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| Hiking | 7.60 Miles |
2,126 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.60 Miles | 5 Hrs 8 Mns | | 1.50 mph |
| 2,126 ft AEG | 5 Mns Break | 22 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Almost every time we drove up/down AZ 288 just south of the Salt River I'd glance eastward and wonder... When will I every get around to exploring the Salt River Mountains?
I'd climbed Salt River Peak to the south in March 2015 as well as Klondike Mountain to the north in March 2017, but not having hiked any of the 3 miles in between, I figured it was time to git'er done before the worst of the heat arrives.
Due to the atrocious condition of FR 1070 I was on foot a mile sooner than expected and when I reached my planned start point I was immediately faced with much thicker vegetation than anticipated. At that point I decided to skip the plan and just go wherever conditions and/or things caught my attention. While the myriads of cow-paths and game-trails provided some aid, the going was still very rough and I would have to plan each-and-every step I took. Even at that, I would come very close to falling several times... on either dead Century plant or sotol stalks.
I had hoped to make a long loop around the periphery of the mountains but well before halfway I knew it was time to start closing the loop and begin heading back. Then, just after taking some photos and putting my camera away, barely 20 feet away under a small tree two deer jumped up and bolted away. While I had been down wind to them, I realized a quick wind shift probably did me in. And as usual, the deer would be a few hundred yards away from me before stopping to glance back long enough to grab a photo.
Shortly after, I passed through the second very-dry 'water' tank and encountered a heavily traveled cow-path leading toward the western slope of the mountains. Glancing at the GPS I saw there was a well down below and figured if the path was that noticeable, it probably continued to the well. So I followed it down-slope while hoping I could locate some trails leading me in the general direction of where I was parked. I found bits and pieces every so often, but most of the time I was forced to decide between thick, pokey & thorny brush, or climbing up or down steep slopes, with slightly less thick brush to deal with. But no matter which I chose, I was continually back-tracking from dead-ends.
Eventually I found only the Salt Benchmark peak in my way back to the car, so why not check it out. Of course, only when I reached the summit did I recall FLYING_FLIVER had noted some 3(?) years ago that the benchmark disc was missing. Oh well, I'm parked at the base of the slope so one last descent and I was done.
While I hoped to cover more of the Salt River Mountains, I've seen just enough to want to return... in cooler weather and with an earlier start.
Next time... |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
