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| Picketpost Circumnavigation, AZ | | -
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| | Picketpost Circumnavigation, AZ | | | |
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Picketpost Circumnavigation, AZ
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| Hiking | 9.14 Miles |
815 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.14 Miles | 4 Hrs 53 Mns | | 1.94 mph |
| 815 ft AEG | 11 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | I've summited Picketpost many years past, but never thought to take a wander around the mountain's base. I had anticipated having interesting views of the many faces of Picketpost, but was pleasantly surprised by how scenic the surroundings are. The hike started at Picketpost trailhead, heading south along the Arizona Trail, climbing moderately while affording lovely views of Picketpost rising above a sea of golden grass. Looking north, there are fantastic views of the Superstitions with the unmistakable silhouette of Weaver's Needle rising in the distance.
The trail curves eastward as it rounds the southern portion of Picketpost, and when the Arizona trail veers sharply to the south, this adventure continues onward, roughly following a drainage to connect with FR4. When FR4 hops out of the watercourse, the path continues onward along the Telegraph Canyon Trail, staying alongside the drainage. I was surprised to discover pools of water and even areas where it was flowing well enough to make a bit of noise. Because the area is well shaded and temps have been down to freezing, we even stumbled across a bit of ice! While there were some muddy areas, there wasn't sufficient water to cause any difficulties with keeping feet dry when we had to cross...though if we get some rain, that may well change.
The hike continued down Telegraph Canyon, eventually meeting up with Arnett Creek and the Arnett Canyon Trail which subsequently joins the L.O.S.T Trail, which closes the loop back to the parking area.
While the Arizona Trail was solid and pleasant to walk upon, the areas in Arnett and Telegraph can be loose and dusty. The area is popular for horseback riding, and there is also evidence of cattle grazing so watch your step if you don't care to step in 
Saw plenty of saguaro and was surprised by several extremely healthy palm trees. Not much in the way of flowers yet, though I did capture a photo of a happy fleabane. It was interesting to discover a couple chronolog stations placed to monitor the recovery after the Telegraph fire of 2021 (you can go to chronolog.io to view time lapse of submitted photos from the monitor points).
Saw a large group headed out as I was hiking in, got lapped by a group of horses (with riders and a dog) and one other hiker....then encountered a few hikers possibly doing the loop in the opposite direction. Overhead, there was some military jet traffic along with someone enjoying the day in a fixed wing glider. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
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