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| Hiking | 14.05 Miles |
3,505 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.05 Miles | 8 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.95 mph |
| 3,505 ft AEG | 1 Hour 10 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I have been wanting to hike to Santa Fe Baldy (elevation of 12,622 feet and prominence of 1,982 feet) for 3-4 years, and I finally got over there to do this one. As a frame of reference, Santa Fe Baldy is 11 feet lower than Humphreys Peak. In some ways this hike reminds me of hiking Humphreys from Snowbowl, but overall I thought that this hike was more enjoyable.
The TH elevation is around 10,300 feet. You start off gaining some elevation right off the bat -- I gained about 550-600 feet over the first 3/4 mile, which took me to the wilderness boundary. Then you lose the 550-600 feet that you just gained over the next 1.5 miles or so. From there the gain is relatively gradual up to a saddle that is at about 11,700 feet in elevation, and about 1 mile from the summit. From there it is a steep climb to the summit, with the steepest being about 12,100-12,500 feet. This part was slow going for me, as I was basically going straight up a steep slope. Once at 12,500 feet, it was a fairly easy walk the rest of the way.
Most of the hike up to the aforementioned saddle, was through trees -- kind of like hiking Humphreys up to Agassiz Saddle. However, for the most part the tread was much, much better than Humphreys. Once at the saddle, the views really opened up.
The summit views were quite nice. I walked a short distance from the summit and had some good views looking down on Lake Katherine.
On the way back Route Scout flaked out and there is a flat lined segment on my gps track. That is the first time that has happened in a long, long time.
There were quite a few yellow aspen leaves on the hike, although they were not yet at peak.
I enjoyed this hike, although regaining the 550-600 feet on the way back was a bit of a struggle. If I lived in the area I imagine that I would do this one 2-3 times a year.
This was my 150th U.S. county highpoint, with 48 of them being in 2023; and the year is not yet over! |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
The aspens weren't at peak yet, but there were lots of yellow leaves to be seen. |
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| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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