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| Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ | |
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| | Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ | | | |
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Little Wolf - Pine Creek - Grapevine Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 16.29 Miles |
3,766 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.29 Miles | 10 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.89 mph |
| 3,766 ft AEG | 1 Hour 45 Mns Break | 14 LBS Pack | | |
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| Partners |
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[ show ]
| partners | | Moderate drive, pines, creek, relaxing pine road walk on the mesa. Those are memories from 6 years ago. An element of nature has changed it for the balance of my lifetime.
The drive in is semi gnarly. Confident 2WD probably squeaks through. It'll rattle your noggins regardless.
Luckily Karl drove. He got us 0.8 mi further then our 2013 lasso loop. Scorched pines among other mayhem greet you to the grapeless vine vicinity. We negotiated mild brush from 0.8 mi to 1.5 mi heading up towards Coyote Springs. Karl took a slightly lower route. Which I now see as a fair game trail on satellite.
This loop was possible in late June due to rare cooler than average temps. We still slow poked and enjoyed more breaks than average. Early on it was apparent it was going to be a long day.
Little Wolf Creek Trail #304
We stumbled upon a fencing crew as mentioned in this caption. No one loves this trail but I'm glad it exists and gets enough traffic to keep it relevant.
FR 67
Cabins in the vicinity meant the fire was tackled for a stretch. The nice forested views didn't last long. We stretched the 1.9 mi road-stroll out to 50 minutes.
Back to Business Men
After an easy 0.3 mi on a narrow path Bruce called a fire break ( not, never was, wrong! ) things got real. Roughly 10 yards of the path disappeared to dense chaparral. Karl busted through while Bruce and I suited up. We took turns slaying manzanita uphill with Karl directing overhead. Next, after 0.55 miles of easy off trail it was another chaparral war
7.27 mi - 12:02pm
7.72 mi - 12:42pm
Not terrible like the 10 yards of manzanita but listen kids, it's June...lol
We forged on another mile on a good trail to the Seaton Spring vicinity for a well deserved lunch break.
Bug Up!
Getting up Bug Mesa turned out to be another slice of adventure. I fell backwards on the slope near the top. Aside from a nasty bruise on my left thigh today it was no big deal and we continued onward.
"Top" of the mesa was supposed to be a relaxing stroll. It was far better than bushwhacking. I wouldn't advertise as enjoyable.
Bug Down
The anticipated horrible part of the day just held our attention intensely. It was over quicker than figured.
Seedless, still juicy
Grapevine was a welcomed trail. There is plenty to desire. There is plenty to dissuade it from being crowded.
Synopsis
Bruce has officially written this one off. Understood. Yesterday I thought I was in that boat. Short stretches were enjoyable. Minus a fist sized bruise on my thigh, the pain has worn off. I'll probably plow through this crap again someday. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Bluestem Prickly Poppy |
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