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| Hiking | 10.05 Miles |
2,550 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.05 Miles | 6 Hrs 34 Mns | | 2.04 mph |
| 2,550 ft AEG | 1 Hour 38 Mns Break | 15 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Loop Hike along the Ida Peak Trail #274 and the Route along the old FR357 road returning on the Downing Pass Road. Had Plans to do the Rattlesnake to Bootlegger and down to Rock Creek and back to FR 357 but had to scrap this due to lack of time. Did not plan on delay on the Ida and FR 357 due to poor trail conditions.
I should of had a clue about the Ida Peak Trail when I saw the Trail Head sign down and in the brush. The trail starts out in fairly good condition and easy to follow but soon becomes vague but still easy to stay on track. I lost the trail twice where the trail crosses over some side canyons, the brush gets thick and spent some time looking for tread by comparing the GPS route I had. Once out of the side canyons was able to reacquire the trail. Down falls along the trail became a nuisance at times and brush was encroaching on the trail in many places. There are great views to the North looking over Chiricahua National Monument , Cochise Head with Dos Cabezos and Mount Graham in the distance. Once at Ida Pass there are views of the Chiricahua Crest. Looks like the Aspen are changing on the crest. The trail down to Barfoot Park was easy to follow and in fair condition with brush encroaching the trail but the pace was slowed due to the numerous dead fall.
Took lunch at Barfoot Park. Fall is definitely here, it was cool at the park and with the breeze it was really comfortable sitting in the sun leaning up against a pine. The initial descent down to the remnants of FR357 was a bit of a challenge due to once again the thick growth and dead fall. For the first quarter mile along FR357 it was slow going as the old road is pretty much non existent but once past the narrows of the creek the visible remnants of the road make the going a bit easier. Easier is a relative term because the numerous dead fall made the going slow. The constant decision making as to whether to go under or over got old. going over was difficult because of the constant one leg over, sit then the other leg over,going under required getting back up again. There are stretches where you are doing this every 5 feet and then there was the cluster sections that required crossing multiple logs all in a pile. There are apps that measure trail difficulty by Miles or AEG, they need one that measures dead fall crossings, not sure how that could be done though. Once down in Pine Canyon the route adds another hazard, Creek bed loose rocks. The old road is visible along short sections along the creek but is washed away for most of it. The last half mile or so to the Pine Canyon Road and Downing Pass Road the going is a lot easier. There was abput a gallon per minute flow through much of Pine Creek. I did not see the Rattlesnake Canyon Trail but did see an old road that headed in the general direction and assuming that's where it was at.
Good hike in spite of the slow going. It was good to be hiking in the Fall again where hiking the lower flanks of the Chiricahuas and the Pinaleno Mountains will be possible. There are a lot more trails in this area that I want to do but I have a feeling the conditions will be much like this hike. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
Aspen on the Chiricahua crest |
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Pine Spring |
Quart per minute |
Quart per minute |
| | | Pine creek about a gallon per minute | | _____________________
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