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| Hiking | 10.77 Miles |
3,557 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.77 Miles | 5 Hrs 21 Mns | | 2.37 mph |
| 3,557 ft AEG | 48 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Really nice adventure West of the West Valley. Abby lives out West and I am East (at least for another few days). We made it to an empty trailhead at 7:30 AM. The dirt from US 60 isn't that bad and I think a sedan could make it driving really slow. The trail is tucked away on the North Slope of Harquahala and stays out of the sun all morning so it was colder than what I was expecting for the first half of the day.
The trail is really well constructed and the EG and distance never seemed that bad to me. There is almost no brush or obstacles so the going was pretty smooth all day. Once up at the summit it is clear which side of the mountain is Wilderness. It was kind of like finding little green men on the dark side of the moon. Picnic tables, benches, communication arrays, multiple parking areas, and of particular interest the historical structures make up the summit area.
My only wish is that the BLM would redo some of the damaged historical panels that describe the activities of the miners and scientists that had inhabited this area for a very long time. The history of this area is rich and was really interesting to read about where the descriptions on the plaques were legible.
We saw 2 other hikers and three guys who rode up in a jeep together. Once we made our way down the sun had come over the mountain and warmed things up just a little bit. We finished our day with takeout from Old Pueblo in Litchfield Park which turned out to be pretty good! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Some beautiful Ocotillo in bloom in one spot in the lower section of the trail. |
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Wildflower seed in the sand and wind
May the four winds blow you home again |
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