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| Hiking | 3.60 Miles |
824 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.60 Miles | 4 Hrs 12 Mns | | 0.94 mph |
| 824 ft AEG | 22 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | I was invited on this hike by DarthStiller and he said Joe and Wally would be joining as well. I have never been on this trail, and I have not yet hiked with Joe. So, I said “I’m in”
The drive up Four Peaks road from Hwy 87 very smooth and pleasant. Except for the 20 miles of wash boarding, water eroded sections, rocky bits and non-stop jarring. Yeah, I knew that road is bad.
It was a little chilly at the start and the jacket I had on did not stay on long. The sun tried to come out and did manage to shine a little, but it was cloudy or mostly cloudy for most of the hike.
The plan was to start the loop for the Pigeon Springs TH and do the loop clockwise. We also intended to extend the hike a little by hiking down the AZT Section 19 a little. In all, we hoped to get in 10-12 miles total.
There was a good amount of snow pack/ice on trails in the shadowy bits of the trail, especially along the AZT section. We decided the icy and steep conditions at about 1.5 miles from the Pigeon Springs Trail and Four Peaks Trail was enough. So, we turned around there.
On the way back to complete the loop, I was distracted by a little waterfall and the others kept going. I could see them ahead from time to time, so, when I hit the junction of the Pigeon Springs Trail and Four Peaks Trail, I just kept going. After a while, I started thinking to myself - “why am I not catching up to them and why are the boot prints all facing the opposite direction I am going??”. I decided to take a look at Route Scout and I confirmed my suspicions that I was on the wrong trail.
My hiking companions noticed I was not behind them as well, and I guess Joe and Chris decided to draw straws on who would tell my wife that I was unfortunately eaten by bears while wandering off the loop. Chris decided to call me (there is actually cell service in some spots up there). I confirmed that I did not take the turn off, was not eaten by bears and was presently on the correct trail, huffing and puffing up the hill to catch up.
I did eventually rejoin the hike and we made it back to the trailhead.
The drive down Four Peaks was just a pleasant as the drive up. Towards the end, the StillerMobile began to cry out in pain by make thunking sounds over every bump (and there were many, many bumps). Let’s hope its nothing serious.
It was a nice hike, in a nice area. The recent fires did burn up quite a bit of this area, but many parts survived as well. It’s always a good day to hike with Chris and Wally, and it was a pleasure to finally meet Joe. Thanks for the invite. |
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"Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee." –Demetri Martin
instagram: @andydilling |
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