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| Hiking | 13.64 Miles |
3,226 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.64 Miles | 7 Hrs 31 Mns | | 1.91 mph |
| 3,226 ft AEG | 22 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Last time I did this hike, I did the counter-clockwise path, for this one, I opted for the clockwise route.
I started in the dark from the Peralta TH and was hoping for some color in the sky by the time I reached the Fremont Saddle. I turned around to check on the dawn when I was reaching the slick rock section and I could not believe my eyes. I have seen many sunrises from this trail, all of them are amazing because of the location, but this one was a special one. Needless to say, I spend about 20 minutes taking pictures from various locations. What a treat!
I knew there would be some water along the trail because of the rains we’ve had, but I have never seen this much water up on the mountain. Mini-waterfalls all along every trail and normally dry creeks and washes were all flowing. I think we will have an excellent wildflower season this year!
I did not stop at the Fremont Saddle this time and I did not go out and see the Lone Pine either. I just kept going down the Peralta Trail. The amazing colors at sunrise gave way to a cloudy gray sky. The weather was perfect and the shot down the Peralta was excellent.
When I reached the Dutchman/Peralta junction, I decided to head up the Dutchman for a few to get a picture of my favorite cactus along the trail near Aylors’ Arch. Once I got that out of the way, back down the Dutchman trail I went. Water, water everywhere. Boulder Creek was a real river for a change! The Dutchman trail in this area is always a little wild.
As I made the turn off on the Terrapin, I was getting the awesome views of the Needle. The start of this trail was the wettest one so far and part of it was in the water. I finally saw my first humans of my hike, 9 miles in - A group of backpackers were breaking their camp. The hike up the Bluff saddle was a steep reminder I still have to go up to get back to the Trailhead. The last time I was on Terrapin, it was groomed and in awesome shape. It was a little wilder than last time, but still a nice stretch.
When I made it to Bluff Springs Trail, the creek was flowing nice as well. I came upon the signs of civilization as well. Many groups of hikers along Barks Creek and the trail all the way down to the Trailhead. I was surprised and happy to see a lot of families with kids on this trail. My hats off to the parents for starting their kids young. I remember a time when it was rare to see anyone on this trail, even in the “high season”. No longer.
As I made it down to the parking lot, I could see the traffic jams up and down the Peralta Trail. The lot was packed, of course.
I am not sure if I like the clockwise version better than the counter-clockwise version yet. Both are outstanding. All in all, an awesome day in the Superstitions! |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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