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| Backpack | 18.00 Miles |
401 AEG |
| | Backpack | 18.00 Miles | | | |
| 401 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I was looking for something a little different (at least for me) for a two night backpacking trip close to home. I wanted to be able to hike but wanted it to be mostly flat. After doing some looking around and realizing I haven't done much at Picketpost other than climbing it and doing the AZT section there, I decided to head out there and go down Arnett Canyon and just play it by ear. It'd be a short first day due to commitments and I didn't get to the trailhead until 2 or so. I started my journey and was thrilled to see that Arnett creek was flowing well right from the get go. This is a pretty area, but it's not the best season for it really, but I still enjoyed the scenery and a few random things that are (presumably) transplants via birds/wind from the Arboretum just on the other side. With the plesantness of the hiking, I was surprised to not run into many established camping areas; I think I saw one small one inbetween the start and the Telegraph Canyon junction, where I turned south. Encountered more horse traffic than hikers, funny enough, though. I eventually ran into a very cool little spot with a fire ring (and even a good amount of processed wood) about 3.5 miles in total, about a half mile from the Telegraph junction, right before you exit the "greener" area. Set up camp, made a fire, cooked a steak (bonus: some metal grate was near the camp site and that made for a fantastic grill), went to sleep. My thermodrop said it got down to 26 that night, so a bit nippy!
The next morning, I figured I'd just hid down Telegraph, with a sort of goal of maybe camping where the AZT crosses Telegraph Canyon RD; I've done that AZT section a couple of times and there's a nice camp site there. I set out a bit later in the morning than anticipated (it was cold), and made my way to Rock Tank as I had seen a couple of pictures that made it seem more interesting than the standard AZ tanks. On the way there, I got passed by a large group of side by sides and, sure enough, they were at the tank when I got there blasting music and hanging out. It's public land, so I'll never be too upset when other people are enjoing it, but it was a little bit of a bummer because Rock Tank IS actually a cool area and was overflowing, creating some cool cascading waterfalls but I didn't feel like hanging out as it wasn't my current vibe. Interesting, the whole thing seems fenced off so livestock can't get to it? Which... doesn't make sense for a tank? Anyone have more info on that? Either way, I enjoyed filtering my water to some music they were playing (mildly disappointed no one offered me a cold beer, if I'm being honest) and went on my way.
I spent the next bit hiking South, mainly staying in the creek bed versus the road (which had some traffic, but not a lot really. Think I saw 4 groups total driving?), checking out some interesting rocks here and there, and ended the day at the AZT junction where I camped, made some calzones out of naan/sauce/cheese/bacon, and enjoyed a dumb movie. The sky was absolutely beautiful this night, too; extremely clear and the stars somehow seemed brighter than usual.
The last day, I forced myself to leave (it was cold again) and simply hiked the AZT back to Picketpost. It's a nice stretch of trail but I've done it a couple of times and wanted to make it out for an early lunch and to get back home to the family. The burgers at Porters Saloon are quite nice and I hiked quickly to get there (recommend the Superior burger; comes with roasted pepper and it's not just diced green chilis, but is a whole chunk). Had my fill and drove on home. Good trip, easy miles, flowing water, which was just what I needed. |
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