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| Bluff Spring Mountain, AZ | |
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| | Bluff Spring Mountain, AZ | | | |
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Bluff Spring Mountain, AZ
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| Hiking | 13.23 Miles |
3,285 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.23 Miles | 9 Hrs 22 Mns | | 1.46 mph |
| 3,285 ft AEG | 17 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Another early morning start from the Peralta Trailhead. This feels like it's becoming a habit. We arrived before sunrise, passing a remarkably full Carney Springs/Wave Cave TH, to discover the lot a quarter full. The day dawned cool and overcast, with plenty of humidity in the air.
I guess I hadn't gotten my fill of Bluff Spring Mountain, or the Bluff Springs Trail (and Cardiac Hill) earlier in the month because that was the destination for the day. Off we went, with the guys leading the way while I dawdled behind, capturing photos of flowers as I went. There weren't any surprises heading up the trail to the junction with Ely-Anderson, aside from the things Wally was kind enough to point out as we went.
Ely-Anderson was well marked and easier to follow on the way up. Cairns are placed at decent intervals (though I still managed to lose track of it in a spot or two on the way back down). The climb up is surprisingly steep, especially knowing that horses have been up the route...at least I'm presuming the strike/wear marks I saw on the bare rock sections were from horseshoes.
The views heading up were stunning, and made more interesting with low hanging clouds present. Once we arrived near the top, the trail seemingly disappeared, giving way to rolling terrain with amazing views all around and the Bluff Spring Mountain Summit in the distance. We made our way over to the ridgeline to look into Hidden Valley, surprisingly far below.
For some unknown reason, I felt compelled to venture on down into the valley. Wally was kind enough to join me while J opted to stay up top to explore and give his troublesome ankle a bit of a rest. Not spotting any evidence of a previously travelled route, we took a direct path down to the wash with hopes that staying in the watercourse would keep us out of the brush. For the most part, sticking to the drainage kept us clear of the worst of the catclaw as we made our way to the valley floor, though it was slow going with the rock hopping and winding path. Since J wasn't with us, I was sure to say hello to the catclaw for him. We eventually made it to the dam remains and continued on - the pace slowed even more with brush encroaching and the rocks becoming more boulder sized. After a time check, we decided to head back up, leaving the waterfall for some other time (perhaps I'll have to visit it from below next time).
We opted to pop out of the creekbed and see if we could stick closer to the published route on our way back up. We were able to set a route back up to the ridgeline that kept us mostly clear of further catclaw entanglement by picking a line that followed sections of solid rock. Once up top, we reunited with J and made our way back down. The descent down Ely-Anderson was slow going thanks to the steep grade - my knee complaining most of the way. Managed to lose the trail a couple times, but managed to spot cairns to get back on track. The remainder of the hike back was uneventful. The trailhead still had plenty of vehicles parked on our return.
It was great to get a chance to see a seldom visited area of the Superstitions with good company. Thanks for joining, J & Wally!
Other People: One headed up behind us on Bluff Springs but turned off for the Cave Trail, a backpacker with a pup heading up Bluff Springs to Terrapin, and a backpacker filtering water from a pool in the drainage near the Bluff Springs trail on our way back out.
** I'll be posting my photoset slightly delayed - it should be up in the next day or so. I blame the numerous flowers and fantastic views for the delay.  |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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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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