Route Editor
Route Scout
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DESTINATION Little Pan Loop from Table Mesa Road TH - BCT 8 Photosets 2021-01-03 2020-07-25 2018-10-08 2016-11-25 2016-05-30 2015-01-16 2011-07-03 2008-10-12 |
| HAZ Member mt98dew's 262 Photosets 2018-12-15 2018-12-01 2018-11-24 2018-11-18 2018-11-17 2018-11-09 2018-11-08 2018-11-03 2018-10-28 2018-10-28 2018-10-14 2018-10-13 2018-10-08 2018-10-06 2018-07-14 2018-07-11 2018-07-07 2018-07-05 2018-05-13 2018-05-05
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). Because of the recent rains we had gotten over the weekend, I slung an extra pair of water shoes over my shoulder. I wasn't sure how active the washes might be. I was happy to discover that though the trail was damp (and soft) from the recent storm, the trail was not muddy. When I got to the loop juncture I headed clockwise. Within a mile of the juncture I had hit the Agua Fria. And it was FLOWING! This was my third time doing this hike and I had never seen water in this wash and I was surprised at how much and how fast it was flowing. I took some pictures and headed back to try the other loop option. It was interesting to note how much further it was to the Agua Fria via the eastern loop. I would say it was at least a mile longer to reach it by the eastern route with a lot more elevation change. The crossing from here looked to be a little more doable - there was some high ground in the middle of the rushing water that would offer some respite during the crossing. That being said it looked to be a little too daunting for this old man to try to cross today. Feeling a little bummed I took a few more pictures and started back to the TH. They say "that when one door closes another door will open." Well ..... I didn't note it at the time but I would guess it was about .3 miles from the crossing when I came across another trail. 
There is actually a short, blank wooden sign at the juncture which is what first caught my attention. The trail is faint, but it is there. The trail circles and climbs the 2000ft mountain that is to the west Pan Loop trail. The trail offers some nice, different views of the Agua Fria as it curves around the west side. The trail come out on top of the mountain and encounters one of a couple of ATV roads that crisscross this mountain. There are two large cairns there that indicate this juncture. I followed the road to the south to where it starts to descend off the top (there were three long pvc poles coming from the ground just to the southeast of where this occurs). At this point I left the road and followed a faint track that headed off to the east. There was no cairn to mark this spot, but the further I went the more defined the trail became. Along this segment I had to scare away some of the trails more frequent users - cattle 
. One small calf had actually bedded down in the middle of the trail. The trail continues to wrap around to the east and then to the north, appearing to make a loop. When I got back on the BCT, I was surprised to come upon another trail sign about .4 miles further up the trail. This post still had remnants of trail info though it was deteriorating. I did not follow this trail, but I imagine that it was another connection to the mountain loop that I had just done. (I did note that this second trail sign was 3 miles from TH where I parked my car). 