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| Hiking | 12.20 Miles |
3,122 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.20 Miles | | | |
| 3,122 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | With a quickly approaching Grand Canyon hike coming up, I decided that I better start doing some more difficult and longer hikes to be prepared. Looking at this one, it’s very similar in distance and aeg to the hike I am going to do in February.
The Peralta Trailhead was starting to fill up when I arrived about 7am. I stopped and talked to the ranger for a while, then off I went. The skies were clear but the gusty winds made a cool morning, chilly. I ditched my little fleece pullover and kept my jacket on.
The hike up Cardiac Hill was the usual “fun”. Starting at about Barks Creek, you could see the fire damage. A little depressing still after even after 1.5 years. Many cacti are down, others are dead but standing. Lots of roasted cholla and other assorted shrubbery.
I made the turn up to Terrapin and started the hike up to the saddles. The ranger told me Terrapin was in need of trail maintenance and the catclaw was crazy. I just thought the trail looked barren and raggedy. The fire damaged this trail, but not as bad as others. It just looked bad. Not much catclaw. I met my first two humans along the hike, a couple that had camped out near Bluff Saddle with their doggies. They said it was COLD/Windy the night before
After hitting the last saddle, I started the steep hike down to the Dutchman. This area was very grassy, but no signs of fire damage. I could hear some people up on Black Top Mesa when I was skirting the base heading towards the next junction. The Dutchman Trail was in good shape. It’s been maintained recently.
I stopped at the Dutchman/Peralta junction and had some lunch. After a nice rest, I started up the Peralta Trail. I met another hiker who was doing the loop, he left me in the dust….ha ha. Going up the trail, I came across 3 other parties of hikers going down, all doing the same loop, but clockwise.
The fire damage on the Peralta Trail started around Piper Springs. Lots of burnt up trees and plants. Lots of grass. It was not a complete burn though, signs of survivors dotted the slopes. You could see new growth sprouting up. The needle looked like a clear burn from this side. Pinon Camp was totally roasted. The normally hidden little campsites were out in the open. All of the trees in here were burnt up.
I made it to the Fremont Saddle and started down. Not as busy as I expected along the Peralta Trail on the way down, but it was a steady stream of people going up and down. I was making ok time (for me) up until this point. My internal “Check Knee” light came on in the slick rock area of Peralta Canyon. I was at turtle speed the rest of the way. It’s not sore today, so it was probably just my body reminding my mind that I am old and not in shape (and an idiot for hiking like this)….ha ha.
An excellent day in spite of the pain at the end. I really like this loop. The way the needle changes from each side, the nice mix of scenery, and the challenging miles/aeg it offers. I survived to hike another day. |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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