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| Hiking | 12.35 Miles |
2,152 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.35 Miles | 6 Hrs 48 Mns | | 2.18 mph |
| 2,152 ft AEG | 1 Hour 8 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | My youngest daughter flew back into town from college for the Christmas break, and of course, she brought her hiking shoes! So, she happily obliged when I offered up a solid adventure in the Superstitions.
She had never hiked the Battleship, so I suggested it, and off we went.
Arrived at the TH at 6:45-ish and found another 8-10 cars there. I actually expected more at this time of year. Nor was the parking lot full when we returned. I wonder if the fire scars have discouraged some traffic?
The temperatures would have been nice, except that the wind was blowing, making it feel colder. I debated throwing on the jacket, but opted against it. Could have gone either way, but I was a bit chilly as we didn't see the sun until we were nearly to Boulder Canyon.
I hadn't been through this area since the fire, and no question, the fire put a dent in the area's beauty. The drainage that leads up to Garden Valley was spared, but there is a lot of carnage otherwise. Garden Valley itself was decimated. We passed what appeared to be a scout troop just getting their camp cleaned up from an overnighter. With the wind and lack of trees (other than some charred remnants) for protection, I suspect they endured a cold night. Other than flat ground, Garden Valley doesn't have much to offer for an overnight trip. I would much rather add a mile or two and set up near Second Water Spring or Boulder Canyon. That said, I'm constantly noting good places to camp in the Superstitions, even though I've never camped here--day hikes only. 
Speaking of Second Water Spring, it was running well, and there was plenty of water, along with several good-sized pools in the drainage near the Boulder Canyon confluence.
The hike up Boulder Canyon was uneventful. We arrived at the turn up to the Battleship, which is marked by a large cairn. And while there are several minor deviations in the route up to reach the base of the spine, it's pretty well defined these days. Much more so than my first trip up here.
We enjoyed the scramble up, as well as the hand-over-hand sections. There was a little more of that than I remembered, and I found myself apologizing to my daughter for not bringing two pairs of gloves. I did have one pair, though, and we each took one hand for a little protection.
Our early start put us in the front of the line on the spine, but we could see in the canyon below a couple of other parties following our path. As it was, we were passed by 3 guys shortly before reaching the summit.
Views from the summit were wonderful, as always. I actually prefer the views from the point just south of the actual summit, as it affords nice views of the spine and still allows you to see Canyon Lake, etc.
I knew it would be windy (it was), but we found some protection and enjoyed lunch and watching others below on the spine trying to figure out how to navigate the obstacles.
By the time we left the summit, there were 10 or so others there, but it didn't seem crowded, and we did not pass many more hikers on our way down.
Once back on the Boulder Canyon trail, we came across two different hikers who had intended to do the Black Mesa loop, but had missed their turn in Garden Valley. One of them was ok adding on a few additional miles by going up Boulder Canyon instead. The other, whom we crossed in the Second Water Spring area, decided to turn around and follow us back to the TH.
Our seven hours on the trail went by quickly, as we talked about school, work, and life. My daughter is not one for a lot of phone calls, so spending time together on the trail is a great way to connect and build more memories. |
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