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| Hiking | 12.94 Miles |
3,145 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.94 Miles | 8 Hrs 2 Mns | | 1.84 mph |
| 3,145 ft AEG | 59 Mns Break | | | |
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| Partners |
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none
[ show ]
| no partners | | Weekly trail patrol with fellow volunteer Dave, though it's been almost three weeks since we last hiked.
0830ish start. We hiked the loop in the CCW direction.The recent rain has helped, though we could use another round or three before the creeks start filling up. That said, we found some decent pools through most of the hike.
Bluff Springs Trail has been recently trimmed up to the Cave Trail junction. It's a little brushy as you approach Barks Canyon (nothing prickly), but in good shape all the way to Terrapin.
Terrapin is in good shape overall. There are a few loose, rocky spots where you might need to tread carefully. Occasional catclaw will grab you if you're not paying attention. Otherwise, it was smooth sailing all the way to Dutchman. Surprisingly, we noted several nice pools along the way, something rarely seen on this trail (last winter/spring notwithstanding). If you're looking to camp on Terrapin, there is a nice spot near the creek about a quarter mile south of Dutchman. You can filter along the way or draw from the creek.
The short crossover on Dutchman is in decent shape. Not too brushy and nothing prickly. We stopped for lunch at the high point half way across. I saw a faint trail heading up the hill south of us. I found a nice camp site there with a fire ring and stellar views all around. It looked like the trail continued west before bending around east north of Weaver's Needle. I wonder where that goes. I'll have to check that out sometime.
We continued north on Dutchman past the junction with Peralta about 150 yards to check on water near the Weaver's View, or lunch rock as I like to call it. There are several deep pools there to filter water.
The Peralta Trail is in good shape all the way back to the TH. Most of the elevation gain on this loop is along this stretch, but there are also some great views to be had if you stop and take a look around every now and then. We needed to, of course  . There is no water in the creek at the camp site just north of Weaver's Needle. There are several nice pools at the Pinon Camp farther up the trail. Not the most scenic place to camp after the fire (the Pinon Pines were all crisped and the area is covered with the ugly grass now prevalent), but there are nice camp sites and plenty of water.
We stopped for our last break at Fremont Saddle before heading down. The constant chatter we had throughout the hike turned to strict focus on the descent, lest we trip and fall. Never a good way to end a hike.
Long, enjoyable hike. The weather was perfect for it. Warmer than we thought at the start, no warmer than high 50's all day and sunny throughout the hike. |
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Barks Canyon |
Pools to trickle |
Pools to trickle |
| | | Several nice pools in Barks Canyon where the trail crosses the creek. A few more in the slick rock canyon past the junction with Upper Barks trail. More than enough to filter if you're heading out this weekend and want to lighten your water load going up Cardiac Hill. |
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Peralta Canyon |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Small pools in isolated spots, not enough to filter. |
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Piper Spring |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Nothing near the camp site. We noted a couple of nice pools far down the steep ravine south of the camp site, but it would be difficult to get down and back out. | | _____________________
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