| |
|
| | First mile of Trail 24 West, AZ | | | |
|
|
First mile of Trail 24 West, AZ
| | |
|
| Hiking | 1.26 Miles |
236 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.26 Miles | 1 Hour | | 1.30 mph |
| 236 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | 11 LBS Pack | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | This is a log entry for only the first mile of the North Peak Trail, starting at the Mineral Creek TH to the (non-existent?) Mineral Spring and its sister Spring.
Important things first:
1) From Phoenix: Beeline to Rye exit. FR 414 to FR 414A. (Take a GPS or you might miss the 414A turn off. (See photo.))
2) The second half of FR 414 (past FR 442) is very driveable - except where it's not. I was able to drive at 25 mph for most of it. But it still needs HC in a few places.
3) The TH and the trail itself show that while the trail gets some love, it doesn't get very much.
4) I could not find any of the three charted Springs. Nor has a gentleman who ATV'd up from the south.(A local (?) who hikes the trail frequently(?))
5) But I did see a very small pool of water to the side of the trail. (This was before a night of rain.) So if you were desperate ...
6) Two small deer jumped out in front of me and crossed the trail. So I presume there is good water somewhere.
7) I didn't see much bear scat on trail. None at the TH.
--------------------------
This was part 1 of 3 of a 3-day "excursion." Initially, I had assigned a 5% probability that I would visit North Peak Trail, a.k.a Mineral Creek. But after I noticed a prominent sign at the start of FR 414, saying "Mineral Creek TH [only] 8 miles," I thought "Hmm... might be good since they're advertising it." In this sense, it's an enigma.
I had been on FR 414 to FR 442 a few times this year now and it was the same drive for that part. About 15 mph max, with a few very rugged creek crossings that need High Clearance. (4x4 helps at those crossings.)
But after the 442 turn off, 414 turns into a very nice road. I was able to travel at 25 mph most of the way. Except where I couldn't.
You don't need 4x4 for 414 itself. But I suggest that you need 4x4 for the "road" 414A to the Mineral Creek TH.
Despite the prominent sign at the start that advertised the Mineral Creek TH, there was no signage thereafter. Most surprisingly, no sign at the turn off for the TH! I almost missed it.
The TH itself is underwhelming. (See photo.) Just a small bulldozed oval with some signs telling you that you've "arrived." Nothing like other TH's I've been to (some more remote) that have the large sign boards with maps and warnings about bears/snakes. Not even the engraved wood signs posted in the ground that say things like "MDT 4.2 miles."
Overall, with the wind blowing the dry dust around, it reminded me of a lonely desert scene from a Clint Eastwood Western. All it needed was blowing tumbleweeds to be complete.
Since I've become obsessed lately with trying to find charted Springs, my only purpose in making this hike was to see if I could find any of the three charted springs that my various apps showed. (The HAZ map shows two. My other apps show a third.) Who knows? Perhaps I'll be coming back this way from the MDT someday and will need water.
So I didn't take my full backpack. Just 2 liters of water and my emergency pack inside my full Gregory pack. (I'll pay the weight penalty for comfort.)
It was about 3 pm when I started out. OAT was 98 F. Thankfully a little wind. And since I was headed west, the peaks of the mountains provided some shade after a while.
The first Spring is charted to be 500 feet in, along Mineral Creek. I couldn't find it. (I even went back the next morning to look.) Sometime around here, two deer jumped out from the trees ahead of me and bounded up the trail. So I suppose that they know where there's good water. (The Creek was dry.)
While the start of the trail was obvious at first (photo), it wasn't as obvious as it weaved in and out of the Creek. If there were cairns to show the way, I didn't see them.
Despite the lack of direction, I was able to stay on track.
The trail is mostly up. With not many switchbacks. So sometimes you're looking at a straight length of trail that seems to go straight up hill. Sigh.
I rounded a bend to the south, where Mineral Spring and another unnamed Spring were supposed to be.
I probably don't understand "Springs." I thought that they were naturally occurring things, sometimes enhanced by man (Bear Spring), sometimes not. (Windsor Spring.) And I'm probably spoiled by the Volunteers who sometimes install plastic boxes at Springs (Chilson) and who sometimes mark them with prominent signage. (Bear, Chilson, Thicket.)
Here I didn't see any signs. Although I saw a cairn in the middle of the trail near where Mineral Spring was supposed to be. Perhaps that was a sign that I was suppose to descend into the thicket to the Spring?
It could be that you access the Springs from further west along the trail. But this is as far as I went.
The next day a couple of guys drove to the TH on ATV's. I asked them if they had hiked this trail before. ("Yes.") And if they had found the Springs. ("No.")
I dunno - perhaps some of these chartings are historical. (Whereas I'm used to the FAA updating air data on a 56-day cycle.) The AZT Steward for the Mt Peeley Passage told me that they had "recovered" Thicket Spring. Which I take to mean that they had cut back the way to the Spring itself, since Thicket looked to be a totally naturally occurring Spring with no tubs, piping, etc.
Anyway, I hiked back to the TH with the intent of driving to stage for my next planned hike. But as it was after 5 pm, starting to get dark (those mountains to the west), I decided that I didn't want to drive on a FR at dusk. So I camped in the Blazer for the night instead of letting the wind blow dust into my tent all night. |
| _____________________
| Be careful. It really is "a jungle out there." |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 