Mt Baldy Super Loop Photoset • joebartels • 2019-09-21 • HikeArizona.COM

Mt Baldy Super Loop, AZ

	2019-09-21
	9 by joebartels

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Mt Baldy Super Loop, AZ

Hiking	30.00 Miles	3,572 AEG

Hiking	30.00 Miles	13 Hrs 16 Mns		2.35 mph
	3,572 ft AEG	29 Mns Break	20 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

East Fork Trail #95 - Greer

East Baldy Trail #95

West Baldy Trail #94

West Fork Trail #94 - Greer

Partners

partners

LindaAnn

Tortoise_Hiker

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Prologue
14+ years ago I photoshopped this loop when static maps were more common. Denny pitched this loop with three weeks notice. Interest piqued. Scrolling through my history a hike over 26 miles had not occurred since 2014. East Valley of the Sun midnight meetup... what!

East Fork Trail #95 - Greer
My first trip to Greer, I was a little wide eyed. This loop favors a drivable water cache setup between trails so that was task one. 4:47am dark and cool we hiked over on Osborne Rd. Then dragged Main Street to East Fork Trailhead.

I thought Denny secretly had a cool app that occasionally shrieked screams to get us in the Halloween spirit. Elk bugling, gimme a break I don't get into the high country often... lol

This was my least favorite trail of the day. The 2011 Wallow Fire toasted the terrain. Still a nice cool morning hike. It quickly rises 600 ft out of Greer valley then an easy stroll through warm-morning-light meadows to 9,410 ft. RS helped decipher the only notable route finding on the day.

East Baldy Trail #95
Still love this one. Lycium berry bushes were loaded, battery-acid pie lovers would have been in 7th Heaven. Get a good night's rest or beware the rattle-squirrel passing the hoodoo rock outcrop. Denny was rethinking the pace further up so we slowed the train down.

West Baldy Trail #94
It was windy at times throughout the day. Overall perfect weather otherwise. After a little break we decided to omit the mile out-n-back to the summit then headed down. Just a great hike down IMHO.

West Fork Trail #94 - Greer
Majority is toast. Potatoe Hollow Spring looked dependable. The final mile down to the Greer trailhead is a nifty hobbit pine forest.

Synopsis
Great company on a memorable hike. Crawled under a half dozen dead tree obstacles tops. Doubt I'll forget this 24h 55m door-to-door day-trip from home on 1h 40m sleep.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pleated Gentian Western Sneezeweed Wolfberry

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Potatoe Hollow Spring

Wildflowers Observation Light
Shocking substantial mini swaths of yellow above 10k. A dabble at best otherwise.

	Mount Baldy Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	About a tenth of a mile past the spring on Topo a slow trickle Creek is passed, gotta be the spring

	Potatoe Hollow Spring	Gallon + per minute	Gallon + per minute
	Super clear and flowing quick

	Trail Spring Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full

_____________________

- joe

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