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| Hiking | 19.53 Miles |
3,067 AEG |
| | Hiking | 19.53 Miles | 9 Hrs 3 Mns | | 2.47 mph |
| 3,067 ft AEG | 1 Hour 9 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Based on my 2014 triplog today was my first counter-clockwise hike. It was bugging me that I thought I'd hiked it with jj but most of upper Horse Mesa felt like a first today. Apparently different scenery CCW with a slower pace makes a difference.
Per usual the humongous parking lot was empty. Just us and one other group. For CCW you need to hike SW through the parking lot. We started off on a trail that heads directly east to Horse Mesa. Interestingly it looks like it goes for a while on satellite. Almost a shortcut up the mesa. Maybe for a seasonal waterfall or ruins, who knows?
In a nutshell the upper 3 miles of Hot Loop Trail #94 then the upper 4 miles of Jack's Canyon Trail #55 is the glory. The 2.5 miles up top that bridges the two is okay. The balance of the 10 lower miles has probably never spawned a like social media.
We started hiking just before 7:30am with nice cool morning air among totally wild flowers. After a short navigation blunder the trail was easy to follow.
Further up Hot Loop Trail #94 large cairns keep you true. Occasional light brush, easy to follow. 7.3 miles in Arizona Cypress Trees make the hike special.
Noticed water trickling and crossed a damp slab of moss at one point. A couple overhead views of Wood's Canyon. Nothing as spectacular as a hike through the canyon. Only small pools of water down in Woods.
The final switchback up Hot Loop Trail #94 needs a clip. Luckily most of the overgrow brush is hiker friendly.
We lunched under a nice juniper on the upper crossover. Chilly after 20+ minutes but obviously warmed up back in the sun. As mentioned above, the upper 4 miles of Jack's Canyon Trail #55 is pretty nice IMO.
The lower section back to the trailhead isn't anyone's favorite. A nice breeze kept the spirits in check. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
several large dense fields of owl clover among other lighter seasonals |
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