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| Hiking | 9.55 Miles |
836 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.55 Miles | 3 Hrs 56 Mns | | 2.43 mph |
| 836 ft AEG | | | | |
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| Partners |
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none
[ show ]
| no partners | | With temperatures soaring in Phoenix, I headed north to the Mogollon Rim. At 7500 ft., the Rim is 500 ft. higher than even Flagstaff. At 62°, and breezy, it was twenty cooler than Phoenix when I started hiking at 8:30 a.m.
Before I started hiking, my wife and I checked out the General Springs Cabin. (I parked just across FR 705, so she could check it out as well.) Despite being maintained for “your heritage”, no one is actually allowed to use it, and it is full of rat  . And probably hantavirus.
The General Springs Canyon creek was spotted with small pools, but had minimal flow. For some reason, there is a metal tube fence around the creek for a few hundred yards north of General Springs Cabin. 
On my way north, I heard a helicopter. It was probably dipping at Blue Ridge Reservoir to fight the still smoldering 16,000 acre Tinder Fire.
At Fred Haught Spring, the Cabin Loop continues north. I turned south towards Fred Haught Cabin.
Just as I entered the wash, I spotted a couple of backpacks nestled under the shelf, out of sight of the trail. I figured it was for the folks I saw sign in the trail register the day before me, and a minute later I saw them emerge from the woods with their two dogs. (One friendly, the other a bit wary.) We chatted for a minute, them mentioning Fred Haught Canyon gets pretty congested above his cabin. I replied that I like beating brush. (A bit of a stretch, but that is what I was there for.  )
As I headed south up Fred Haught Canyon, it definitely tightened up, but never to the extant of East Miller Canyon. There were more pools, but still nothing one could wade in. Most obstacles were easily avoided. The only slight delay was caused by a 15 ft. pour. Younger, more agile, hikers could scramble up it’s slippery face, but it took me a few minutes to figure a safer old guy way around it. 
I took two short breaks in Fred Haught Canyon, munching gorp and my usual salt & vinegar ships. The difference in air pressure from Phoenix had the unopened chip near to bursting. Both breaks, I sat up against a pine tree, and watched the tree tops rustle in the breeze. I could have spent hours sitting there, but my wife was expecting me back at General Springs Cabin.
When I got to the Mogollon Rim, the wind was howling. I guessed at least 60 mph, and I was not wrong. (I checked the weather after I got home and winds all across northern Arizona were over 50 mph.) The canyon really focused and accelerated the wind as it blew up slope from Washington Park. It was so windy, I couldn’t hold my camera steady and was nearly blown off my feet. No lie.
Back at General Springs, I kissed my wife, rehydrated, and then we headed back to AZ-87. Since it was mid-afternoon, we decided to stop at the first restaurant we saw in Strawberry. It turned out to be “Bandits”, a year old western-themed joint. The burgers were good and the coleslaw excellent. 
Hiking Video: [ youtube video ] |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
95% of the blooms I saw were dandelions. Maybe a dozen species. Almost all in General Springs Canyon; almost none in Fred Haught Canyon. |
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Fred Haught Canyon |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Multiple small pools. Enough to fill up, but not to wade in. | | _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
. And probably hantavirus.
)
