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| The Right Wrong Mountain, AZ | |
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| | The Right Wrong Mountain, AZ | | | |
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The Right Wrong Mountain, AZ
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| Hiking | 12.49 Miles |
4,511 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.49 Miles | 12 Hrs 14 Mns | | 1.30 mph |
| 4,511 ft AEG | 2 Hrs 37 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | This was a hike to the right Wrong Mountain as opposed to a hike to the wrong Wrong Mountain. Since that sounds confusing, let's get @GrottoGirl to shed some light on the subject:
In 1904, a crew from the United States Geologic Survey (USGS) hiked throughout the Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains for the purpose of creating the first topographic map of these two ranges. Wrong Mountain, located in the southern portion of the Rincon Mountains, is clearly identified on this 1904 map and is assigned an elevation of 7767 feet. Wrong Mountain was given its name by the survey crew because, prior to reaching this eminence, the crew erroneously believed it to be Rincon Peak.
In 1981, the USGS completed a 7.5 minute map of the Rincon Mountains [Rincon Peak Quadrangle]. The USGS 7.5 minute map has mistakenly moved Wrong Mountain about one mile north of its actual location and assigned to it an elevation of 8056 feet. The real Wrong Mountain is assigned an elevation of 7776 feet, but is given no name on the 7.5 minute map.
We hiked to Wrong Mountain 7776, which is the highpoint of the Rincon Mountains Wilderness. Many people naturally assume that Rincon Peak, not Wrong Mountain, would be the highpoint of the Rincon Mountains Wilderness, but those people are, for lack of a better word, wrong!
We parked at the wilderness boundary southwest of Wrong Mountain. A capable high clearance 4WD was needed to get where we parked. As we were starting the hike, a rancher and his wife drove up and we talked to them for about 30 minutes. He said that he had created a trail that went from Hidden Spring to Chimney Spring and told us how to get to it. During the conversation he mentioned that there was no legal way to get to where we parked, as you'd have to be on a private road at some point. So there's that.
We hiked on a road to Hidden Spring, and then took the ranchers trail to Chimney Spring. This trail was a good one -- it was better than many forest service trails -- and saved us a lot of off-trail hiking.
From Chimney Spring we went off-trail to Point 6326, and then followed a ridgline to Point 6902. Things were going well to that point as there was almost no bushwhacking. From Point 6902 we went to a saddle below Wrong Mountain at an elevation of about 7,300 feet.There were some dense trees along this stretch, but nothing too bad. Wrong Mountain was quite imposing when looking at it from the south, and I can see how a surveyor might mistake Wrong Mountain for Rincon Peak.
Things changed from the saddle to the peak -- it was some of the worst brush that I have encountered on a hike and there was a good bit of scrambling on some slippery slopes. Not too far from the peak I got stuck in some really dense manzanita, I was down on all fours at one point and I felt like I was trying to push through a chain link fence. I eventually made it out of the manzanita, and it turned out to be an easy ascent to Wrong Mountain from the NE side.
Views were great at the summit, so at least we had a good reward for our efforts. We hung out there, had lunch, and then began the descent. We went back the way that we came, and going back to the aforementioned saddle was slightly easier on the way down, but not by much.
Hiking from the saddle back to about Point 6326 seemed much more brushy on the descent than it seemed on the ascent. Perhaps I was just getting tired of having tree branches slap me in the face! Once we got back to Chimney Spring and the ranchers trail, it was a relative cakewalk the rest of the way back.
Synopsis
This turned out to be a tough hike. I don't necessarily recommend our route, but it worked. Actually, I don't think that there is an easy way to get to Wrong Mountain, and you can expect a tough day of hiking no matter which route that you choose. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
Fairy Duster won the wildflower derby today, but there were also a lot of ocotillo flowers. |
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Chimney Spring |
Gallon + per minute |
Gallon + per minute |
| | | There was a good bit of water coming from Chimney Spring. | | _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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