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| Nose Benchmark - Gila Bend, AZ | |
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| | Nose Benchmark - Gila Bend, AZ | | | |
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Nose Benchmark - Gila Bend, AZ
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| Hiking | 4.94 Miles |
1,713 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.94 Miles | 5 Hrs 30 Mns | | 1.24 mph |
| 1,713 ft AEG | 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Thanks to Paul for the driving directions and to Matthias for the hiking route! I found both to be useful.
This was a more difficult hike than I expected and took longer because of the rain and steepness of the canyon.
My original plan was to arrive EARLY, and avoid the rain which was forecast to come around Noon. The day high temp was forecast at only 83 degrees, a fairly cool day for June. I didn't get to the starting point until 11.40 am, but I had a rain jacket, a wind breaker and the day was overcast. While hiking, it did rain about 5 times, but it was only light rain and rather refreshing! I only put a wind breaker on at the summit, because the rain was a bit heavier up there, at least at the time I was there.
From my starting point, there was private property to the West and to the South, but following the route I was able to access the route which was entirely on BLM land.
The first 1/4 mile is open desert with some faint vehicle tracks. After that you will see a more distinct road. I followed the road until I hiked a total of 0.68 miles. After that, the road turned right but I needed to hike to the left, so I exited the road and followed animal trails. It was around this time that I saw several deer running away from me. I was able to follow various animal trails for roughly the first 1.5 miles. After that, I needed to continue up a steep canyon. I didn't see any clear trails here, but I stayed out of the lower part of the canyon which had larger boulders and more brush to climb through.
I stopped to take my lunch around 1 pm and was able to find a shady area, although it was cloudy most of the day. I only took about a 20 minute lunch, then continued to the high saddle. 15 minutes later, I was at the high saddle and noticed a cairn. From here, I made a left and continued to the summit. From this point I didn't have a clear view of the summit since it was hidden behind other high cliffs and rock formations. But, based on my GPS device, it looked like I had roughly 0.5 miles left. There was no real trail here, but I did see about 2-3 cairns on the way to the summit. I needed to refer to the route several times in this area because the route to the top was not at all intuitive. I stayed near the top of the ridgeline but dropped down when it was very rocky and rugged.
At the summit, I found a jar with a can over it to protect it from the sun. There was a light rain when I got to the high point, but I was able to sign the registry and get a few quick photos. The rain started getting heavier, so I put a wind breaker on. I put the registry back and took a quick video before heading down.
Even though I was stuck in the rain a few times it was quite refreshing. I moved pretty slow going down because the rock was a bit wet. I followed roughly the same route going down, with the exception of a 1/4 mile segment on the flatter area.
Stats:
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miles RT 4.94
1713 aeg
strava moving time 2 hrs 44 mins
strava elapsed time 5 hrs 31 mins |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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