| |
|
| | |
|
| Hiking | 18.30 Miles |
4,621 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.30 Miles | 9 Hrs 27 Mns | | 2.35 mph |
| 4,621 ft AEG | 1 Hour 40 Mns Break | | | |
|
|
| |
| Partners |
|
[ show ]
| partners | | TLDR: Tired. Hurts.
Details: Bob had grand plans for a full-fledged sufferfest but the forecast temps made us reconsider. None of us had stood atop this Mazzy peak and decided to make it the goal for today. Bob9L decided that the road was too rough for his Jeep so we set out walking from the land of twigs n berries.
It was an hour and a half and nearly 2000 feet of climbing before we left the road where the true ascent began. There was more brush than I had envisioned in the post-Bush terrain, but there was nothing that wasn't easily avoided by some simple zig zags.
As we crossed the 6000-foot contour, things got a little bit thicker, but getting over to the high-point didn't result in too much blood loss. 3920 feet, 4 hours, 5.3 miles. A solid start to the day.
We discussed our options and decided to send Bob back down fetch the Jeep and pick John and me up in Sunflower. The ridge traverse is a really beautiful stretch of Arizona. The geology up here is pretty spectacular and except for a few short stretches where live manzy was the preferred option over dead manzy there was generally a reasonable route to follow. It took us exactly 2 hours to cover the 3.2 miles to reach the AZT. There was quite a bit of unburned cypress and a nice ponderosa grove, both a treat. A couple of hawks and a few signs of some large elk and bear on the ridge showed there were other things that enjoy it up here too.
Knowing that Bob would be ahead of us, we bombed downhill trying to make the return as efficient as possible. We covered the remaining 9.7 return miles in 3:05 with a couple of breaks and a side trip to the Boulder Pool. Bob greeted us in a scene reminiscent of Will Ferrell cracking an Old Milwaukee in a Super Bowl commercial, and I consumed it like I was at a party in college. Mmmm.
The descent on #21 helps knock off yet another piece of trail in my quest to never actually hike any complete segment of the AZT. I'm now closer to my goal than ever!  We saw a pair of hikers heading uphill on a 6-day adventure but those two were the only other humans we saw all day.
This is a good workout and features some stellar views. It was a solid day. Thanks John and Bob for the company and chauffeuring. Not a single wildflower was seen. |
 |
Crabtree Spring |
Gallon + per minute |
Gallon + per minute |
| | | Didn't go to the spring itself, but half a mile south of it the canyon was flowing so aggressively you could hear it from the trail (which was VERY surprising based on surrounding conditions). |
 |
Pool East of 4264 - Boulder Creek |
Light flow |
Light flow |
| | | Plentiful deep pools in the narrow bedrock here despite just some occasional surface water elsewhere in the drainage | | _____________________
| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
| | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 