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| Ajax Hill - Tombstone area, AZ | |
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| | Ajax Hill - Tombstone area, AZ | | | |
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Ajax Hill - Tombstone area, AZ
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| Hiking | 2.13 Miles |
703 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.13 Miles | 2 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.75 mph |
| 703 ft AEG | 1 Hour 10 Mns Break | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
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none
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| no partners | | Thanks to Mike Stuckey for providing the only known route + driving directions.
Joel and I had a late start and arrived before 2 pm using the same starting point that Mike S. provided. We parked off the road and walked the road in the direction of the peak. While on the road we looked for evidence of mining but didn't see anything. We followed the switchbacks on the road on the way up. Joel decided to stay near the road and look for any mining activity.
My goal was to make it to the summit as this was the final SAHC peak in the Tombstone area and had it on my radar for quite some time. I started the off trail climb up, aiming for the dip to the right of the summit. Starting off it was relatively flat but the grade got steeper around the halfway point, maybe sooner. It helped to zig-zag to avoid the brush and some loose rock. There was minimal brush along my route. Some ocotillo, some creosote, some dead trees, a few prickly pear, and agave.
Maybe halfway up, I saw a small stone wall that was probably made by miners. Maybe this walled off a rest area or area where miners slept?
I continued and about 90% of the way to the summit, I found a 20 foot deep mining hole with a small rock barrier around it. The hole was off to the side and visible from 20-30 feet away. I continued up to the saddle, made a left turn and did the open Country hike to the summit. At the summit, I found a jar registry and signed it. I took my photos and started to head back down to the road, but this time I took a slightly different route. There seemed to be use trails on the way down and I could not tell whether these were trails made by miners or hikers. It was steep going down so I just took my time.
When I got closer to the road, the grade flattened out a lot. Once on the road, I planned on taking the switchbacks down but I found a more direct road going down that didn't involve any switchbacks, so I took that. That road got me back to my starting point a bit faster. Once I got on the road, I did not need to jump any switchback or do any more scrambling.
After the hike, Joel and I went to Tombstone to tour the area again. While driving into the town, we saw about 6 deer near the road. I parked the truck and went over to look at the deer. We saw people feeding them and some of them ran away and gracefully jumped over a white picket fence. Thankfully, I was able to capture that on video!
After that we checked out a few stores and then had dinner at The Longhorn restaurant at 501 E Allen St, Tombstone, AZ 85638.
I had a burger with a side of green beans (skipped the greasy fries) and we split an apple cobbler with ice cream and whipped cream.
Stats:
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Distance (round trip): 2.13 miles
AEG: 703 feet
Strava moving time: 1 hr 11 mins
Strava elapsed time: 2 hrs 23 mins |
| _____________________
Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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