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| Hiking | 12.82 Miles |
2,848 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.82 Miles | 8 Hrs 31 Mns | | 1.76 mph |
| 2,848 ft AEG | 1 Hour 13 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Another trip around the needle.
I met up with Jason at his house in Gold Canyon and we arrived at Peralta TH a little before 7am. There were already quite a few cars in the lot. We opted for a CCW loop and started up cardiac hill.
Bluff Springs Trail is in good shape. Steep as always at the start. The grass was pretty high along Barks Canyon area. We made to the Terrapin/Bluff Springs junction just as the sun was starting to kiss the ridges.
Terrapin is in pretty good shape. The typical catclaw before the saddle was there, but I’ve seen it in worse shape. The hike up to the saddle is an up and down activity, but the hike down to the Dutchman is the reason we did this CCW. That’s a steep section best done with gravity as your friend.
We made it to the Peralta/Dutchman junction and took a little break before the long trudge up to the Fremont Saddle. The 1 mile section between Terrapin and Peralta was one of the few sections in the Western Supes Jason hasn’t hiked. So, he crossed that off.
The hike up Peralta was the same non-stop up and up. The Siphon fire made it to parts of the lower Peralta Trail. You could see the ugly brown scars starting from the ridgeline going down. It was the usual “mosaic” burn pattern. Some places roasted beyond life, right next to green trees and live cacti. As we got close to the needle, the fire damage subsided. But, it did come back as we got near Piper Springs. It didn’t seem to cross the trail at any point. Once we made it to the Pinon Camp area, all signs of the fire stopped.
Jason hiked down to check out Piper Springs. He saw a trickle flowing. That was literally the only water on this entire loop. Areas that usually had some water were all bone-dry. I cannot recall seeing this place so dry in December, ever.
We made it to the Fremont saddle and saw 3-4 groups. Some out at the Lone Pine and some at the saddle. We came across some others going up and down from the saddle. I am wondering where all of the people that were parked at the TH were hiding as we saw nobody along the loop except for 1 solo hiker near the Peralta/Dutchman junction doing the same loop clockwise.
Always a treat to hit this one as the needle looks like a different formation from each side. The elevation is also broken up nicely which makes the +2800 ft aeg seem more manageable. I hope we get some rains soon. It is TOO dry out there. |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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