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| Backpack | 27.00 Miles |
2,500 AEG |
| | Backpack | 27.00 Miles | 3 Days | | |
| 2,500 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Karl mentioned this hike and asked if I was interested. It looked like a lot of fun and I was down. All I had to do was show up. We left Phoenix on Friday morning and made the long drive to the trailhead at the XXX Ranch. The drive took over five hours and the last few miles to the ranch got a little rough & bumpy. I was glad when we finally arrived. The ranch had a few tents set up and a few trucks. There was a work crew removing tamarisk. These would be the only people we saw all weekend.
We started hiking around noon and headed up the canyon. We had to get our feet wet a few miles in and we would spend the next few hours crossing back and forth over the Blue River. Our going was relatively slow. We tried hiking up on the banks but the grass pierces right through our shoes and into our feet. It was not fun. After a bit we arrived at the confluence with the Little Blue and the going was much easier as we followed the creek bed up. We eventually arrived at our camp just a few minutes from Hannah. It was already late in the day so we settled in at camp with a campfire and we admired the stars. It got a bit chilly but was fine overall.
Our day two started out slowly. We had breakfast and enjoyed another campfire. We eventually geared up for our day hike. It started off with the Little Blue Box which was fantastic. It's a long set of narrows that was really fun. From there we continued north and made a quick stop at White Rocks Cabin which is in great condition and would be fun to camp at. After that we headed up another set of narrows in Dutch Blue Creek. This was a lot of fun and required stemming one spot to avoid waist deep water. Once we cleared this set, we did a short out n back and returned on an overland route that bypassed the narrows. We ultimately took two overland routes and checked out Hannah Hot Spring. The water was barely a foot deep. I was hoping for more. We would eventually return to camp and settle in for another nice evening around the campfire.
Day three started off slowly as we enjoyed the campfire and then slowly packed up. We headed out around 9:30am and hiked out. The exit went really well and we checked out a massive Beaver Dam along the return. It was the largest one I have ever seen. The last few miles were a slog and we arrived back to ranch early afternoon. We would pack up and make the long drive back to Phoenix.
This was a wonderful trip and I'm glad I was able to tag along. Karl did a great job leading and we all had a great time. This area is spectacular and was well worth visit, even with the long drive. Thanks to Karl for planning and driving! |
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