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| Hiking | 10.25 Miles |
3,185 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.25 Miles | | | |
| 3,185 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Then the copper company came with the world's largest shovel
And they tortured the cactus and stripped all the land
Well, they dug for their copper 'til the land was forsaken
Then they wrote it all down as the progress of man
I decided to go hike to a couple of peaks that overlook the sprawling Ray Mining Complex, which is on Highway 177 between Superior and Winkelman.
Scott Mountain
First up was Scott Mountain, the highpoint of the Dripping Springs Mountains. Dripping Springs Rd was in great shape and most any vehicle could make the drive to where I parked. In fact, a 4WD vehicle could go most of the way on the road that I hiked on.
I followed the route that @kingsnake posted, which was on an old road almost all the way to the summit. For the last 1/4 mile or so I made a bit steep, but easy off-trail ascent on the southwest slopes of Scott Mountain. There were nice 360 degree views at the summit, so I hung out there awhile. The Ray Mine was off to the west, and on the way back I went to an overlook that had closer views of the mining complex.
I signed the summit register log, which dates back to 1991, when Lilley-MacLeod signed it.
On my drive into the TH, I stopped along Highway 77 at a point where I would like to start a hike to El Capitan. I wanted to see if there were any access issues. Seeing none, I plan to see if I can get up to El Capitan sometime this winter.
Granite Mountain 4052
Just what Arizona needs -- another Granite Mountain. THere has to be at least half a dozen summits named "Granite Mountain" in Arizona. This is the one with an elevation of 4,052 feet.
On this hike, I parked on Battle Axe Road a short distance from Highway 177 and mostly hiked off-trail on a ridgeline that went to the summit from the northwest. The off-trail wasn't bad -- there was the usual cacti, agave, and brush here and there, but it was easy to avoid. I wasn't sure what the brush would be like, so I had on some heavy long pants, but I was wishing that I would have worn some lighter pants. Many people would be fine wearing shorts.
There were a few bumps and false summits along the way, but it was a relatively easy off-trail. I enjoyed the nice 360 degree views at the summit, including those of the Ray Mine, which was off to the east.
I found the benchmark that @FLYING_FLIVER uncovered with a shovel almost 9 years ago.
Synopsis
It was an enjoyable day going to these 2 seldom-hiked peaks.
Distance and elevation gain for the 2 hikes is below. Stats above are the sum of the two.
Scott Mountain: 6.73 miles with 1,781 feet of AEG
Granite Mountain 4052: 3.52 miles with 1,404 of AEG |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
There was some nice fall foliage -- mostly cottonwood trees -- to be seen in several riparian areas along both Highway 77 and Highway 177 during the drive from Scott Mountain to Granite Mountain 4052. Fall foliage two days before Christmas is pretty cool! |
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| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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