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| | Lost Goldmine Ephemera, AZ | | | |
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Lost Goldmine Ephemera, AZ
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| Hiking | 9.81 Miles |
2,209 AEG |
| | Hiking | 9.81 Miles | 7 Hrs 6 Mns | | 1.46 mph |
| 2,209 ft AEG | 23 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | With the rains having come and gone and the humidity moving out of the area, I figured I'd best get out to some of the more popular areas during the week if I wanted to have a chance to see the water flowing. After considering my options, I settled on Heiroglyphic Canyon, having been in the area several times in the last year but never daring to make my way up due to the crowds...I figured I could see the water flowing and admire the petroglyphs, hopefully with not too many people - and if there were a bunch of people, I could get some solitude by heading over to Chuparosa.
I arrived late in the morning, due to other commitments preventing an earlier start time. The lot was mostly full, but still had a decent number of parking spaces available. I quickly passed a few groups in quick succession and then had the trail mostly to myself, with a somewhat steady stream of folk heading back down. The trail itself doesn't really seem any worse for wear with the recent heavy rains - it's very wide and well trodden. Once I got close to the petroglyph area, my hopes of any semblance of solitude were dashed with people lounging in some of the pools and along the slickrock near the watercourse. I took a few photos, before continuing on up-canyon to see what I could see. I didn't get terribly far before I realized I was getting chewed on by mosquitoes, which convinced me I might enjoy myself more if I turned back around to head out the lost goldmine trail towards chuparosa canyon.
The traffic heading up the trail seemed to have slowed somewhat as I made my way back towards the lost goldmine junction. Temperatures were plenty warmin the sun, and I foolishly ignored a hot spot that had appeared on my heel. Once I headed down the lost goldmine, I didn't cross paths with anyone else for the remainder of my day until re-joining the heiroglyphic trail close to sunset (curiously there were still a few people heading up the trail).
Finding the trail to chuparosa was easier this time around, having hiked it not too long ago. Someone may have put in a reflective marker recently to help people sight it - I don't recall seeing it in the ground when I hiked the area last. When I got to the chuparosa drainage, it looked like there may have only been one other visitor to the canyon ahead of me since the heavy rains passed. I explored up the canyon wondering if I might have missed the ephemeral flow since I didn't hear any water moving. It looked like some of the pourovers and staining on the canyon walls might still be damp, but things initially weren't looking very promising. I was happy to be proven wrong - there was light flow in the canyon, but I imagine it wouldn't last for much longer. After climbing up canyon as far as I cared, I stopped for a break to enjoy the view, listen to the water babble, and eat some snacks. As I made my way back down, I contemplated hitting the wedding cake - I figured if it looked like I had the daylight to work with, I may as well fit that in so I could get photos looking up into chuparosa from the top.
As I made my way over towards wedding cake hill, my legs decided that they were going to start cramping. That was a curious feeling - I don't remember the last time that happened - it seems the exposed sun-baked trail plus humidity teamed up to have me losing electrolytes faster than I replaced them. Thankfully, things got back to normal quickly after chewing a few electrolyte tablets and popping a few electrolyte capsules for good measure. I made reasonably good time (for me) up to the top of the hill, snapped my photos, and headed back down. The use trail definitely saw some erosion from the rains, but didn't seem too terrible. I made my way back towards my car with golden light falling on the hills around me. Once I got back to the car, I discovered that the bug bites and leg cramps weren't my only novel experience on the hike - it seems I had managed to ignore the hot spot warning and hiked a quarter-sized, partially de-lidded blister onto my heel.  I guess I'll remember to address hot spots quickly in the future! It was a great mid-week wander to chase down some waterfalls.
Other People: I lost count of how many shirtless dudes and people in general were hiking up (or down) the Heiroglyphics trail with just a water bottle (often of the disposable 16-24oz variety) in hand.
Wildlife: loads of butterflies and lizards, most of which did not cooperate for photographs. Was super excited to spot a desert tortoise (two actually) - in my many years of hiking and exploring the desert, I've never managed to see one until now! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Chuparosa Canyon (Unofficial) |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | Dry down where lost goldmine passes by. There was light flow up in the canyon where the water is forced to flow on bedrock. | | _____________________
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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Route Editor
Route Scout
I guess I'll remember to address hot spots quickly in the future! It was a great mid-week wander to chase down some waterfalls. 
