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| Backpack | 3.50 Miles |
1,380 AEG |
| | Backpack | 3.50 Miles | 1 Day | | |
| 1,380 ft AEG | | 27 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | Okay, a newbie's first triplog. So, if nothing else, my data entries above are not precise. (I don't have one of those trip tracker thingies, per se.)
I'm officially an Old Man now, so before telling (long) OM stories, let me get to the three most important items first:
1) The trailhead has been moved. It is now on the west side of the Old Beeline Highway. (Not on the east side, next to Sycamore Creek.) Look at the screenshot of my GPS in my Photoset. (I wish that I could link photos to this text.)
Most of the triplogs that I saw on the 'Net, including text from the US Forestry Service, have it wrong. But the free Android app that I used, OSMand GPS map, had it right.
So, drive past the sign that says "Trail Access" and turn right/west onto the dirt road. That will take you to a big oval "parking lot," and you'll see the large AZT sign board, where the connector is.
2) To my great surprise, there was cell phone coverage on most of the trail. This was with my cheap Tracfone. (I don't know what provider it uses. (I think Verizon.))
3) Although the trail is fairly obvious, I still managed to wander off on 'false'/'phantom' (?) trails twice near the end. I'm amazed that the GPS on my cheap phone can show me 50' off trail.
Last, the trail is rated as "Moderate" difficulty. Frankly, I thought it was easy, even with my backpack, considering the 1400' gain in elevation. It was easy to navigate, easy to walk (well maintained), easy to stop and take a break.
Although there was one place where one has to "scramble" to make it up about a 2 foot rock. (I couldn't have done it without two trekking poles.)
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Okay, long story.
I backpacked most of the LSM Trail, in & out, on Wednesday and Thursday. My primary intent was to overnight to test modifications to my 'sleep system' (ostensibly a 30 degree bag (that's the survival rating)) in forecast 20 degree weather at altitude.
My mods worked fine. I was fairly warm. (Slept with my puffy unzipped.)
My secondary intent was to see if this 68 year old could backpack.
Yes. But slowly.
It was my first backpack trip ever. And solo. (Kinda dumb, I know.)
Referring to the photoset, on the drive up from Phoenix, I was wondering what I was getting myself into. A cold front had passed the night before, dumping a lot of rain, and then snow, on the hills. (Which is why I wanted to hike this day. I knew it would be a good test for my sleep system after Cold Front Passage.) In fact, a snow plow was driving on the south side of the Beeline Hwy as I turned off at the Sunflower exit.
By the time I arrived at Sunflower (11 am), the Beeline was clear. But I put the Blazer into 4x4 for the drive on the forest road to the trailhead, just in case. (Still some snow on the edges of the road.)
I ate a small lunch, loaded up, and started hiking at about 12:30 pm.
There was plenty of water in a stream along the trail. (It is not Sycamore Creek, contrary to what I read in a different forum.) You have to cross it at least three times. But this was after a day of rain and snow before, and snow melt this day. (Implying that I don't know if it has water in the summer.)
It took me almost 4 hours to hike a bit less than 4 miles. That was with a lot of stops to take off layers (twice! - in the end, I was wearing just my shirt & windbreaker (OAT was about 45 degrees); drink electrolyte; take "butt breaks;" and enjoy the views.
I was in the base of a cloud at about 3 pm, with snow flurries! Uh-oh.
Going higher, there was about an inch of fresh snow on the ground in places, which did three things for me: 1) It showed me that I was the only human on the trail. 2) It showed me that there were animals (unknown to me) also on the trail. 3) As it was sometimes muddy (read, sticky) on the trail from snow melt, I preferred walking in the snow.
As a bonus, my footprints were still in the snow the next day, which made it very easy to not get lost on the return trip!
At about 4:30 p.m. I didn't have the stamina to climb the last few hundred feet to finish the last quarter mile of the trail. Besides, there was a beautiful campsite - a mini-mesa - next to the trail. And since the sun was getting low, I thought I had better set up camp and eat before it was dark.
The mini-mesa overlooked the west and had morning sun exposure to the east. I saw a nice sunset (see photo) and I could see the lights of several towns/cities from my site.
Apparently someone in the past also thought this was a good campsite, as I saw a (very old) Schlitz beer can under a bush in the snow. (I packed it out.)
Being on a mesa, the wind blew most of the night, ruffling my tent, keeping me awake.
Also being on a mesa - and I expected this from my experience as a pilot - the winds shifted to the east at sunrise. And it was QUITE blustery.
So blustery that I couldn't heat water for scrambled eggs. It was hard to pack up my tent. (It made a huge windsock.) The wind blew my polycryo around, causing me to lose my emergency whistle to the elements.
I was out of my tent at 7 am, but my hands were so cold, I just wanted to get out of there. So I just rammed things into my pack and started hiking back at around 9 am. (Not a very good weight distribution.)
The hike downhill felt much faster, but it took me about the same 4 hours. While downhill seems like it should be easier, it uses a different set of muscles, so I took it slow. Also, it was slippery at times. I twisted my ankle a bit at first (because I didn't warm up for the return hike) and I slipped on some clear ice and fell semi-vertically, shoulder-wise, into a large boulder. Thanks to my Lord for trekking poles!
On the way down, it again looked like I was the only one on trail. But I met three sets of volunteers working on the trail that day.
Wow - I don't think that we appreciate what these folks do for us. I asked them if a fallen tree was supposed to be part of the adventure. (They said, "No.") They have taken the time to put steps in along the trail. I don't know what their criterion is for improvements. I'm glad they haven't put pavers in the creek for crossing.
I arrived back at my vehicle at 1 pm. I was tired, and for now, this is the limit of my abilities. But I continue to train.
Days later, nothing hurts. No blisters, no knee pain. (I wore a knee brace on the hike.) My feet were a little swollen, I suppose from the pounding that they took. (My cuticles were a little rosy for a day.) My calves were tight for a day, letting me know that they had been working. But I stretched them out, and they were fine the next day.
I didn't see any rattlesnakes, which I expected would be the case, given the cold. I'm looking forward to hiking the trail again in mid-March, this time from the north trailhead. I hope the snakes aren't out then. |
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| Be careful. It really is "a jungle out there." |
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