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| Hiking | 7.10 Miles |
814 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.10 Miles | 3 Hrs 38 Mns | | 2.21 mph |
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| 814 ft AEG | 25 Mns Break | | |
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[ show ]
| no partners | | I decided to escape the heat of the VOS, so I headed up to the Mogollon Rim to hike and car camp in an area that I had not been to before.
I drove up to Camp Grasshopper Site #2, and got my tent set up. Then I decided to hike north on FR 139C, following the Merritt Draw Lower Loop, and for a short ways the Merritt Draw Middle Loop and Maverick Canyon Loop. After a couple of miles or so I got to the end of 139C, and descended off-trail down to Merritt Draw. After the descent I was across from the Ubar Trail at a nice spring, with a pool of water deep enough to swim in had I been so inclined.
Then I followed the Merritt Draw Lower GPS track up Merritt Draw. The track went uphill after a ways, but it was really overgrown with some thorn bushes. I was wearing a short sleeve shirt with no gloves, and since I really wasn't looking to donate a pint of blood, I backtracked a bit and found a route up between cliffs. It was a bit steep in a couple of places, but it wasn't TOO bad. I then went south, in between FR 139C and @grasshopper's GPS track. I had intended to make my way back to @grasshopper's route, but there was some deadfall in front of me, and I decided to take the easy way, so I went uphill a bit back to FR 139C.
On the way back to the campsite I stopped to check out campsite #3 and campsite #2.5. Campsite #3 was almost, but not quite, as nice as campsite #2. Campsite #2.5 was also nice, but it did not have all the amenities of Campsite #2. Which is why @grasshopper charges less for site 2.5, so it has some appeal to more budget minded campers. otoh, @grasshopper charges an arm and leg for site #2, so you'd better have some deep pockets to stay there!...lol...I am just kidding of course!
Once I got back to Campsite #2, I walked up the hill on the other side of FR 139C, just to check it out. However, I decided to save any further exploration for another day.
This is a nice area, and I plan to come back and explore some more of Merritt Draw, and also hike on some of the Cabin Loop to check out the Pinchot Cabin and Buck Springs Fire Guard Station. |
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| I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of starvation. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
