Route Editor
Route Scout
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DESTINATION Fossil Creek - Mazatzal Wilderness Area 17 Photosets 2016-04-04 2016-03-30 2015-05-08 2013-06-30 2012-09-02 2011-07-18 2011-04-18 2011-03-26 2010-12-27 2010-10-31 2010-09-10 2010-06-12 2010-04-03 2008-06-24 2008-06-21 2008-04-18 2006-04-15 |
| HAZ Member MountainMatt's 530 Photosets 2016-05-26 2016-05-22 2016-05-15 2016-05-09 2016-05-07 2016-05-01 2016-04-27 2016-04-26 2016-04-22 2016-04-17 2016-04-11 2016-04-11 2016-04-04 2016-03-30 2016-03-27 2016-03-20 2016-03-16 2016-03-14 2016-03-10 2016-03-06
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I quickly let him know I had other plans for the day and that I was hiking down river, he was surprised that I wasn't going and continued on in his creeper van which I have no idea how he managed to get all the way to the end of FR 502. Anyway I started my hike on the eastern side of the Verde and tried to follow a path of least resistance which was easier said than done. The hike was a mixture of nice well traveled cattle trails but then it would turn into either scrambling alongside boulders on well defined bench sections or a hellish bushwhack through super thick vegetation! Perfect hiking weather the entire day with temps in the mid 50's and it was periodically sprinkling in the morning. I made it to the confluence of Fossil just after noon and had a big lunch and took a lot of photos of that very beautiful area! I was amazed how crystal clear the water is of Fossil Creek as it pours into the "Dirty Verde". This is technically my first time at Fossil Creek because Iv always strayed away from FC just because Iv heard how disgustingly crowded it can get which is definitely not my thing. So with that being said I did not see a soul during my entire hike and I'm not sure how strong Fossil usually runs but yesterday it was flowing with the intensity of a small river rather than a piddly creek. I ventured upstream Fossil but just as I was about 3/4 of a mile of where it converges with Hardscrabble Creek I checked the time and realized it was already 4:30 and combine that with being a little exhausted from all the bushwhacking and ankle twisting terrain I decided to throw in the flag and head back for the day. Where I stopped was a major pool area with a jaw dropping view of Ike's Saddle which I will plan my descent into the area next time, that or Stehr Lake. All in all it was a fabulous day of exploring and a managed to snap some sweet photos along the way! Even though it was only 10 miles of hiking it sure
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