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| High Creek - E Divide - Corral - Rattlesnake, AZ | | -
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| | High Creek - E Divide - Corral - Rattlesnake, AZ | | | |
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High Creek - E Divide - Corral - Rattlesnake, AZ
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| Backpack | 25.91 Miles |
6,202 AEG |
| | Backpack | 25.91 Miles | 17 Hrs | | 1.91 mph |
| 6,202 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | After an inexcusably long break from adventuring, headed out to the Galiuro Wilderness with three objectives: check out the fall colors, explore some more of the trail system, and test out some gear changes.
High Creek #290
Got my 2WD, meh-clearance vehicle a mile from the "official" trailhead a few minutes after sunrise. Watered up and shivered along the climb up High Creek, gawking a few times at the color show. Trail is easy to follow, deceptively steep, and has little overgrowth. Vibing.
E Divide #287
Turned north. Climb keeps on climbing until you reach the saddle a quarter mile in. Paused here to check out the entry log and look for the marked spring. Found a few promising spots and even some damp dirt, NO water on surface, and a decent tread that continued downhill... Back on official trail to enjoy the non-stop visual treat of Big Views, also found a nice (exposed) campsite on the north side of the 7100 BM saddle. The section of trail from 7100 BM -> Rattlesnake is phenomenal, stellar views of the southern half. After reaching the junction I cruised, since I had already been here two years ago.
Paused at the Paddy River junction to down some calories and try to mentally prepare myself for a potential slog. It was worse than I expected. The western slopes were a mess of deadfall, loose rocks, and confusing treads; Douglas Canyon was filled with more deadfall, thick brush, and washout; and the general area around Kennedy Peak was devastated. With a light pack I was making about a mile an hour along this section, tho some of that was spent hunting tread to get a more accurate GPS route. Outside of the frustrating aspects, the geology of this area was pretty cool, and there was water! Hesitant on calling this a true one-and-done.
Corral Canyon #291
After the beating for the last few hours I was running low on patience and water, so decided to barrel in a generally correct direction instead of hunting tread. Few puddles above the waterfall and clear, tasty water at the spring itself. Rest of the trail was in fine shape, splattering of fall colors.
Powers Garden #96
Highway cruising. There is 5-10 large downs to circle around, otherwise easy walking. It was getting dark and the cold was settling in quickly, so while my original plan was to camp at Holdout, I stopped shortly after Rattlesnake Spring.
Had a small fire for warmth during dinner, and then doused it shortly after, chased by the cold temps into my hammock. Had one of my best sleeps outside in recent memory, nestled in a pair of 40F under/top quilts. Got chilly around 1AM, pulled on some extra layers, and survived. Morning was a shiver-fest, so I pushed back breakfast plans until a few miles could warm me up.
Rattlesnake #285
This trail is so good, with solid tread and wonderful fall colors and all, yet some parts of it is so overgrown, especially the mile west of Holdout Spring. Pulled water and had breakfast at Holdout, then pushed on, anxious to get the climb done. Ran into a chill bear shortly after leaving the creek. Briefly about exploring the unnamed "#285A" spur at the saddle - there is even an ineligible sign sitting there - and instead pushed on. More overgrowth along the climb, and that scree section was several notches above my comfort level, so I bypassed through some angry manzanita. I've done the scree before, in the winter, and this time seemed way sketchier. By the time I reached the top I was quite sweat, bloodied, and ready to be done.
E Divide #287 / High Creek #290
Nothing new. The sun was higher so the fall colors on High Creek popped more. Passed the miles by plotting out the next few adventures.
Gear Notes - this is my second underquilt and I'm getting more used to hammock camping, though I struggle a lot on finding good spots to hang, even in something as tree-rich as this wilderness. Need more practice. First time backpacking in trail runners and had zero issues. Also used a hydration pack with a hose for easy sipping... on the fence. I like having individual bladders so I can keep track of my intake, as well as have forced breaks.
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Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Some areas seemed pretty close to peak. Other areas seemed stressed and had shed everything already. Speculate that the peak will be in 2 weeks. |
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Corral Spring |
Quart per minute |
Quart per minute |
| | | Cement trough had a little bit of water. Underneath the trough it was several large tanks of clear water with a good trickle in/out. |
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Corral Tank |
1-25% full |
1-25% full |
| | | This one is confusing. I did not see any dam along North Fork, though there were a few puddles in North Fork with reasonable clarity. There IS a signed "Corral Dam" along the tributary, where the trail climbs up to the north, which was had a dribble that would be very difficult to collect. |
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Holdout Spring |
Gallon + per minute |
Gallon + per minute |
| | | Solid, as usual. | | _____________________
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