Old Baldy - Super Trail Loop Photoset • PrestonSands • 2008-06-14 • HikeArizona.COM

Old Baldy - Super Trail Loop, AZ

	2008-06-14
	11 by PrestonSands

3
1 label
1
1
1
4

Old Baldy - Super Trail Loop

Tucson, AZ

Old Baldy - Super Trail Loop

Tucson, AZ

Hiking	12.40 Miles	4,210 AEG

Hiking	12.40 Miles
	4,210 ft AEG

Linked

none

no linked trail guides

Partners

partners

	allen fraley	fricknaley
	Jeffshadows	joebartels

An excellent summer hike and peak bag with Nick, Allen, Jeff, and Joe. Madera Canyon was quite impressive, a beautiful pine filled bowl, reminiscent of the Pinal Mountains, only with southern Arizona flora. Saw a few deer on the way up to Josephine Saddle. Jeff kept us entertained with a dead-on Bear Grylls impersonation. Temps dropped noticably on the approach to Bellows Spring, where I partook of some refreshingly cold water, straight from the pipe (no giardia for me yet

). Baldy (Wrightson) itself was incredible, a massive, rocky dome of grey cliffs, the king of sky island peaks : king :

The summit was swarming with gnats, so, with flailing arms and fruitless cursing at the insects, we retreated to Baldy Saddle for lunch. The hike down was a wrap around Baldy's south slope on the Super Trail, with the peak's massive cliffs looming high above, and views of Mexico to the south. I don't know who this "Josephine" was, but the canyon named for her was beautiful and green. I wouldn't mind living there! Made our way down the east side of Madera Canyon on the pleasant Super Trail, and arrived back at the parking lot next to the world's smelliest bathroom. :sk:

Dear God!

Nick drove us back to Tucson, where we went our separate ways. Had dinner at Macayos, roamed around Tucson for a bit, then headed home, dog tired.
It was an awesome and memmorable hike, and one that I highly recommend!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Spring Box

	Baldy Spring	Dry	Dry
	Pipe was broken with no flow, but a very small pool of muddy water was under a rock at the spring itself.

	Bellows Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	cold and clear, with water flowing from the pipe.

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

username		X
password		X