DESTINATION Peak 6311 - Santa Ritas 1 Photoset
2024-01-29 | |
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| Hiking | 6.13 Miles |
1,430 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.13 Miles | 3 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.75 mph |
| 1,430 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I chose to walk from where I parked on FS 4056, which made the hike longer than if I had driven up FS 231. From where I parked, off FS 4056, in a canyon area, I needed to slide under a barbed wire fence and walk part of a canyon to go in the direction I wanted. Within a few minutes, I found a steep well-defined trail exiting the canyon and going up toward a ridgeline. Once on the ridgeline I kept going higher and after going for a total of 0.2 miles, I ran into the road which was FS 231. I continued on that road until I reached a cul-de-sac and possible parking area. Then continued straight and left downhill and this was apparently FS 4053. After continuing about 1/2 mile I saw FS 4053 A which is where I made my right turn and continued for about 0.3 miles.
Near the end of FS 4053 A I found a 5 foot tall rock enclosure that was probably made by miners who were here. It's hard to tell what this was used for. After this I continued for a few hundred feet and found a trail branching off from the road going West, up the side of the mountain. I found a stake here with a pink ribbon. Be careful in this area because there are a few mining holes. I saw a warning sign in front of one of them, so I would imagine all of the large holes have warning signs.
From here, I followed various animal trails for roughly 1/4 mile to get to the saddle South of Peak 6311. Then, I continued Northwest along the rocky ridgeline to the summit. The last 800 feet getting to the summit was a little slower because it was very rocky with some trees and brush to go around. At the peak, I looked in the most obvious spots for a registry but didn't find one. Luckily, I had a glass jar with me so I started a new registry and secured it under a few rocks.
From the summit, I could see the rocky ridgeline continuing down to the Northwest. Looking Northwest I could see the Helvetia mine which was closer than I expected. Looking to the North, in the distance I could see the Catalinas and the Rincons. Looking South I could see the snow capped Mt Wrightson.
I didn't start my hike until 3:30 pm so I knew I would be pressed for time and I didn't even know if I would finish this or turn around because I wasn't that interested in doing a bushwhack-type hike at night. Luckily, a good portion of this hike was on FS roads and that allowed me to make pretty good time. I was able to get back to the road well before dark but it got dark while I was walking the road and I needed to use a headlamp for about the last mile or so.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip) = 6.13 miles
AEG = 1,430 feet
Strava Moving time = 2 hrs 56 mins
Strava Elapsed time = 3 hrs 55 mins |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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