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| Hiking | 11.18 Miles |
1,780 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.18 Miles | 5 Hrs 19 Mns | | 2.24 mph |
| 1,780 ft AEG | 19 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Opted for something reliable since I didn’t have a ton of time today. Met Bruce at the trailhead and we got started at 0630. We decided to do the loop counter-clockwise, so stayed on Dutchman to start. Tons of vegetation. Plenty of water. Saw one woman near Parker Pass. She seemed a little out of place, but was in good spirits when we greeted her. Saw one other hiker a ways offtrail shortly before we turned off for Palomino Mtn.
Lots of water in the creek on our way to Palomino. We ended up walking thru a lot of tall grass, hoping nothing would be hidden beneath our feet. After leaving the creek, the steep climb up to Palomino/Aylor’s was pretty much as expected. Steep. Loose rock on the route. Dense vegetation, mostly foxtails, obscured the path in a few places.
Once up top, we walked out on the rocks below the arch, then climbed up on the rocks south of the arch. After a few minutes of exploring, we carefully headed back down to complete the loop.
We were both excited to climb up the rocky, sunny section of Black Mesa Trail. It got even more exciting when we startled a dback, which in turn startled us as we received a noisy lecture about disturbing his morning sunbathing. Black Mesa is super green right now, and covered with brittlebush and globemallow. Kind of impressive.
Uneventful, and quick, hike out on Second Water. Temps were warming up, but there was an occasional breeze. Saw one horseback rider at the trailhead. Bruce thought the hike was wonderful, since I stated “I think you’re right” at least three, possibly four, times. He’s never been correct that many times in his life, much less in a five hour span. Definitely a fluke. Besides the dback, saw one cardinal, lots of lizards, and not much else. Good hike and even good to see Bruce again! |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
Globemallow, brittlebush were the two stars. A few poppies, lupine, marigolds, and more. |
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| Stop crying and just go do the hike. |
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