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| Highline - Drew - Woods Canyon - Sinkhole Loop, AZ | |
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| | Highline - Drew - Woods Canyon - Sinkhole Loop, AZ | | | |
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Highline - Drew - Woods Canyon - Sinkhole Loop, AZ
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| Hiking | 15.31 Miles |
1,832 AEG |
| | Hiking | 15.31 Miles | 7 Hrs 2 Mns | | 2.48 mph |
| 1,832 ft AEG | 52 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | What a great day to hike the Rim Country. A nearly cloudless sky with temps in the 60's. A wonderful route with excellent company made it just about perfect.
A four plus mile stroll under a canopy of green to start the hike. Gorgeous. Then came Drew and a short break. Joyful banter up to this point gave way to heavy breathing for the next mile. Everyone at their own pace. It was quick, though, and soon enough we were back on relatively flat ground enjoying the splendor of this fabulous area as we headed cross country to Woods Canyon Lake.
The Woods Canyon Lake trail is a delight. We stopped for lunch with a lakefront view and watched kayakers and anglers give it their best. After lunch, a detour around nesting eagles then on to the dam. Once at the dam, we dropped into the drainage and continued along Woods Canyon for another two miles before climbing out.
I enjoyed Woods Canyon, but that last mile as the canyon narrowed was starting to wear on me. I was hoping for a deviation in the route, but climbing out before the prescribed exit would have been steep and much more difficult. I zipped it and continued on. Once out of Woods Canyon we stopped for a break before heading cross country to the Sinkhole trail. The break ended with a smiley-faced Bruce tossing pine cones at me. Guess it's time to go. 
We made our way to the sinkhole trail, took a glance at the sinkhole as we passed (without slowing down) and continued on back to the Rim. We took a momentary pause to enjoy the views from the Rim before heading down to the trailhead. As we descended, more than one of us wondered aloud why we kept going up when we're supposed to be going down. By now Kelly was leading the pack, so it didn't matter if we were going up or down; we were going fast!
This is a great loop, my second time through it, both with Bruce along guiding the way. It was a most enjoyable day. Bruce, Kelly and Linda, it is always great hiking with you. Thanks for a wonderful day! |
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