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| Hiking | 16.67 Miles |
2,283 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.67 Miles | 8 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.03 mph |
| 2,283 ft AEG | 32 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Chris is on his AZT kick and next up was the sections of AZT #23 that he hasn't yet completed. I love the Mazzies and said "I'm in" as soon as he asked.
At first it was going to be a 10 miles up the Mazatal Divide trail and then back down the same way, but Chris came up with the idea of a shuttle hike from the Mt Peeley TH to Earnhardt TH. And, that's what we did. Wally and I met up at Casa De Stiller at 5am and then met up again at the Barnhardt TH. We left the Stiller-mobile there and took my truck back down to Mt Peeley TH.
The air was crisp for sure. High 20's, low 30's and a cloudless sky. There was a very cold breeze going in the exposed areas that made it almost COLD! I had read @emilystardust triplog for her visit to Mount Catherine from a week earlier from the same trailhead and saw they ran into more snow than they anticipated. I thought with all the warmer temps, the snow and ice would be limited. But, as we hiked, just about every north facing section of the hike had some sort of snow (and just a little ice). It was more like frozen snow.
The trail skirts Mount Peeley which looked like an easy summit and then cuts along the saddle/ridgeline to the base of Mount Catherine. This section was the nicest part for me. The areas was not hit with the recent (and not so recent) fires and was a lush alpine zone. Towering pines, lots of manzanita and other flora really made for a beautiful hike. The views on the way up and along the base of Mount Catherine were really nice as well. Mt Ord, Four Peaks, Superstition massif, even Weavers Needle was peaking up over the horizon. Looking to the north and east, the clear skies made the San Francisco Peaks very visible with the snowy cap.
Along the back side and moving down, we entered into the burn areas from recent and the formerly mentioned, no so recent fires. Lots of pine skeletons and very thick manzanita. We saw signs of new growth of pine in this area. Little Christmas trees all around.
The Divide trail skirts the Ridgeline between Mount Catherine and Mazatal Peak. I kept an eye out for where we would be meeting the Y-Bar trail, thinking it would be a climb up, but the trail climbed up a bit to skirt the base of Mazatal Peak and that's where we turned off for the Y-Bar Trail.
I read a little about this trail and was expecting a very over-grown, wild trail. And, in some respects, that was it was. It was a little over-grown in some areas and hard to follow. In other areas, there was a tremendous amount of tree fall from fires and the trail snaked along and in-between the trees. For much of the hike it was loose rocks that dominated. It was almost all down from the Divide Trail, but it makes its way around Mazatal Peak by going up and over the little ridges that come down from the peak. I was slow mover in this area. My recent knee issues have improved significantly, but I felt every step at the end, navigating one set of loose rocks after another.
It was a long day as we did not get back to the Mount Peeley TH until sunset (having arrived about sunrise). The drive in seemed rougher at the end of the day, but the road is in ok condition. The Barnhard TH road was worse, very rocky all the way up. I hit an area I have never visited and that was very nice. It's always a good day when I hike with Wally and Chris too. Thanks for the invite, Chris. It was a very enjoyable (painful) day....ha ha |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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