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| Hiking | 14.38 Miles |
1,902 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.38 Miles | 7 Hrs 37 Mns | | 2.09 mph |
| 1,902 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | We'd been trying to find a hike not too far away to ensure we'd be back by a certain time - but also needed a break from the rocky trails of the western supes. This section of the AZT seemed to fit our needs, and would prove to be someplace new for both of us.
We headed out towards Sunflower, pulling off the beeline and parking at the Bushnell Tanks trailhead. As expected, there wasn't anyone else there when we arrived. The morning was plenty chilly, with hoar frost decorating the plants and a breeze blowing. We headed down the closed road to turn towards Sycamore Creek, but didn't think to head back towards the bridge to cross and catch the AZT, instead following footprints back to FR22 to follow that. The first crossing proved to be a little challenging to keeping our feet dry (but we were successful!) - we continued along on the road with a few more crossings before realizing our error, finding an old road (1452) to follow to bring us back to the AZT proper. 1452 was initially fairly decent, but eventually dwindled away as it started heading down from a saddle over a catclaw covered hillside. While J greeted his old friends with open arms, I opted to be antisocial and picked a line that allowed for a detour of the worst of it 
Once we hit the AZT tread, the walking went by quickly with good tread beneath our feet and nice views of the surrounding terrain. We eventually found our way to the Boulder Pools, where we stopped for a break before continuing on for a little bit to see if we could spy Crabtree Spring. After climbing to a saddle that should provide views of any evidence of a spring, we considered it a bust (no large vegetation that would indicate a healthy water source) and turned back, following the AZT the whole way back to the truck. After passing a couple AZT signs heading back towards the road, there was lots of evidence of recent trail maintenance. It was a great day out to visit some new-to-me trail.
Other people: Saw one person walking FR22 while we were returning via the AZT. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Light
many trees past prime with bare branches. |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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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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