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| Hiking | 9.40 Miles |
1,900 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.40 Miles | | | |
| 1,900 ft AEG | | 12 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | | This is my first post so please excuse any errors in formatting. My wife and I have wanted to visit Cottonwood Springs on Trail 247 for quite some time. With heavy rain expected on Valentines day we set out early morning on 2/13. Good flow in Cave Creek for a scenic trip up to the trailhead but we opted instead to "diagonate" (my made up word) to 247 via 247A at the boundary of the Tonto National Forest and the Spur Cross Recreation Area. We left 247A after a couple of miles and headed north to 247 using a un-named but cairned shortcut we read about on HAZ that saved us a little mileage. Once on top of the ridge line we were greeted with lots and lots of poppy and lupine blooms. I think the display will only get better with all the rain in the forecast. Upon arrival at the gate where Skull Mesa Trail 248 intersects 247 we encountered roughly 100 Canadian Geese headed due west. The decibel level of their honking as they flew directly overhead was deafening. I took a last second photo of them before they went out of sight and will try to post as part of a photoset (if I can figure it out). The descent to the spring showed us more flowers and water flow was more than I have seen in any YouTube video of this site. There was a audible "babble" and a dozen or more flowing pools with a depth of 4-6 inches. We left Cottonwood on 247A to return to the Spur Cross parking lot. This section of the trail was very overgrown with tall grass and assorted weeds for the first 1 1/2 miles and was difficult to follow but after a couple of missteps we got back on track. A good time was had by all! |
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| "If you wait, all that happens is you get older" |
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