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| Hiking | 9.04 Miles |
1,897 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.04 Miles | 6 Hrs 19 Mns | | 1.59 mph |
| 1,897 ft AEG | 37 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Was looking for a hike to squeeze in this week to take advantage of some of the mid week cooler weather, but also needed something a little shorter in duration, because I wanted a casual start to the day. This one has been on my list, and a recent trip report had me curious enough to give it a go. Temps departing the car were in the low 60s, but a stiff breeze had me hiking in my long sleeved shirt for much of the day - a novelty for sure!
The drive out was uneventful, save for getting stuck behind a caravan of vehicles that thankfully turned off at the marina. Other slow moving vehicles were kind enough to pull over and allow me to pass. FS80 is as smooth as a dirt road can be. On arrival, there was one truck at the parking area, and as I was gathering my gear, another vehicle arrived carrying a pair of hikers intending to do the same hike. Once I left the trailhead, I was on my own - occasionally heard the pair of other hikers or caught glimpses of them in the distance, but we were never in close proximity, and I never saw whoever was in the truck that was parked.
I opted to follow @ddgrunning 's lead and make a loop of it and figured if I had it in me, I might drop into Crucifix to check out the double arches. Spoiler alert: I did not have it in me  I may need to come back another time to do Crucifix down to the river.
The trail/route, for the most part, was easy to follow. There were some faint areas where it was helpful to have a track for reference and other areas where the path becomes braided, but routefinding was fairly straightforward - though I'm certain I got off route at least once in a drainage on the way back since I wound up doing a sporty and brushy downclimb that had a bypass that I did not see until I met back up with the obvious worn route -- oops!
Views coming and going on this trail were stunning with the four peaks and the superstition ridgeline in the distance and weavers needle making a brief appearance while on top of 3042. The ground was still damp and soft in some places from recent rains, with a little bit of water trickling in some slickrock areas, though with the oncoming heat in the forecast, I suspect things will dry out quickly.
An enjoyable hike, well worth another visit.
Wildlife: numerous birds, several variety of lizards and at least two types of squirrel... all far too fast to capture by photo. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
All of the Ocotillo look to be bursting with blooms, spotted a couple hedgehog cactus with blooms, and some sort of daisy (I think). New foliage is growing on all the brittlebush, so perhaps there will be a riot of yellow blooms soon? |
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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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Route Editor
Route Scout
I may need to come back another time to do Crucifix down to the river. 
