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| General Crook V27-V33, AZ | |
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| | General Crook V27-V33, AZ | | | |
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General Crook V27-V33, AZ
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| Hiking | 14.22 Miles |
1,112 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.22 Miles | 5 Hrs 24 Mns | | 2.63 mph |
| 1,112 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I planned to do this segment back in June, but the Wilbur Fire scotched that plan. Currently, no two resources agree on the General Crook Trail’s exact route. Personally, I’m trying my best to follow the Boy Scouts.
You might suspect that from V27 to V33 would be six miles. You would be wrong. It is eight miles. Taking the fixed point of V21, from the previous segment, then this segment’s FR 9361K trailhead is at milepost 26.7. V31, next to AZ-87, is also known, and it is two miles from there to Baker Lake. I knew something was funny before I headed out.
The fire had not burned as throughly as it appeared from the highway. Some trees were not burnt at all, others only singed, some killed, and even a few that left only an ashen “ghost” of where they fell. Mostly, the damage was concentrated around individual trees, not many contiguous acres.
After 10 minutes searching, I could not find V27 where Bowman claimed it was, on FR 9405D and AZ-260. Measuring from V21, Twentynine Tank is about mile 28½ on the GCT. Rounding up, 29 — not 27½ per Bowman. The tank’s water level was very low. A ⅓ mile past the tank is where things got interesting.
FR 9405D ends at FR 144, which is a very nice gravel road. Across FR 144 is a camping area. (More on this later.) Hiking @The_Eagle ‘s route, I turned left, following FR 144 for a mile along the lower northern slope of Twentynine Mile Butte to FR 9385G — Bowman’s “V28” at the “old logging track”. I turned south on FR 9385G along the east side Twentynine Mile Butte. After a ½ mile, I realized I had seen no chevrons on either FR 144 or FR 9385G. 
I briefly considered cutting cross-country to Corduroy Wash. Instead, I continued down FR 9385G, past an unnamed tank — Bowman’s “Trail Tank”? — to a double gate. Right of the gate was the first chevron I’d seen in two miles, laying in the dirt, where it’d fallen off a burnt tree. I nailed it back up. I searched 100 yds. that way and found a second chevron. Interesting. Another 100 yds., another chevron.
I kept following the chevrons, cross-country, along the west side of Twentynine Mile Butte. There was only a hint of trail: Basically a clearing in the sparse brush. After ½ mile, the chevrons tracked along FR 6176 and FR 9387A back to the camping area I mentioned earlier. I’d found the correct route: At the end of FR 9405D, turn left on FR 144, then take the next right onto FR 9387A. Then follow the chevrons. 
All that extra travel added over four miles and two hours to my day.
I doubled back to the double gate. The chevrons continued on the south side of FR 9385G, for more easy cross-country travel to FR 9387H. I took a lunch break in the shade.
Afterwards, I hiked south on FR 9387H, then along FR 9382G for the final chevron-following ½ mile to AZ-87. V31 is easily visible across the highway.
On the other side of AZ-87, trail turns north, along the west side of a barbed wire fence. For some reason the chevrons were red, not white or silver. Just before mile marker V32 — which I did not find — the official trail crosses the fence, following foot trail and decommissioned jeep trail to Baker Lake. The turn may be gated, but I missed it. I was just too used up. 
I dragged into the Rim Rd. trailhead at 4:00 p.m. The attached route is correct, with my wanderings edited out.
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/862873973 <-- following the correct route |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Besides the pictured flowers, I found yellow evening primrose, red and yellow pea, yellow salsify, alpine false spring parsley, American vetch, sunflower (which were all along AZ-260), dandelion |
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Baker Lake |
1-25% full |
1-25% full |
| | | A couple of steers were drinking out of it, and munching grass. But the water was not obvious. |
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Twentynine Tank |
1-25% full |
1-25% full |
| | | Very low. Muddy. The unnamed tanks on FR 9361K, and FR 9385G looked decent. (Is the latter "Trail Tank"?) | | _____________________
| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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