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| Hiking | 17.81 Miles |
5,006 AEG |
| | Hiking | 17.81 Miles | 7 Hrs 35 Mns | | 2.53 mph |
| 5,006 ft AEG | 32 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | I did a shorter variation of this loop about a year ago and enjoyed it a lot, so I was happy to return to the Pinals for just the second time. The three of us met at 5:30AM and hit the trail just after 7AM, starting from the pullout near the bridge to avoid the charred manzanita eyesore near Icehouse campground. As we started the steady climb up Sixshooter Trail, the canyon had a little water but was, predictably, quite a bit drier than last year. Still, a very enjoyable climb with plenty of shade and improving views as we gained elevation.
I didn't see any mountain bikers on my last visit, but quite a few were coming down on our way up--but no other hikers. We made a quick stop at Ferndell Spring, then took Ferndell Trail over to the ladder rock. We went up for a quick look but didn't stay long because of strong winds that felt almost cold. From there, over to Pinal Peak, where we failed to find a benchmark (topo indicates there is/was one), and a loose manhole cover tried to eat my leg. I inadvertently came very close to putting the 'man' in 'manhole', which sounds stranger than intended...
Leaving Pinal, we hiked the road past the cabins--interesting to see how some fared much better than others in the fires despite the close proximity to each other. At Signal Peak, we took a lunch break at the base of the fire tower and relaxed a while, then walked the road over to Icehouse and down to Telephone Trail. That was a new one for me, and the maintenance work was well done and made our next long ascent much easier. Nice views of Four Peaks, the Sierra Anchas, and the mines, though it was a little hazy today.
We reconnected with Sixshooter again for a final, short climb before a long downhill to close out the loop. Great weather today--I was comfortable in a T-shirt from start to finish--and the trails were quiet other than a few groups of bikers. Not much wildlife, though--John saw a javelina and a giant rat on the drive through Globe in the morning, but other than a dead bird, a cow, and some squirrels, we came up empty during the hike. Nice reuniting J-squared and hiking with Linda and John again. And thank you Linda for organizing/driving! |
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