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| Hiking | 24.03 Miles |
2,735 AEG |
| | Hiking | 24.03 Miles | 9 Hrs 14 Mns | | 2.79 mph |
| 2,735 ft AEG | 38 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | We chose this one last minute the day before the hike...I've been up Picketpost a few times but hadn't hiked in the area around it, so we started from Picketpost TH on an out-and-back on AZT #17/GET #3 to see how far we could with the time we had. I was a little worried this might be a letdown--from what I'd read, the northern part of GET #3 is the least scenic, flattest, and easiest portion, and we'd miss the best parts further south in the White Canyon Wilderness.
As we pulled up to the trailhead, there were special event signs for an Aravaipa Running trail race that unfortunately coincided with our route. Starting out, I was underwhelmed with the hike as it met the low expectations. Picketpost is always impressive, but it's surrounded by some fairly nondescript hills. Over the first few miles, it felt like we were just looking at Picketpost from slightly different angles as we followed a relatively flat trail through semi-burned landscape, crossing terrain that smelled like a farm and dodging piles of horse and cow poop. It was a cloudy, dreary morning, and the creek had more mud than water. Not the most impressive start...
We passed a lot of flags and signs marking the race course, and as we approached the intersection for the Picketpost Circumference route, I joked that we should move a few signs and divert the runners off our route before they showed up. We hoped the race was starting at 9AM so we'd have a decent head start, but the first runner passed us ~8:50AM...then gradually a few more...then the floodgates opened. The runners were friendly, but it got old constantly looking over my shoulder and stepping off the trail every minute or two to let more of them pass. We finally asked one of the runners if they knew how many racers had signed up, hoping the traffic might end soon. They didn't know exactly but guessed the entry limit was 400 but didn't think the race had sold out...so we could expect up to 400 people passing us.
The landscape started get more interesting 5-6 miles in, with deeper canyons and more intriguing geology and cliffs. We kept a decent pace despite stepping off the trail so often, and we were happy to leave the runners behind when the course turned onto Telegraph Road around eight miles in. We took our first break at the 10-mile mark, just past an Arizona Trail gate. At that point, we were close enough to the end of the AZT segment that I wanted to finish it off...if I ever decide to hike the full AZT, I wanted to avoid repeating this one just to complete that last short stretch.
TBoneKathy waited there, and I left most of my stuff behind and ran/hiked the last two miles to the end of AZT #17. It would've been nice to have more time to explore around there...I was just getting into an intriguing area with Ajax and the various numbered peaks near that intersection, but I needed to get going, so I raced back and we started the hiking out.
As underwhelmingly as the day started, it ended much more positively, and the return trip was far more enjoyable--the sun finally came out, and the views looking north at the Superstition Ridgeline in the afternoon shadows were fantastic. The trail runners were gone by mid-afternoon, so we weren't constantly stepping off the trail, and it was a very pleasant hike out. We didn't get into the White Canyon Wilderness area farther south along GET #3, but it still turned into a good day. I didn't plan to complete the whole AZT segment, but that ended up working out well...42 to go?  |
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