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| Backpack | 4.00 Miles |
500 AEG |
| | Backpack | 4.00 Miles | 1 Day | | |
| 500 ft AEG | | 31 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | So, first off, per my usual so far, I was only able to hike about 4 miles each day. So this trip report is only from Mormon Grove to McFarland Canyon and return. (AZT Passage 22C.)
Second, my first time on a Forest Road. The drive on the road took almost as long as the drive from Phoenix. (I drove very carefully and very slowly.)
Third, still speaking about the FR, it had rained a lot the week before. The FR wasn't too bad by the time I delayed to arrive. Some patches of deep mud. And the creeks were cross-able. But I can see how the road could quickly become very dangerous/impassable after rain.
Fourth, even though I didn't "need" 4x4, it made the drive much easier and much less nerve wracking. E.g., when one side of the vehicle's tires are on a slick spot, and the vehicle starts to slide sideways due to the grade in the road, it's nice having that front tire grab onto solid ground.
Fifth, my vehicle suffered a brake failure from all jarring from the FR. I was able to drive with residual brakes in first gear to the Beeline Highway. From where Triple A was able to tow me.
So my advice here is, have a tow service in your emergency kit.
Long story follows: (See Photoset.)
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It had rained a lot in Sunflower in the middle of the week before. I had initially planned to begin my trip on the following Saturday. But I think that FR 25 would have been somewhat dangerous. Or at least the two creeks would have been running higher, making crossing problematic. So delaying was smart. ("Better safe than sorry.")
Although I have to wonder how all those giant RV's drive on a FR? (I didn't take a photo, but there was a large encampment of RV's off one side of the road.) And there was a sports car of sorts parked along the road. What's with that? (Low ground clearance.)
I had the road to myself on the way up. That was nice, because go as slow as you might, there is no way to see who's coming around a bend at some of the hairpin turns where the side of the mountain blocks your view.
When I arrived at the trailhead, I was surprised to see a truck there. So someone hiking too. (I presume sobo, since I didn't see anything but horse prints (domesticated - had horse shoes) nobo.
The first part of the hike - the connector - is uphill right away. Although not much. Maybe 200 feet? Still, no easy warm up before getting to it. (OTOH, you're already at 5000' from driving up hill. So that work has been done for you.)
The trail is fairly obvious to follow - several signs along the way. Except for one place where you have to hike in (not "along") a creek for about 20 feet.
There were large cairns at the entrance and exit to the creek. But I don't know how to read cairns and I couldn't see the exit one from the entrance.
It looks like people put pointers on them (as in, "This way"). But that could have been random.
Anyway, I was surprised that part of a trail could be a creek.
Lots of tree falls along the way. Particularly bad within 500 feet of McFarland Canyon, where one was so bad that I had to crawl under it. Since my hike, the forecast was for one to two inches of rain with wind gusts to 50 mph. So I expect that there are now a lot more tree falls.
Lots of water along the trail. Had I know, I would have saved a few pounds and only carried 2 bottles of water.
The first water was early on on the trail. There is some old structure there - vertical I-beam girders sunk deep into the ground. (How did they carry those up there? And how did they sink them?) Also the remnants of a concrete footer at the weep. Perhaps irrigation related? (For the mines?)
After that, there were a few other weeps/pools where one could obtain water if one needed to.
Then, as you begin your descent into the Canyon, a small stream of water, and then the creek that you have to follow that I mentioned above.
Finally, plenty of water in McFarland Canyon.
With all that water and seeps, there were parts of the trail that were muddy. But I was able to straddle both sides of the trail to walk on dry ground.
Interestingly, it was muddier the next day. It had only rained a smattering overnight. So I don't think it was due to the rain. (Almost slipped and fell. Seems to happen to me when going downhill.)
The AZT Trail steward told me that there had been knee deep snow at Cornucopia the Monday before. But the only snow that I saw was on some higher mountains to the east.
OAT was 56 F when I started. Up to about 60 F before descending into the Canyon where I overnighted.
Now, all the experienced backpackers say that you should never overnight in a canyon. (Cold air descends.) And that you shouldn't overnight near water. (Moisture. Makes everything feel colder - might wet out your down.)
So, in theory, McFarland Canyon should be the worse place to camp. Yet there were two or three firepits that others had built.
The temperature did drop to 39 F overnight. With a RH of 80%! (But no condensation in my tent.)
One nice advantage of camping in a canyon: No wind! Whereas it had been windy on exposed parts of the trail coming and going, and had been forecast to be gusting overnight. It was nice having calm winds in the morning in the Canyon. Made packing up easy.
I didn't see any animals. Not even squirrels in the Canyon. I saw only a few animal tracks along the trail this time. No rattlesnakes. (Yet. Although I saw a video from a foreign couple 20 miles south on the AZT who saw their first rattler ever. (It was huge!))
While nobo, a young twenty-something hiker overtook me (not difficult) and we talked for a minute. He was doing a Thru–hike. (Interestingly, he didn't stink.) Had started in MX. Intended to keep going into UT. Then he shot ahead of me. (Again, not difficult.)
He told me that he had to cross waist high creeks in the Superstitions. (From the rain.)
Other than him, I didn't see anyone else. (Although there could have been someone passing through the next morning, as I didn't rise until 9 am.)
The hike back went a little faster than going, since I didn't take any butt breaks. But it was on and off blustery, causing me to have to stop every so often, take off my pack, and put on or take off my windbreaker.
When I was ready to leave the trailhead, a couple in a Jeep were driving up (rapidly), looking for a place to camp. A minute before and I would have met them as I was going down. Yikes.
So that made me even more anxious on the way down about blindly encountering vehicles speeding around hairpin turns.
And since we live in a Fallen World, my brakes failed from all the jostling from the Forest Road. Fortunately, I had partial brakes and was able to drive safely in first gear to the Beeline, where Triple A eventually arrived (longer story) and towed me home.
And I lost my pocket knife sometime during the hike. Rats. |
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| Be careful. It really is "a jungle out there." |
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