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| Bulldog Canyon - Blue Ridge Loop, AZ | | -
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| | Bulldog Canyon - Blue Ridge Loop, AZ | | | |
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Bulldog Canyon - Blue Ridge Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.49 Miles |
820 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.49 Miles | 3 Hrs 37 Mns | | 2.07 mph |
| 820 ft AEG | 29 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Had planned on Arnett Canyon but was worried about the numerous water crossings so opted for this nice little loop through part of the western Goldfields. I had us all meet up at Los Gringos since I figured we would have a late lunch there after we finished. Deborah and her RV are in town at an Apache Junction Park until the end of January and her friend Clay brot her car down. Both he and my 1st cousin once removed (I do genealogy so I keep track of that stuff  , Cousin Connie's daughter) are flying out tomorrow: Clay to Montana to take care of all those calls he got as a heating contractor and Jenaya to Kona where she lives and co-owns the My Hawaii Hostel (if you're ever in the area). So now that I have the formalities out of the way, on to the hike. Oh, Duke the little black rescue dog was with us too.
I've hiked with them all before and they are pretty good hikers. We headed up the FR10 under an overcast sky on a very cool morning. There were quite a few campers (trailers and tents) as we made our way up to the road until we made the turn to the NW. As we came up the hill you could see the effects of the monsoon and recent rains on the road from here on out. There was a lot more rock exposed on the road.
We made the nice walk to the wash and up to Cyclops (formerly The Mask) and it looks like the monsoon got to that use trail as well; it was pretty hard to follow both up and down. My guests enjoyed hanging around the area and getting some nice photos. I sent them pictures of when it was the Mask. The saguaro that blew out the one side seems fat and happy now that it won the battle . We made our way back down to the wash and checked out the puddles before getting on and off the trail alongside the wash. We encountered another couple who asked us about our route and other than them, we would see no other hikers today.
We continued in and out of the wash until we got to the turn south on the road. Along the way I pointed out the different kinds of trees and plants. I tried to turn too soon to the west and just before we got to the top of the hill we saw a car parked and a guy digging something with a shovel. We thot it rather odd but then we saw an older female and child... however, what they were digging is hard to say  . So we retraced our steps and went back down to the main road and got going the way RS said we were supposed to be in the first place.
We continued on the road until it was time to catch the right turn south where we took a break before hiking up the hill to the Ridge. The monsoon also seemed to wreak havoc on this road too with lots more exposed rock and rocks. I do love coming up that ridge as the western Superstitions are revealed; and it was interesting light today. As we hiked around the Ridge enjoying the brightly colored lichen boulders, I showed them what I call The Face.
When we got to the SW side before going down, it looks like there is some new trail going up and to the SW. We also saw about three other use? trails in the area. We made it down the very steep section but at the bottom of that, it looks like there was a blowout that was easy enough to get around. We enjoyed our hike back to the trailhead stopping to admire the scene of the saguaros jetting out of the golden grasses. It would have been an even better  with some sun. As we got nearer the trailhead, we ran across an old tent and tarp in this area that I'm sure was used by somebody but it's been awhile.
It was nice that there wasn't any dust to speak of on this hike. It was chilly for most of it as I didn't take off my down vest. The road near the trailhead was still pretty active as we pulled out. Surprisingly Los Gringos was pretty packed at a little after one on a weekday. We all enjoyed lots of Margaritas  as well as the rest of our meal before parting company.
WATCH: Starting temp 47.7 and 89% humidity 6.44 miles (low point 2003, high point 2432) avg bpm 123, max 165 (17% in Zone 3 aerobic, 61% Zone 2, 16% in Zone 1) burning 1305 calories (total ascent 1.55, descent 1.41) finishing at 12:53PM |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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. We made our way back down to the wash and checked out the puddles before getting on and off the trail alongside the wash. We encountered another couple who asked us about our route and other than them, we would see no other hikers today.
with some sun. As we got nearer the trailhead, we ran across an old tent and tarp in this area that I'm sure was used by somebody but it's been awhile.