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| Hiking | 13.65 Miles |
2,220 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.65 Miles | 6 Hrs 56 Mns | | 2.20 mph |
| 2,220 ft AEG | 43 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Another section of the AZT - Today's challenge - Section 2 - Canelo Hills East. Chris is on his quest to hike the entire length of the trail. I did Section 4 with him last year and missed out on Section 3 a few weeks ago. I was all-in for this visit.
We opted for a key-exchange hike to save on shuttling time. An early start from Farak Manor in Gilbert. The plan was Jason and I would drive to the Parker Canyon Lake TH and hike north, and Chris and Wally would drive to the Canelo Hills TH and head south. We would meet along the way and exchange keys. Mitch was already down in the area doing other hikes and was going to meet Chris and Wally.
The drive in was nice. We saw a nice group of pronghorn right along the road and then later a large herd of deer, all near Sonoita.
The weather started out very pleasant, in the high 40's. No clouds in sight for most of the hike.
The hike up from the Parker Canyon Lake TH is a mixture of rolling hills, some ups and downs along the various little canyons. We came across some actual water along Parker Canyon. I am guessing it's run off from the dam. There were numerous campsites by the creek, so I am guessing this little creek has reliable water. We saw no other water sources in the other drainages and washes. We did see an unnamed tank at mile 9. This tank had some semi-usable water with none of the usual cowpies that usually dot these tanks. There were several other tanks way off the trail that appeared to have some water.
The first 4 miles going north were pleasant. Rolling hills, shady parts with gradual ups and downs. Starting about mile 5 you get the first climb up to the a saddle along the higher ridge. That was a slog for sure, but not too bad. When Jason and I made it up there, Wally and Mitch were already waiting. Chris made it up shortly after. We had a little lunch break, I took Mitch's keys, and went on our merry way.
The hike down from the saddle was long and gradual. We came across a mountain biker rolling his bike up the hill. The scenery changed a little and became more high desert, with less pine and more juniper and manzanita. There was less shade the further north we hiked.
About 10 miles in the second climb starts. Although it's only 600-700 ft of aeg, spread out over a couple of miles, it seemed never-ending. There were a couple of areas that started going down and I thought, "Hallelujah, the climbing is done", only to be met with another series of switchbacks and uphill climbing. Finally, at about the 12 mile point, we got our "downhill". The temps were in the high 70's, but the sun was relentless. It actually felt "hot". In a couple of months, we will all be longing for the high 70's!
We saw no cows or another other critters along the trail. The last couple of miles had a virtual "Who's Who of Poop". Bear scat, javalina, cat, coyote, horse and of course, lots of cow poop. The cattle must be on to greener pastures?
We made it back to the Canelo Hills trailhead and Wally, Chris and Mitch were already there. Jason beat me by about 10-15 minutes and they had just arrived as well. When I arrived, Wally and Chris were already on the way back to Gilbert. I gave Mitch his keys and off he went as well.
This was a nice hike in a pretty area. No spectacular vistas or rock formations, but with the exception of a few spots near the end, it looks like this area has been spared from a major fire. Lots of pine, alligator juniper, scrub oak, manzanita. The trail is in very good shape, with only a few isolated spots that seem unclear.
Thanks for the invite Chris. It was nice meeting Mitch too. Hiking with Wally is always a treat. Thanks for driving Jason! We survived to hike another day. I was sore as heck afterwards, but this morning, I am feeling pretty good! |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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