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| Hiking | 11.88 Miles |
4,881 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.88 Miles | | | |
| 4,881 ft AEG | | 20 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | *Please feel free to skip the first paragraph LOL.
I’m summiting Malapais Mountain I mentioned to my loving wife of 30 years. “Malapais?” “Yes dear. It sort of means ‘Badlands’ in Spanish.” “Stay away from the cactus!” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Always,” I promised. As I was riding the express elevator up to the summit I repeated my vows, “no cactus!” I take my commitments seriously. About halfway up I cracked open the champagne and toasted the views of Battleship and Tortilla. As I exited the elevator at the penthouse I took my shoes off and strolled through the waves of soft golden yellow grass. Weavers Needle is spectacular I thought as I dipped in the fountain before strapping on my zip line harness back down to Tortilla Flat. I arrived home early and was greeted by the aroma of dinner. “No cactus,” I told my beautiful wife and she smiled.
Last minute I decided to summit Malapais. Had a couple friends in mind but they couldn’t commit the day before Halloween. I’ve been there before on overnight but never a one day trip. More or less I used the official route + side trip to Geronimo. It was close to 12 miles. I’m not great at sticking to a route because I’m the curious sort and I kind of wander in the direction of things that interest me. I like to take a different line that I’ve done before and also different that I’ve known others to take as well. I come across the unexpected at times. This was no exception. The temps were projected in the mid 80s, so it was warm but manageable to me. Many years (not bragging) has me desert adapted to AZ climate.
I literally saw zero people the entire day. Not making excuses, because you must be responsible for yourself especially on a solo like this one. I figured in the 8-10 hour range but miscalculated slightly. One reason is that I’m in denial about my age. I’m in my 60s and really just not as fast as I once was. In my mind I fly a little faster than my feet move. Another reason is I picked up a scorpion bite somehow. It got between the tongue of my Salomons and my double layers of socks on right shin. I’m not allergic but it explained the nagging pain I was having in my shin area. Some people wear boots and or gaiters for this sort of thing. Then there’s the “look around and wander” factor that always adds time to the clock. The result was a bushwhack in the dark to the car and a 12 hour hike. Nice to have a GPS route under those circumstances, but the later splits really brought my average down to one mile an hour. I was prepared and I’m an experienced night hiker but I’m telling anybody that listens to start early and plan generously the time needed. The “badlands” are rough even in daylight.
No water but stagnant pools in lower drainage. I carry a water filter but wouldn’t drink that unless it was an emergency. I used most of my 6L of water. The route passes through Woodbury burned sections and also unburned sections where the debris is piled waist deep. Lots of red slurry stains up on the summits from the last fire. In spite of looking I saw little wildlife. No mammals, no snakes but a lot of insect and some lizards. Birds were here and there but the largest I saw were crows. Insects (arachnids) showed up and represented. There were flies, bees, wasps, spiders, scorpions, unidentified flying critters, and of course mosquitoes in number. Good to wear repellent on these adventures. I did a tick check but nothing.
The elevated views really make this worthwhile. In all seriousness it is a challenging hike. If you are prone to rolled ankles beware because much of the time you cannot see your feet. There is some fall risk. There are lots of hidden Hedgehogs, Prickly Pears, Cholla, etc. to jab you in the tall grass. There are mazes of catclaw in the drainages but I did do route maintenance on the lower trail and cut a clear path. The rattlesnake potential is high. There are scree slopes and slippery lichen covered granite to traverse. Expect to spend the majority of the hike focusing on where and how you step. No autopilot for this hike. Also understand that if you only have cellular, you will be out of range at times. I’m not preaching doom and gloom just appropriate caution.
All in all it was a great trip and I feel good today in recovery. It’s Halloween! Gotta get ready for tonight’s fun! Happy Halloween 2021 HAZ! |
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