DESTINATION Willow Connector Trail 1 Photoset
2024-12-10 | |
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| Hiking | 6.90 Miles |
510 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.90 Miles | 3 Hrs 15 Mns | | 2.12 mph |
| 510 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Early morning hike in the Goldfields. I wanted to knock Willow off the list and check out the surrounding area. Got out to the Dutchman TH a little before 6am. I actually missed the turn off for Dutchman the first time I drove by, but caught it as I was driving back. It’s dark out there! No Phoenix lights to illuminate the hills out there. 
Started off following the Tomahawk Mine Trail (road 1356) for about 1.3 miles. In the dark, every game path looked like a potential trail and I paused several times trying to determine what was what. Luckily, by the time I was nearing Frankie GTH, it was getting light enough that I could see without a headlamp and be able to tell trail from open desert. Followed Frankie about .2 miles (1.57) to reach the Willow Connector. I wasn’t expecting the Willow to come in from the east. The transition is almost like doing the upper end of a “Y”. The trail becomes somewhat rocky as it climbs quickly to the low part of a saddle and then descends down the east side. At 2.04 the trail intersects a road at a cleared campsite. I thought the Willow Trail was going to become a road as it continued north, but it almost immediately turned back into a single track as it crossed a wash. It plays tag with the wash several times before ending at 2.3 miles where it connects to the Rough and Ready (RR) Trail. I had finished my goal of hiking the Willow (though having read more triplogs, post hike, it seems that the Willow may continue west past the Frankie GTH), but I wanted to familiarize myself with the area for future hikes.
Where the Willow meets the RR Trail there are two nexuses almost on top of each other, with a seemingly multitude of trails diverging from them. This seemed very confusing, but most of the trails that diverged from these nexuses fed into each other as they got further from these focal points. Once I grasped this, it turns out there was only one trail that took off to the southeast that was unexpected. From the nexus I took the RR east to where it junctures with the Javelina. I did this basically to confirm my location. It’s been a few years, but I had hiked this area before and recognized it. Satisfied, I turned around and headed back on the RR Trail and down to where it junctures with the Anniversary Arch Loop. I wasn’t planning on hiking the Loop today, but I wanted to make sure that I could find it. The directions for it in the trail description were spot on.  I did note four unnamed trails that split from the RR along the way that are not in HAZ. From the nexus these splits were at .18, .43, .76 and .9 miles. I think the third and fourth splits are just a different thread for the RR Trail. I’m looking forward to future hikes to find out. After visiting the beginning of the Loop I returned to the nexus and followed the “unexpected trail” that took off to the southeast. This trail was going in the direction I needed to go and I thought there was a good chance it would connect to the Tomahawk Trail (FS 1356). It did 
Very satisfying hike. I love exploring new areas and trying to see how all the trails come together. The Goldfields are certainly a challenged because there are so many use trails with practically no signage. It’s unfortunate it’s such a drive to get there. I thought I would have the hills to myself, but encountered 6 hikers and 4 horse riders as I was coming out. Saw one owl and heard another in the early hours and then a lone buck later on. Beautiful early morning. The stars were amazing! |
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