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| Hiking | 3.11 Miles |
619 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.11 Miles | 3 Hrs 1 Min | | 1.15 mph |
| 619 ft AEG | 19 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | It’s been a minute since I’ve done a triplog, so I apologize for that. As part of my birthday weekend in the anchas, we attempted this hike on Sunday. Attempted is the key word here, as we did not make it to the arch. My triplog will be a cautionary tale, so others could save themselves from making a similar mistake.
The warnings for route finding are very accurate on this description. I’d consider myself above average with route finding skills and have significant off trail hiking experience. My husband and I had a very difficult time route finding on this one.
The terrain was quite challenging as there is a ton of deadfall in this area. There was evidence of a fire, so quite messy overall; like a maze of dead trees. Typically in off trail travel, you can find some game trails or faint paths. There were none of either, just dead trees, agave, various cacti and thorns all waiting to poke & stab you.
The constant maze and trying to figure out best paths made the travel frustratingly slow. You need to navigate across a few drainages too, so constant up and down.
We finally got to a point where we could see the arch and it was across a creek and up an extremely steep hill. The final hill you’d need to ascend looked very dense with trees. A bushwhack from hell came to mind. Now, I will note that we had just done a hard hike the day prior, camped and enjoyed beverages the night before, so we were not fresh to start with…but still capable or completing the hike. I just wasn’t willing 
We opted to turn around and I have no regrets about our decision. Getting back out was just as annoying and we were happy when we finally saw the truck.
Time for a beer and a stop at workman creek as a consolation prize!
After coming back and researching more, I’d only go back doing the loop with McFadden and that’s what I’d advise for anyone not interested in a deadfall maze. |
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| Restless between adventures... |
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