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| Riggs - Clark - Cunningham - Webb - Ice Cave, AZ | | -
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| | Riggs - Clark - Cunningham - Webb - Ice Cave, AZ | | | |
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Riggs - Clark - Cunningham - Webb - Ice Cave, AZ
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| Hiking | 14.81 Miles |
2,562 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.81 Miles | 7 Hrs 24 Mns | | 2.64 mph |
| 2,562 ft AEG | 1 Hour 47 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Riggs Lakeshore Trail #340
We started our day around 7:30 a.m. at Riggs Lake. It was my first time there, and it’s a pretty little lake. There were a few fishermen and kids wandering from their campsites, beginning to stir for the day. Heading clockwise, we followed a use trail to a two-track road and ultimately reached the Clarke Peak Trailhead.
Clark Peak
John's girlfriend Denise at the Columbine Visitor Center had warned us that this trail was terribly overgrown with locust trees and not worth hiking. However, we weren’t in the listening mood and decided to give it a try anyway. The rumors of locusts were highly exaggerated. John and Kelly both hiked in shorts and short sleeves with little to no bloodshed. The trail is tight in spots, and there are multiple paths heading up the mountain. This is a worthwhile trail to explore when in the Riggs Lake area.
CP Flat Loop
This loop is located entirely on the far western section of the Swift Trail and 4x4 road. It’s mainly wooded, with some impressive views along the Swift.
Cunningham Loop Trail #316
Next up was the official loop found here. Starting from the Cunningham Campground parking lot, we made our way around counterclockwise to the intersection with the "Lower" portion of the loop. Evidence of the fire was abundant, but not everything had been torched. A significant amount of work has been done to open this portion of the loop. There are literally hundreds of slash piles stacked along sections of the trail. At about the 2-mile mark, we reached the intersection with the "Lower" Trail. Things changed quickly; this section is a warzone. We aborted our attempt there and opted to complete just the "Upper" portion. Later, while talking with a volunteer at the visitor center, we learned that the lower portion was severely damaged by the Frye Fire and may never be rebuilt.
Webb Peak Loop via Columbine TH
Since we had some extra time, we decided to do this loop. Starting from the Columbine Trailhead, we headed uphill through the burn area and the now 2-foot tall aspen. The fire tower still stands but is charred. We continued down the lookout road and back to the parking area, where John made another new friend. He thought he’d have her eating out of his hand with his sweet-talking, but she had no part of it.
Ice Cave
We returned to camp for a bit, had some lunch, relaxed, and then set out in search of the "Ice Cave."
It was just a short walk from our campsite. Kelly had a waypoint, and I had a waypoint from an online search, so we wandered about looking for other possibilities. We found three potential sites.
The first was easy to find, just about 50 feet into the mountain, but I didn't think it was the right one.
The second one, John descended into a bit before the bats chased him out. This cave dropped straight down pretty steeply, and I ultimately believe this is the one we were looking for.
The third cave was a bit more adventurous to reach. Kelly, John, and I took two different routes through the boulder fields, searching for possibilities. I found one that you could enter, which contained at least one large room measuring approximately 20 by 20 feet.
While Kelly was making her way over to us through the mass of boulders, we heard a “Oh Schmidt!” (or something like that). She’d lost her phone somewhere, and it could have been anywhere, including 50 feet straight down among the boulders. John tried calling it, but we heard nothing. We all worked our way back to where she’d come from. I tried calling it, and BINGO—we heard it! She was lucky to find it sitting right on top of a rock. |
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There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry  |
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