| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 7.53 Miles |
1,865 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.53 Miles | 4 Hrs 57 Mns | | 1.55 mph |
| 1,865 ft AEG | 5 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | I originally decided to do this on Wednesday because of all the rain that was predicted all week and into the weekend. As I write this on Saturday night, still no appreciable rain. I didn't feel like deciding on something different, so I stuck to my plan. Interestingly, the last time I hiked up this area was 10 years, 364 days ago (RIP John Scott). I had no idea until I checked my old triplog. Another benefit of regularly logging hikes on HAZ.
Got started about 6:30am in the dark from the Crosscut TH. I had a bit of trouble finding my trail at first, but soon enough was on track. I hiked the unmarked trail northeast of LDSP that fades away east of Praying Hands. I did this trail about 9 years ago with the family, when the kids were much smaller. I think they had an easier time that day than they would now, but that's another story.
When I got up to where we were 9 years ago, I headed up to the saddle and then took the trail over to Praying Hands, and then down to the top of the Treasure Loop in LDSP. After that, I headed back on the same trail to the first saddle. There is an actual trail that heads from this point over to the Massacre Grounds, but at the saddle I saw another trail heading down towards the wash below. I could see the trail continue past the wash, so I decided to chance. Turned out the trail fades away fast and the rest is a cairned route down the trail. Getting through the wash was tricky, but after that it was easy, especially with most of the vegetation burned away.
Once I got on the main trail to the Massacre Grounds, the foot traffic increased greatly. Got up to the top and took the obligatory pics peering over the edge, then headed back to the Crosscut TH. The falls didn't have any real flow as expected, so I skipped that. Took a trail from the main MG trail over towards the Crosscut TH that I had never hiked before. Not sure if that was there before or if it's a new addition. It made it nice to complete the loop without having to hike on the dirt road.
No rain, but very ominous looking sky all day. Low ceiling of clouds over Superstition Mountain made for a spooky look peering at the hoodoos through the fog. Hiked slower than usual with the rocky trails and some route finding, but got nearly 2K AEG, so it was a decent hike. |
| _____________________
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
