Bradshaw Backcountry Photoset • MountainMatt • 2017-01-03 • HikeArizona.COM

Bradshaw Backcountry, AZ

	2017-01-03
	7 by MountainMatt

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Bradshaw Backcountry, AZ

Hiking	8.62 Miles	1,454 AEG

Hiking	8.62 Miles	3 Hrs 47 Mns		2.61 mph
	1,454 ft AEG	29 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

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Knowing how much water is in the Bradshaws right now I wanted to take advantage of that and ventured to check out an area of great interest. This was supposed to be a quick but eventful exploration into a few particular areas inside Dead Cow Gulch but a late start and a change of the proposed initial trailhead made for different plans.
Unless you drive a Skatchkins type of 4x4 rig then it's way faster to park and walk along the very rough FR 101 instead of driving.
My original plan was to start right at the confluence of Poland and Turkey Creek but I ended up starting at the remains of the old Grey Goose mine which tacked on nearly 3 miles of unexpected and unwanted road walking.

Once finally at the confluence I scanned the very wide flooded creek bed for a weakpoint which there was virtually none since it was flowing with such power. It was knee deep and a rumbling crossing but I managed to make it across without falling but just barely though, trekking poles would certainly be a nice addition to my gear for situations like this. Instead of facing multiple crossing following the underwater road I decided to hump it cross country straight towards DCG.
It's some rough country out there trying to make progress off trail, the vegetation is choked with thick catclaw, cactus and many other unfriendly plants. Due to the immense amounts of scratches on my arms I've had customers ask me all week at work if I own a cat and I respond with "No I do not but have you ever heard of catclaw the plant?"

After a very rough mile or so the remains of the old R & H mine came into sight along with the distant thunder of Black Canyon Creek.

Upon reaching the mine and old homesteads I made the tough call to call it quits and decided not to proceed further as I didn't really want to do a 5-6 mile hike back in the dark alone in unfamiliar area. I had a beer break and checked out the creepy old houses as I made sure Uncle Jim Bob from the hills have eyes didn't come out of the bushes and eat me for supper for being on his property.

I did not want to face the bushwhacking route that got me here so I opted for the road walk and prepared to get wet.
Luckily I only had to cross the creek once but it was a bit of a surprise. I should have known better knowing that this creek was deceivingly deep. What looked like a rare mellow spot to cross ended up being a waist deep plunge into the cold creek, I'm so glad I decided to put my phone in my pack at the very last minute.
From there I had a very squishy and uncomfortable hike back to my SUV as my heavy cargo pants were soaked with water.
I just put my head down and cranked out a steady and fast pace I was aiming to make to it to my SUV with time to drive to another nearby place of intrigue which most certainly was worth the visit!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Holiday Spirit Truck Remains/Wreckage

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Black Canyon Creek Poland Creek R and H Mine Turkey Creek

	Barrel Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	I'd say that this spring is really pumping some reliable water along with rain and snowmelt because when I crossed this drainage it was flowing like a steady stream with numerous scenic cascades.

	Bill Arp Creek	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	Surprisingly barely trickling around the R & H mine area.

	Bill Arp Mine Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Spring seemed to be trickling a decent amount of water to make it flow just below the spring but other than that the creek bed was just sporadic little pools.

	Poland Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	At about 50 feet wide and knee deep Poland Creek is really flowing with excellent force right about now.

	Turkey Creek	Heavy flow	Heavy flow
	Flashed over with brown water and strong current at ankle deep depth Turkey Creek was really pumping some water for its size.

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