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| Phx Mtn Preserve Loop with New Discovery, AZ | | -
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| | Phx Mtn Preserve Loop with New Discovery, AZ | | | |
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Phx Mtn Preserve Loop with New Discovery, AZ
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| Hiking | 6.09 Miles |
922 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.09 Miles | 2 Hrs 19 Mns | | 2.67 mph |
| 922 ft AEG | 2 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Plan A from yesterday since my phone was fully charged. I just wanted it to get pictures. I decided to start from the official 40th St TH and to hike in the afternoon as the temp was supposed to be perfect with some cloud cover and wind; what more could I ask for.
I headed up the wide and rocky trail that goes to Peak 2429 and also takes you to the junction with Trail 100 where I hung a right (west) to hook up with LV Yates #8 where I hung a left and headed south. The brisk wind was pretty chilly when it gusted but the sun kept me warm. The trail is fairly nice as I continued until you start going up. Besides being green all around you, now the bit of poppies and lupine started showing up in the same area it did last year. I would encounter hikers coming down and one passed me on the way up to the saddle.
And now to switchback my way down and over to the old road/trail leading to Ruth's house. It seems like it's taking a long time to get this house finished. I took some pictures of the poppies as I made my way closer on the trail that takes you to the house. I am always impressed with the landscape around the house with all those fabulous Organ Pipes. I then headed west on Ruth Hamilton Trail. I would encounter a few hikers. When I hit the intersection with the #8 trails I decided to go up the hill to the next saddle just to get some more elevation. That's not the easiest in a couple sections; especially since I'm having such trouble with my right leg.
Once I got to the saddle I remembered the trail I saw when coming up 8B a while back. A couple hikers were sitting on the top bench and offered to give me a spot to sit but I told them I wanted to investigate this trail. The gentleman said he had taken it one time and it wrapped around... I thot he meant clockwise but it wraps north and west. The narrow trail (my name for today: New Discovery) contours alongside the mountain and has a little up and down until you finally come to a nice saddle. From here I could see the next area that the partially shaded trail led to. It had some tricky spots and I kept wondering if I would have to go back the same way.
I encountered the two hikers and their dog that were on the saddle in front of me. I fully expected to turn around. I looked around and noticed another trail that went west so I thought I would check it out, which is what I continued to do. Every once in awhile it looked like the trail would end but each time it continued, though a bit dicey at times. The question was, where would it end up  . Finally I would see the trail ahead of me that would end at the saddle of the 304/8. Well that was fun. This is the third time this year (two of them in this Preserve) that I've found unmarked trails to follow.
I took the Nature 304 down and the connector to 302 and instead of doing the VOAZ which was in shade, I opted to head east to Perl Charles #1A and do the eastern part of the shoe. It's a gradual trail and goes over two saddles, so just right. It's very green through here as I made my way north and then east to hook back up with Charles Christiansen 100. It was a lot longer than I thot before I got back to the trail back to the TH. Still quite a few hikers and dogs out and about, but the lot was only half full.
WATCH 5.82 miles, 2:37-4:58PM burning 953 calories. 1517-2012 elevation. 132 Avg bpm/159 max. 9% Zone 4 Anaerobic (149-167bpm), 44% Zone 3 Aerobic (131-148bpm) 46% Zone 2 Weight Control (112-130bpm). TEMP was a lovely 68 degrees, partly cloudy, breeze and 34% humidity. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Mostly Fiddleneck and Poppies, some Lupine, Gilia, Red Maids. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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