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| Hiking | 9.74 Miles |
2,714 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.74 Miles | 7 Hrs 31 Mns | | 1.66 mph |
| 2,714 ft AEG | 1 Hour 40 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | After catching up on some much needed rest, it wasn’t until almost 10 AM that Peter and I finished breakfast, harvested water, [which was nearly four tenths of a mile one-way back up the drainage leading to Mazatzal Peak], and were ready to launch for some day hiking before heading back to the TH. We decided to continue up the Barnhardt Trail toward Deadman Falls, [the area we had originally planned to reach and set up camp Saturday night].
We turned back at an arbitrary point, [determined by when we wanted to arrive back at the TH], which ended up being a short ways past the intersection with the Arizona Trail and just under 2 miles from our camp. On the way back to camp, Peter had the idea of bushwhacking over a few ridges, ‘as-the-crow-flies’ style. It was very easy bushwhacking and definitely more fun than staying on the trail; though we were both surprised to find that it cut off less than two-tenths of a mile.
After arriving back at our camp spot, we took a 5 minute break, packed up our stuff, and headed off down the Barnhardt Trail. Peter LOVED the Mazatzals, [as I knew he would], and was already making plans for a backpack/rappelling trip there for March of 2017. Meanwhile, I could not stop thinking about the short term: what final peak(s) would I knock off next weekend? It’s always hard leaving the wilderness, especially after an amazing trip like the one we had. This time however, [with just one weekend remaining before I will be unable to hike/backpack for 6 straight weeks], the trek down the beautiful Barnhardt Trail was kind of bittersweet.
The highlight of our trip back occurred while taking a quick stop to check out some small waterfalls/pools right along the Barnhardt Trail. Curious to see what the lay ahead toward the cliff-like crevice behind the smaller waterfalls/pools, I took a few extra seconds to boulder-hop my way up and around the corner. The reward was a HUGE waterfall, almost as magnificent as the one at the upper end of the drainage we’d taken the previous day to Mazatzal Peak. I was very thankful Peter wanted to stop to check out the smaller waterfalls/pools, [cuz had I been solo, I would’ve gone right on by]; I bet he was equally thankful that I demanded he boulder-hop up and around the corner for the spectacular view of the large waterfall. |
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| God save the Prom Queen, cuz [reality check!] AEG's King...! |
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