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| Sandys Walnut Fisher Point, AZ | | -
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| | Sandys Walnut Fisher Point, AZ | | | |
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Sandys Walnut Fisher Point, AZ
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| Hiking | 9.30 Miles |
1,313 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.30 Miles | 4 Hrs 34 Mns | | 2.11 mph |
| 1,313 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | 18 LBS Pack | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | As the hospital neared capacity and with the additional safety precautions (masks all the time, double-masking and face shields in patient rooms) it's no wonder Tracey's stress level needed a reset. So with Tonto closed it called for a short camping trip somewhere among the pines in Coconino NF.
A few months ago Tracey backpacked AZT 31 and really enjoyed the short trek in Sandys Canyon so that was at the top of our list. But where will we camp? Hmmm, let's see... last year we hiked a southbound out-and-back on AZT #28 and it appeared we could camp within a quarter-mile of where we turned around so we could easily pick up where we left off. And just like that the decision was practically made for us.
We drove up Tuesday afternoon, set up camp just off Forest Road 294 near the Happy Jack Ranger station and settled in for a relaxing evening with the accompaniment of the-wind-through-the-pines and elk calls.
Up early Wednesday, a 40 minute drive and we on the trail. The hike through Sandys Canyon was a joy, reasonably cool, clear skies, whispering pines and an easy tread. As we headed into Walnut Canyon the walls and the trail closed in but the scenery made up for it. Part of our plan was to visit Fisher Point but not wishing to attempt an off-trail cliff scaling it meant shortening our sojourn into Walnut.
Back out of Walnut we took the quick trip up to Fisher Point, lunched at the overlook and began the return trip. At the start of the descent we met a mountain biker and lower down a pair of bikers.
Kind of funny comparison:
- The first biker (mid-20's?) must have been in top condition as he was riding up the rocks like they were nothing and he wasn't even breathing hard.
- The pair of bikers (16-18 yrs old?) were breathing hard and walking their bikes barely 100 yards from the start of the climb.
As we headed back into Sandys Canyon, knowing they would be faster than us we slowed down for an equestrian tour group to slot in ahead of us. It wasn't long before the equestrians turned west into a wide drainage. Shortly after that we turned off and followed an elk trail headed up to the ridge which resulted in some nice views over the canyon. We continued on the trails until catching another hiking track back to the trailhead.
Almost forgot... on our return trip in Sandys we were buzzed three times by a C-130. It didn't appear marked as a fire-fighting plane so I wondered if it may have been from the National Guard. |
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