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| Hiking | 12.32 Miles |
2,801 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.32 Miles | 6 Hrs 44 Mns | | 1.99 mph |
| 2,801 ft AEG | 32 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | This was my 3rd crack at this passage and the one where I finally finished it off. Last week I did the dirt roads from Pidgeon Springs TH, 13 years ago I did the Boulder Creek Trail from 87, this week I did the in between sections I hadn't hiked yet. I still have the GPS track from 13 years ago, so I knew exactly where to stop on the way down.
I drove out to FR422 to its junction with FR463, which has a parking spot right there and is about a quarter mile from where I left of last week. On the way in, Wally complained about the washboarding on FR143. On the way back after driving 422, we both laughed at how smooth the washboarding now seemed. 422 is pretty gnarly. there are 2 to 3 really tough spots, but you just need to take your time. Never needed a spotter, but it is slow going and really rocky. On the way in, I actually had to use the locking differential on the Xterra for the first time since I can't remember when. For as old as that vehicle is now, I'm very proud of how it handled the road and was still a smooth ride once we got to pavement. The drive in and out on 422 was as much of an adventure at the hike was. Much less traffic on this road this Saturday compared to last Saturday. It seems as though elk season ended as the majority of who I saw last week were hunters.
Hiking 422 from the junction of 463 to the singletrack is not level. It starts level for a bit, then has a short climb, then a big drop. Then you drop another 1000' on the singletrack to where we stopped. We spotted 2 deer on 422 far below us for a bit, but didn't manage to get any pics before left the road and went down a hill into the brush. Some spots on 422 were smooth, but the steep spots have eroded and look like some more gnarly driving.
Boulder Creek Trail goes uphill from 422 briefly over a knob and then descends into the canyon. There are a couple of switchbacks to the bottom, then it parallels the dry creek, crossing it a few times. The views up to the top of the canyon slopes are nice. The south side has a lot of ponderosas. Once section of the trail near the creek is very overgrown and in need of some trail maintenance. It's not horrible, but it could be in a few years.
The views at the high point of 422 have the best views. then along the top of Boulder Creek Trail are nice looking down into the canyon all the way down to the Beeline.
Only wildlife we saw was the deer from the distance during the hike. On the way back on 422 we saw a doe that waited until we were almost right on top of it before it decided to run in front us.
The ride back down 143 always seems to go faster than on the way up. This time it seemed way easier than I remember it being in a long time. Long day, but a very well spent day. Temps were a bit warm when the direct sunlight hit. Any shade or clouds made a big difference in cooling things off. |
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