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| Hiking | 10.19 Miles |
1,652 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.19 Miles | 3 Hrs 47 Mns | | 2.69 mph |
| 1,652 ft AEG | | | | |
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[ show ]
| no partners | | I had planned on waiting until 8:30 a.m. to start my hike, but I got to Desert Foothills Trailhead early, so after shooting my hiking https://vimeo.com/471798663 intro I headed out. My timing could not have been better! I turned to look east just as the sun burst over the edge of some hills.
The first 0.4 miles of Telegraph Pass Trail, along the edge of the Camelot Ridge neighborhood, is wide, rough concrete. Not sure why they did that, instead of smooth concrete or plain ol’ dirt.
I turned left, clockwise, as Telegraph Pass Trail turned to normal dirt & rock single track. My favorite Hohokam petroglyph, outside the protected area, was a fractal pattern. From the petroglyphs, the trail pitches up, climbing 350 ft. in the next 0.4 miles to Summit Rd. at Telegraph Pass. The climb is steep, but short. The hardest part is the number of stoney step ups.
Being on the north slope of Mount Suppoa, National Trail was deep in shadow even at 9:00 a.m. It climbs 450 ft. in 1.5 miles to a saddle just east of the antenna farm. Surprisingly, there is a summit log there.
Just before Buena Vista Lookout, my  y Garmin 62S threw a fit, so I had to backtrack a bit before heading down Corona de Loma Trail. Corona de Loma descends 150 ft. past Chinese Wall -- it was my first viewing -- before following a wash for a bit, then climbing 150 ft. to a saddle where I took my only break. There are great views south from that saddle … Or there would be if there was not a dense, thick layer of smog all along the I-10 southbound corridor. It was 1970s Los Angeles-level pollution. (I should know: I lived in L.A. back then.) 
From the saddle, Corona de Loma Trail descends 700 twisty, rocky, feet in ¾ of a mile to the Lower Corona Trail. I’m glad I went down, instead of up it.
Desert Classic Trail might be one of the top rated mountain bike trails in the country — and a lot of them passed me — but for hiking it was underwhelming. Basically flat, crossing a few random washes, Desert Classic accumulates a massive 300 AEG in 3.1 miles. The best part of Desert Classic is some interesting saguaro. It sure isn’t the ¾ of a mile right along some mansions’ back fences. 
After completing the loop at Telegraph Pass Trail, it was a quick jaunt along the rough concrete path back to the Desert Foothills Trailhead. I killed two birds with one stone today: First, getting some good exercise; second, concluding my survey hike project by actually driving the new freeway over Main Ridge North and Main Ridge South, past Vee Quiva Casino and Dusty Lane, then through Laveen to westbound I-10, so I'd have point-by-point footage to compare to all the photos I've taken over the last five years.
Not sure why triplog auto set itself to hide one week ... 
Went back in to edit, unclicked the check box, clicked update ... STILL hidden a week!  |
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Wildflowers Observation None
Just a few small purple things, and only in a few spots. |
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| _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
y Garmin 62S threw a fit, so I had to backtrack a bit before heading down Corona de Loma Trail. Corona de Loma descends 150 ft. past Chinese Wall -- it was my first viewing -- before following a wash for a bit, then climbing 150 ft. to a saddle where I took my only break. There are great views south from that saddle … Or there would be if there was not a dense, thick layer of smog all along the I-10 southbound corridor. It was 1970s Los Angeles-level pollution. (I should know: I lived in L.A. back then.) 
