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| Hiking | 6.78 Miles |
1,757 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.78 Miles | 4 Hrs 13 Mns | | 1.83 mph |
| 1,757 ft AEG | 31 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Four Peaks Road has got worse, which is not news. It's not crazy 4x4 like you need a modified lifted ride, but be prepared for a bumpy slow going ride. No Forest Road for Old Men. At one point I stalled the engine, and it wouldn't restart. Seemed like the engine died for no reason. Joe astutely suggested the battery terminal cable may have popped loose. this has happened before to me, so I was immediately encouraged. That was indeed the issue. I put the band back over the terminal but it was still visibly loose. Forgot to pack my 10mm spare wrench. Andy's Leatherman couldn't get a grip on the nut to tighten the band. Wally took the caveman approach and smacked the band down around the terminal. He did it so efficiently we weren't able to be more dramatic pics of fixing a car with a rock. Happy to not be stranded 18 miles in, we quickly moved on.
We started from the Pigeon Springs TH, which is basically just a widened berm from the road that gives barely enough room to pull off of the road and feel comfortable that you won't get clipped by the 4x4s and whatnot. I last hiked this in 2003, so I have basically zero memories of this trail from then, other than at the end we were hiking through fog and clouds and the sounds of rolling thunder, which was terrifying.
The trail immediately descended, which obviously meant the majority of the rest of the hike would be uphill. soon the snowpack was encountered, which made the hiking dicey at times. then the clouds rolled in and things got chilly again just after everyone but me took off their extra shirts. 1 to 2 miles in, Wally found an arrowhead. this is mind blowing if you've never hiked with Wally. we're kind of used to it by now, but still very impressed. About a half mile after the 3 mile mark in the trail got super icy. the snowpack was too tight and going any further was too risky without microspikes, which none up packed. I forgot to pack my trail snacks and I was having a blood sugar crash, so I had no problem at all with bailing.
On the way back we took (an early) lunch at the junction of the Four Peaks and Oak Flat Trails, which we took a break at 12+ years earlier. It looks a little different now. Read Joe's triplog. there were ants there then. There aren't now. Fires aren't all bad. Wally got bored because we took too long to eat and found yet another ruin simply by walking to the nearest high point.
Skies were clear at the start, then quickly a system came in and made it overcast and colder. Then after the turnaround, it cleared up quickly and seemed to get warmer. Would not have made the dangerous section any better if it would have happened earlier.
On the way back, Andy fell back a bit taking pics, then missed the turn onto 4Peaks Trail to do the loop. Joe and Wally waited for me at the junction with the Amethyst Trail. I stopped to talk and wait for Andy, remembering to look behind to se he was right behind me. But was that before or after the trail junction  . I stated that I really didn't want to hike back down that steep climb to where we were to look for him if he was on he way back to the TH anyway, and Wally likes uphills anyway. Joe threw in that maybe we passed a ruin that Andy was checking out. After Joe ran a quarter mile back down the trail, I took my phone out of airplane mode and got in contact with Andy. He did take the wrong turn but figured it out and was on his way towards us. At that point we continued on in confidence that we were not in fact leaving him for dead. He caught with me and Joe a half mile from the Lone Pine TH, Wally was already taking a nap waiting for us there.
We walked back to the car along the road, which was way smoother than the entire road on the way up. the ride back down was just as bumpy, but a bit easier since it was downhill. Looks like the front shock driver side on the Xterra has a back bushing, so that's gotta get fixed now. The thumping sound was noticed on the way down after a unforeseen rut, but such it life. Very similar to the aborted hike I did back in 2010 or 2009 where that was an issue on FR442(?) off the junction of 143 and the road to Lone Pine.
Overall, very nice hike. Great scenery and fun times with a crew. Got home without major incident. Looking forward to making another trip up there before another 10 years passes by. |
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