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| Hiking | 8.66 Miles |
1,545 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.66 Miles | 3 Hrs 53 Mns | | 2.23 mph |
| 1,545 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Today’s plan was to walk 2½ miles of Control Road #38, then all 3½ miles of Trail #17, finishing up with a 1⅓ mile climb past Trail #16 to Butterfly Trailhead.
Signs at the top of CR 38 warn that it is “not suitable for passenger cars”. I could have driven my SUV down to Trail #17, but I did not want my shuttle-driving wife to have to drive back up. So, instead I started at the Mount Lemmon Fire Department. It only added a few hundred yards.
CR 38 drops 1,000 ft. in 2¾ miles. Occasionally rocky, with lumpy boulders, it reminded me of FR 172 to Woodbury Trailhead. It had good views south to the antenna farm on Mount Bigelow, as well as northeast across the San Pedro River valley, towards the Galiuro Mountains. It had some decent shade. There was a good size jeep camping spot just under 1½ miles, and a small one, with rougher access, across from Trail #17 at just under 3 miles.
Trail #17 is easy to miss if you are not looking for it, as there is no pullout, just a small sign, which is the same color as the shrubbery.
The first mile of Trail #17 easy to follow through grass & brush. The Bighorn Fire burned quite hot in this area, and little shade remains, except what was provided by the clouds that were starting to roll in. I wasn’t concerned, as the forecast wasn’t expecting rain.
As Trail #17 rotates around the upper reaches of Alder Canyon, it crosses seven washes: Four were bone dry, one had a tiny pool, another had several small pools, and one had a trickle of clear water.
By the time Trail #17 reached the massive boulders above the Crystal Spring, the trail was overgrown with dense brush. Mostly ferns, some chest-high. Reportedly there is also poison ivy, but I must not be affected by it, as I never got itchy. Just sweaty. The vines with 1″ spikes were never painful or frustrating, like catclaw. The trail often became nearly invisible in the brush. I had to concentrate both to pick out the trail, and to avoid stumbling on unseen obstacles underfoot: rocks, branches and tree throw (the holes left by collapsed snags). I saw enough to count seven piles of bear poo. 
After 5⅔ miles, Trail #17 began climbing. Replacing the joy of brush was rain. At least it cooled the temperature. I endured a 30 minute soaking before finally donning my garbage bag “raincoat”. Thanx weather guys!
Within minutes, it stopped raining. Of course. I didn’t want to take my “raincoat” off, because I knew if I did, it would start raining again. So, I endured the sauna suit, as I slowly way my up the 600 ft. climb around Butterfly Peak. Halfway, I turned right on Trail #16. For the most part, there was less brush in the pines.
I breezed into the Butterfly Trailhead five hours after I started, and sat down at a picnic table with my wife to discuss our day’s, consume a sodium restoring V-8, and enjoy the remains of my breakfast burrito. Best part was, no cramps on the drive back into Tucson!
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/847747364 |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Photographed scarlet penstemon, banana yucca, western yarrow, Wright's goldenrod, spreading fleabane, pineywoods geranium, yellow columbine, yellow monkeyflower, crimson monkeyflower, wild bergamot, Arizona thistle and thicket globemallow. Also spotted Santa Catalina Indian Paintbrush, lupine and blooming century plant. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
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