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| Bronco Butte and Horse Mesa, AZ | |
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| | Bronco Butte and Horse Mesa, AZ | | | |
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Bronco Butte and Horse Mesa, AZ
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| Hiking | 15.45 Miles |
4,753 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.45 Miles | 10 Hrs 10 Mns | | 1.67 mph |
| 4,753 ft AEG | 56 Mns Break | 14 LBS Pack | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | This one has been in the Draft stage for quite awhile. The entire hike is exposed (ie no cover), so I wanted to do it while it was cooler. What the heck, throw in some clouds too, why not some wind, rain, thunder and lightning for fun also!
We were shocked that there was someone parked at little used TH for Bronco Butte when we arrived and wondered if we'd run into this person on the day.
This is a steady climb all the way to Bronco Butte, with the steepest during the initial 1.5 mile ascent. It's a short scramble to the top of 4349 and well worth the effort. We only stayed for a moment and got down and out of the wind.
At the towers there is an expansion project going on. There were 180+ freshly delivered solar panels and hardware, ready to be installed.
From here to the far NW peak 4025 on Horse Mesa, is only 3+ miles and under 1000' of AEG, but is slow going. You have to watch every step up here, dodging rocks, hedgehog, prickly pear and agave. It is so worth it to be able to soak in the views from the rim of the mesa. Video  [ youtube video ]
Apache Lake, The southern most Mazatzal's including, Four Peaks, and the Painted Cliffs. Joe even pointed out Skeleton Cave.... A couple of times...
(we're still looking for it)
We kicked up a couple of Bucks on the way across and also ran into a bow hunter looking for said Bucks.
At 4025 we took an abbreviated lunch so we could get moving and warm up again. We were greeted to an appearance of the sun on the way back across the Mesa and also rainbows galore. Our shortcut route worked out perfectly, luckily hitting one of the few routes into and out of the drainage.
We finished the last hour in the rain.
Memorable hike for sure... |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
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