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| Hiking | 4.20 Miles |
1,903 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.20 Miles | | | |
| 1,903 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | I decided to climb up the cliffs near Geronimo Head to see how bad the Siphon Fire damaged the wilderness area. I got up there and was pretty shocked.
Right off, Hackberry Mesa and Black Mesa were totally roasted. Both of those areas had so much grass, I knew a fire would be bad. Looking further, Garden Valley towards First Water TH was also severely burnt. Almost made it to Canyon Lake and stopped near LaBarge creek. I could also see signs of fire damage in First Water Canyon, at the base of Little Four Peaks.
I climbed up a little higher and got a view of the rest of the damage. That was really depressing as well. It looks like Palomino, Black Top Mesa, Yellow Peak, Bull Pass and into Marsh Valley was also roasted. Boulder Canyon was green until just below Yellow Peak, then it turned black. From what I could see the Dutchman Trail, O'Grady Canyon and West/East Boulder Canyon were damaged. I will assume the entire length of the Dutchman Trail from First Water to past Black Top Mesa was damaged.
Fire is a part of nature, but this one was not a natural occurrence. Someone up near 5024 either left a campfire smoldering and the winds kicked it up or flick a blunt or something idiotic and started this. With all the grass in the Superstitions, there's enough to worry about with lightning strikes, but this was set by a careless moron. Who is up on the Ridgeline in 110+ temps???? That's how hot it was when it was first noticed. Unbelievable.
This is the new normal as the transformation of this amazing wilderness into a grassland is almost complete. An overlay of recent fires so that almost all of the Western Supes have been burnt in the past 4-5 years. Only the lower sections of Peralta Trail and the northern sections of Boulder Canyon have escaped damage. After every fire, native plants are killed off and grasses and nasty catclaw show up to replace them. It's depressing to say the least. |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
