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| Hiking | 20.45 Miles |
2,755 AEG |
| | Hiking | 20.45 Miles | 9 Hrs 43 Mns | | 2.44 mph |
| 2,755 ft AEG | 1 Hour 21 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | We parked near Horseshoe Dam and started out for Davenport Peak a little after 7AM with the temperature hovering right around freezing. We crossed the walkway under the dam and took a look at at the reservoir before starting the easy walk along FR 479...hiking roads often doesn't make for the most exciting hiking, but there are a lot of nice saguaro forests near KA Ranch and beyond, and we spotted a crested saguaro in there. The geology in the cliffs on the south side of the ranch was interesting, too, with cool spires.
Sears Trailhead isn't much more than a bullet-riddled sign with a small area to pull off the road, and we connected with FR 477 just beyond the sign and then followed the cairns that mark the route on the south side of Davenport Wash. The brush wasn't too bad, though I pulled the clippers out in a few spots, and the GPS came in handy when navigating that area, particularly with Joe's route downloaded with multiple "cairn" waypoints (thank you!  ). After about a mile of following the winding cairn path, we passed an extremely tall saguaro, and the trail became more defined again as it climbed up between some nice limestone cliffs.
The trail remained easy to follow for a few miles, and a few deer crossed ahead of us. The route became a little less obvious again as we approached the unnamed springs ~8.5 miles in. TBoneKathy waited in that area while I took off for Davenport Peak, which was visible for most of the hike. The off-trail route approaching the S/SE side of the peak wasn't too bad--the brush was sparse enough that dodging it was usually easy.
The approach to the peak looked more challenging from a distance, but less so as I started up the southeast side, and there was enough solid rock that traction was good. But the last quarter mile was very steep and required scrambling up the rocks to reach the south end of the ridge, then it flattened out again on top, with great 360° views. There was a dusting of snow on the other Mazatzal Peaks to the east, and a little on the peaks to the west beyond Horseshoe Reservoir.
[ youtube video ]
Based on the register, the peak doesn't get many visitors--the last entry was from Joe/Eagle/LindaAnn/BiFrost in Feb 2022. Of the ten entries in the notebook that dated back to 2013, eight were from HAZ members (the four above plus chumley, mazatzal, ASUAviator, and BobP in 2014)...so an average of about one visitor per year. I added my name, took some pictures, and started back down, passing two very small patches of snow on the ridge. Once I was back on the trail, I rejoined TboneKathy, who'd noticed an usual protrusion on a cliff wall near her waiting point that resembled a wasp nest but was solidified and rock-hard. We weren't sure if it was geological, biological, or something else...guesses are welcome: [ photo ] .
The hike out was straightforward, and we didn't see anyone until two bikers passed us FR 479 less than a mile from the dam, then we saw more people around the river and in the parking lot. We'd never started any hikes from Horseshoe or visited the western Mazatzals before but will hopefully return soon. Before heading out, we drove around to check out the area and look at routes up toward some of the other peaks around Horseshoe. Overall, it was a great day and very comfortable once it warmed up. |
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