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| Hiking | 6.88 Miles |
1,990 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.88 Miles | | | |
| 1,990 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | I have been thinking about heading to this area for a long time. I finally decided to head over to the Apache Trail and get this one off my list. I was joined by Pam Barnhart, a fellow hiker I have known only online prior to this hike.
The hike was originally planned to hit Black Cross Butte, then head over to Peak 3042 to get the views of the Salt River Canyon. We headed out right before 8am and made our way up to Black Cross Butte. The route was fairly easy to follow. The first section has a steep chute to tackle and then a small ridge to climb up. Getting to the top of the Butte was fairly easy. Great views of Four Peaks and the Salt River Canyon along the way.
We proceeded towards Peak 3042. The trail was easy to follow at first and was an actual trail. The trail started to diminish and it became the off-trail hike we both expected. We consulted the official gps track on Route Scout a few times for sure. When we got to the last saddle, before the dip down to the wash and final assault of the peak, we decided we did not have time or inclination to hit the second peak. It was at this point that we made a fateful decision.
Rather than follow our track back to the trailhead, we came up with the bright idea of taking a drainage down to the creek below. We both figured it would be a nice change of scenery and would make the trip back to the trailhead faster. We were WRONG on both counts….ha ha.
The drainage we took turned into a series of cliffs and we had to navigate, climb down and rock scramble to make our way down. We would cliff out, find another route, only to have that one cliff out as well. It took us the better part of 2 hours to make the 1/2 mile descent to the creek. A few scary exposed sections, lots of scree and steep slopes, and of course, loads of catclaw and other nastiness.
Once down the creek, we had a little lunch and explored a little down the canyon. We had thought about taking another route down as well, that would have ended up having a 100' waterfall cliff at the end….so, as bad as the route we picked, it would have been a “re-climb” back up from that one.
Pam thought the canyon we were in was Crucifix Canyon, and I believe that is where we were. The hike out was not the easy stroll we expected. The creek was dry as a bone, but it was very rough. Lots of boulder hopping and route finding. The scenery was spectacular. This is a hidden gem of a canyon. I will definitely head back in here again. There’s a double arch near the mouth of the canyon and I will head up to see in the future.
We ended up taking almost 9 hours to navigate the 7 miles of hiking. A crazy hike, but I am glad I was able to see this beautiful canyon. I will go back soon to tackle Peak 3042 as well. It was nice to meet you Pam, and I hope your knees are not too sore today from all that bushwhacking and rock climbing!
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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