| | -
| |  |
|
1 |
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 22.23 Miles |
4,467 AEG |
| | Hiking | 22.23 Miles | 10 Hrs 25 Mns | | 2.29 mph |
| 4,467 ft AEG | 43 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | I came up with this plan a month or so ago to take advantage of the pipeline closure area and hopefully hit some seasonal highlights. I had two weekends in mind, and we ended up choosing this over next. It didn't earn this name until it started snowing and we had only made it 20% of the way  .
In the time since making the plan, CNF updated the closure area, making it a little bit easier to get up here, but we decided to stick to the plan anyway.
Ryan and I drove up Friday and camped in Hart Prairie. The aspens were lemon-lime and the peaks took on some afternoon clouds above 11k which did not break for the next 3 days. We met up with SlowandBi9L  at Snowbowl in the morning. It was a little bit jarring to my mental psyche exactly how many vehicles were already at the trailhead at this somewhat early hour! This is exactly the feces this planned route was supposed to avoid! ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall")
Nonetheless, the handful of groups we encountered were quickly forgotten as we made steady progress uphill. We hit the cloud deck at around 11k, and it provided obscured views and some unexpected snow flurries. At the saddle we attempted to take a break, but the wind was miserable and the temps in the cloud and snow dropped to 34, so we put some effort into getting over to the basin and drop some elevation as quickly as we could. (None among us felt the need to add any mileage today to visit a peak we've all been to for the 50-feet views we would be blessed with!)
Near the bottom of the long Weatherford switchbacks we dropped below the clouds and got our first glimpses of the golden basin below. After a short stop at Doyle Saddle, we headed down 29, which has eroded into a rockfest that makes me reconsider my previous opinion of Y-Bar.
We encountered the basin's only other hikers hikers near the bus stop enjoying fall colors and some mushrooms. From here we took a delightfully tibberlike stroll across the Waterline over to Bear Jaw (lots of stops for photos). These 3 or 4 miles were the prime color spots on the day and made all the suffering worth it.
The crux was always going to be the 2 miles from ABJ to AZT. A mile or so was easily maneuvered via old two tracks and some pleasant meadows, but sort of as expected there was some slow going with thick forest and deadfall linking together with random elk tracks before reaching the AZT.
A few miles of mild uphill with great views and stunning autumn things brought us back to the start where dozens of tourists were enjoying the sunset views across Hart Prairie.
It got chilly fast as the sun disappeared and after a long day we went our separate ways to partake of food and beverage as a well-earned reward after this big loop in the Kachina Peaks Wilderness.
I'd actually like to see the FS establish a route between ABJ and AZT as I believe that the Flagstaff trail running population would really enjoy this loop without the extra mileage and annoyance of a few miles on the 418. Not holding my breath. |
|
Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
A couple spots in the upper IB past prime. Waterline and upper Bear Jaw perfect. Snowbowl, Aspen Corner, Nature Loop pockets of gold, but still a lot of green. |
|
| _____________________
| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
