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| Soldier Falls trail explore - Rincons, AZ | |
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| | Soldier Falls trail explore - Rincons, AZ | | | |
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Soldier Falls trail explore - Rincons, AZ
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| Hiking | 2.31 Miles |
681 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.31 Miles | 1 Hour 45 Mns | | 1.32 mph |
| 681 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was day 3 of my hiking camping trip in the Little Rincons/Rincons. My original plan was to hike the nearby North Star peak but after doing Forest Hill, Bald Mtn and Eagle peak, I was tired and looking for something more relaxing and easier on my final day. Not to mention my feet were thorned a few times the previous day and I was a bit sore also!
I read about the Soldier Falls trail, labeled 'Soldier Trail # 706' on the map and not to be confused with the Soldier trail in the lower Catalinas. I have driven by this area a few times and didn't even know there was a trail here until recently. After having breakfast, packing up my camp and checking the map figuring out what to do on my final day, I took my time and didn't get here until around 11 am. It was already getting quite warm which was another excuse for skipping North Star on this day.
I started off on the very rocky trail and saw a sign for 'no motor vehicles past this point', but OK for hikers, bikers, and horses. I thought it was pretty funny cause horses can't read ;-) haha. Old joke. Ok, who would want to bike this trail? It was quite steep and rocky, at least getting up to the falls area. When I got to the falls area, I expected to see no flowing water and I was right. We had a very dry winter and there was nothing flowing over the cliffs, but there was a decent sized pool at the bottom.
The trail continued past the falls and then headed South. There were areas where it was hard to see where the trail went. I believe at this point I was following animal trails. There were some wide open spaces and other areas that looked like a complete mess.
Part of the other reason I wanted to check out this area was to see if there was a possible route up to Wrong Mountain. My conclusion is it would be hell going to Wrong Mtn starting from this point. I started off at 4620 feet, I got as high as only 5090 feet following the use trails. Looking South and West there were many deep rocky canyons and huge boulders that reminded me of the Wilderness of Rocks area in the Catalinas. Getting to Wrong mountain from here meant adding another 3000 feet of elevation gain from the point where I turned around with no clear route to Wrong Mtn. In fact, from this point, I wasn't even sure which high point was Wrong Mtn. I think if I ever decide to hike Wrong Mtn or Wrong South, I would start from the South or West like others have done before. No need to try to set any records involving new routes on this one. That hike is difficult enough following the path of least resistance.
I ended up doing a loop and heading back down using a similar route. Along the way, I found an old rusted metal canteen, a stainless steel dog dish, and a huge boulder which was a great place to stop for a drink and a snack. This was a pleasant area to explore without any summit goals for the day. It would have been a lot better if there was some flowing water. |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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