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| Hiking | 4.80 Miles |
1,200 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.80 Miles | 3 Hrs | | 1.60 mph |
| 1,200 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I awoke from hibernation, and decided to take advantage of a break in monsoon activity on ol' Graham. Headed for Ash Creek, then peeled off at the last minute to try something I hadn't done before: upper Round The Mountain Trail. The first mile was a beautiful walk along a closed road down to the old trailhead. Plenty of aspens, ferns, and ripe raspberries along the way. The route dropped into dense, dark forest once on the "official" Round The Mountain Trail, with a mushroom or mis-shapen fungus under every step. Wrapping around the 9655' ridge, the terrain became much more vertical, and the trail was completely overgrown with shrubbery and maidenhair ferns. Then came "the spot": a shelf of rock that is the world's most perfect viewpoint. Slabs of barren gneiss provide seating for a sweeping view from the Santa Teresa Mountains to Cluff Ponds in the Gila Valley, with the Gila Mountains providing the backdrop 
I hated to leave, but the lengthening shadows spurred me on. I rounded the mountain to arrive at a rock slide and the trail being completely overtaken by young aspens. Now at the top of Ash Ridge (marked as "The Pinnacles" on topo maps) I entered a graveyard of trees blackened by the Gibson (Nuttall) Fire of 2004. Lots of new growth, though, with wildflowers-o-plenty, locust, aspen, and, even a few fir seedlings. A fallen and decrepit trail sign marked the junction with the Ash Ridge Trail. With the continuation of the Round The Mountain Trail looking vague at best due to post-fire rebound, I opted for a quick exploration of the equally vague Ash Ridge Trail. Followed it for a quarter mile or so before the setting sun and prolific locust thorns turned me around. Took a few sunset shots at "the spot", then continued on in the waning light. Gathered some raspberries by flashlight on the hike back, and arrived back at my truck just after 8pm. Tried to SPOT message my wife with news of my survival, but gave up after 10 minutes of blinking lights and just texted her. Drove home in the chilly Pinaleno air with freshly burned CD's a blazin'. Good times! |
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| "…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan |
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