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| Hiking | 4.00 Miles |
1,076 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.00 Miles | 1 Hour 57 Mns | | 2.05 mph |
| 1,076 ft AEG | | 5 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Since my first hike of 2017 would probably be the wettest of the year I figured something close and short was in order. So I decided to check out the deep wash just north of Usery Mountain that we'd seen when Tracey and I were in the area three weeks ago.
I began the hike on the mountain bike trail heading west from Usery Pass Road and made it about a half-mile before it began a light misting of rain. By time I left the bike trail and began ascending the ridge it was a light but steady drizzle. As I looked south across the drainage I saw seven of the wild 'Salt River Horses' on the next ridge. I had my waterproof Olympus TG-3 which only has a 4x zoom so I didn't expect a good shot of the horses but I took it anyway.
As I reached the high point and prepared to descend into the deep wash a heavier rain squall moved in so it was time to put my glasses away. I followed a series of wild horse and smaller game trails down the steep slope until I reached the wash. From there I and proceeded to follow it to the north.
To begin with the wash was very narrow, sometimes it was flat and sandy, other times it was brush-choked so I took a few short by-passes. A bit farther out I dropped through a couple pour-offs, but eventually it opened up into a wide sandy wash.
At that point I turned eastward following wild horse trails off-and-on as I crossed over hill & dale toward the bike trail. About halfway across I came upon four Javelina but they were gone so fast I barely got the camera out and ready to shoot. So I put the camera away and continued on. And wouldn't you know it, that's when I came face-to-face with a lone Javelina, which sounded like a dog's bark when it snorted, wheeled around and took off. I was a little faster with the camera but with a very slow 4x zoom I didn't expect much.
And that was it for drama as the rest of the hike was simply a walk in the rain. By time I got back to the Jeep I was soaked through and through. Although I wore rain jacket, I made the mistake of wearing a long-sleeve undershirt which kept me so warm that I was sweating constantly throughout the hike so I was soaked with sweat through-and-through. Even though I wore my new waterproof Merrell's my feet were soaked from sweat wicking down through my socks.
So much for staying dry. But no matter, it was fun checking out an area I'd thought about since I'd first climbed Usery Mountain over three years ago. It was about time! |
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Route Editor
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