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| Hiking | 7.68 Miles |
640 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.68 Miles | 6 Hrs | | 1.59 mph |
| 640 ft AEG | 1 Hour 11 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Back out to Miles TH, this time with my vehicle...so it can't be said that I'm unwilling to drive there myself...though it's safe to say my ride could do with some different shoes - I was entirely annoyed at the performance (or lack thereof) of the stock tires. FS287 seems to have been recently graded and is smooth to the single lane bridge. Past that point, the road varies in condition, with heavy washboarding near the end.
Was happy to join Jason for a walk up West Pinto and Spencer Spring Trails - my knee has been acting up, and probably wasn't thrilled with my choices this past week in my attempt to squeeze in time outdoors relatively nearby before the heat hit. We had a leisurely start, and the day was already warm-ish when we left the car and headed across the meadow.
We walked what was available of the old trail, but once we entered the burn region, much of the time was spent walking directly in the watercourse where we encountered a number of pinacate beetles wandering about. The rocks are generally small enough and packed tightly enough to make for relatively easy walking, though still significantly slower going than a maintained trail - we'd occasionally pick up sections of trail on either bench, but often found ourselves headed back to the creekbed rather than dealing with brush or fallen snags.
Before long, we found ourselves at Oak Flat, which remained remarkably unburned. After a brief stop, we continued onward up the Spencer Spring Creek until we hit Cement Spring, following the same routine as we did for West Pinto: following sections of trail if they were passable, otherwise staying in the creekbed. There is water with slow flow that comes and goes in both Pinto and Spencer Spring Creeks - Didn't get a good look at the actual springs feeding the creek, so can't really comment on what their flow status is.
In addition to the usual plant players (notably manzanita, scrub live oak, holly, and catclaw), I somehow managed to get covered in some sort of prickly stickers and spent the first few minutes of our break at cement spring clearing my clothing of their presence. After relaxing in the shade for a bit, we made our way back - stopping at Oak Flat to enjoy the breeze and listen to a pair of crows chatter (along with a bunch of other birds) and to have a look at what remains of the old corral.
On our way back out, we stopped once again to see if we could figure out where the cave that we'd been hunting for was located and we think we have its location...but we didn't have any caving gear with us, so we'll need to return another time to check it out more closely.
Another wonderful day out in good company without crossing any other hikers. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
a handful of flowers spotted, some not photographed because they weren't in great shape. |
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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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