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| Skull Mesa - Mattys Fork Loop, AZ | |
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| | Skull Mesa - Mattys Fork Loop, AZ | | | |
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Skull Mesa - Mattys Fork Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 19.53 Miles |
3,133 AEG |
| | Hiking | 19.53 Miles | 10 Hrs 2 Mns | | 2.17 mph |
| 3,133 ft AEG | 1 Hour 1 Min Break | 14 LBS Pack | | |
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| Partners |
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[ show ]
| partners | | There was a smattering of vehicles at the Spur Cross TH when we started at 7:40. It was cool and breezy which was good, because the first 7 miles trends upward. 1.5 miles of it, steeply.
I enjoy the non-official #247A and #247B over hiking Spur Cross/FR 48 to #247. It's a bit shorter and more scenic IMO.
Once on Skull Mesa #248, the track becomes steeper. Good views to the south start to open up. Up top, #248 becomes thinner the farther east you go. Just keep an eye out for cairns. Bovine trails make it easy to get off the actual trail. Heading down the east side Joe spotted a bear in the distance. I told him that just because recreational cannabis was legal, he didn't need to be mixing this with the assortment of other toxins he puts in his system. (ie. Diet Sprite). The cow didn't seem to care we were in the area.
Mattys was easier to get into than our previous trip. The "Bears" in the area had beat down some of the heavier brush. Water was trickling in quite a few areas and the geology does not disappoint.
The cabin is on it's last legs and will not be standing much longer. For more info, @Oregon_Hiker did his normal excellent historical sleuthing to determine the background back in 2015. [ photoset ] .
Leaving the area, heading north we followed the obvious old path they used to get here, until it was no longer... obvious.
After some head scratching and more importantly leg scratching, we dumped back into Mattys for the remainder of the trek to Cave Creek #4. This is not my most favorite of trails out here, but it got us to the unmarked/named spur to get us down to the running Cave Creek.
3 miles from the Spur Cross TH, we saw our first people since the start of the hike.
Perfect temps and good times. |
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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
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