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| Sugarloaf Hill (Gleeson Area), AZ | |
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| | Sugarloaf Hill (Gleeson Area), AZ | | | |
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Sugarloaf Hill (Gleeson Area), AZ
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| Hiking | 1.20 Miles |
425 AEG |
| | Hiking | 1.20 Miles | 47 Mns | | 1.53 mph |
| 425 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | When I first got to the center of Gleeson, AZ, I planned on taking High Lonesome road South to Eagle Trail road. At the intersection of Gleeson Road and High Lonesome Road looking South there was a sign saying "Private Drive" and "No trespassing". But after further analysis, I don't believe this road is on private property or is trespassing in any way. Anyway, at this time, I decided to find another way through. I drove West on Gleeson road until I saw a sign for "High Lonesome Ranch Estates". This was a private residential area and I believe there was a sign saying "residents only", but nobody knows who I am. I continued South on N. Legend Trail. See my driving directions for more...
I've learned over the years that some A-hole land owners like to overstep their legal boundaries and put fences and signs up to prevent people from driving across legal easements or right-of-way roads. I realized that there were other land owners to the South who may want to, and probably do, take this road to access the main road (Gleeson road).
Driving directions: Take Gleeson road to N. Legend Trail. Continue South on N. Legend trail into "High Lonesome Ranch Estates". Continue for 0.59 miles and take your next right on N. Old Adobe Lane. Continue for less than 1/4 mile and take a left on N. Stagecoach Pass. There were some old historic street signs here that looked very nice. Definitely worth some photos. Stay on N. Stagecoach Pass road until you reach the intersection of High Lonesome Road. This is the same road that I saw at Gleeson Road. Turn left following High Lonesome Road North for a little over 1 mile until you reach W. Eagle Trail, then turn right. Take Eagle trail to it's end and park near the cul-de-sac, but off the road in case anyone else needs to turn around there. On the drive out I simply took High Lonesome Rd North to Gleeson Rd. Right before getting to Gleeson road, I saw similar "private drive" signs. There were 2 men standing outside. I waved to them as I passed by and they waved back. Just act like you live there and it's not a problem, I suppose!
The hike: The West face looked pretty steep but the North face looked like an easier climb so I left from the cul-de-sac and headed toward the North side of the hill. The first 0.2 were relatively flat. I crossed a few washed and then gained a little elevation. I saw a trail which was either an old human trail or perhaps an animal trail. I followed the trail around gaining some elevation, but then I realized that wasn't going to get me to the peak. From North of the peak, I just had to zig-zag my way to the top, going around the thick brush and avoiding the steeper rocky areas.
I made it to the peak and saw areas with a lot of aggressive flies, which I believe were flying ants. They had a reddish color and they swarmed on top of my camouflaged hat. I tried to swat them away using my hands and then some dry branches I found on the peak and it was nearly impossible to get them off of me. They didn't appear to bite but they were very annoying. Even the rocks around the registry were covered with these flying ants. Not sure what was attracting them to these areas. Anyway, I signed the registry which was wet and hard to sign and then got the hell out of there!
I noticed that when I went to the North side of the peak, most of the flying ants left me. I believe they were trying to guard their territory and saw me as a threat. Looking to the East, I saw a farm down below. Looking West, I saw some private property in the distance. I took a similar route on the way down and finished this hike in roughly 1 hour total.
Total round trip distance = 1.2 miles
AEG = 425 feet
Strava moving time = 47 mins
Strava elapsed time = 1 hr 3 mins
**Time spent swatting aggressive flying ants = 5 minutes!! |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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