream bed!
After I passed the ranch again I decided to take the road all of the way up to Woodbury rather than the trail. I thought better of that decision about halfway up as it seemed much steeper than the trail would have... Oh well, I guess it added a little variation to my trip!
I finally got to the car about 9:45 and headed back to civilization. Next week we are going to check out the Barnhardt Trail and see what the water situation is like there. Afterwards we have to decide where to go. After this morning, I really want to come back to the Superstitions!
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