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| Hiking | 11.87 Miles |
1,439 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.87 Miles | 5 Hrs 55 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 1,439 ft AEG | 10 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | An easy start to the year. With evening plans in place, the hike for the day needed to be such that I could get home and cleaned up to head back out. When J suggested we head north from 87 to check out this section of the AZT, I was happy to agree.
Temps were cool, but not as cold as they were when we did the bit of passage 21 southbound. Our feet got a bit damp as we headed through the dew covered plants on our way to the drainage before walking through the large culvert under 87. Was dismayed, but not surprised, to see a bunch of graffiti marking the walls.
Once we hit the trail northbound, we found the tread soft with the ground saturated from recent rains. The walking was sometimes a little slowed with sticky mud underfoot - while it accumulated somewhat on our shoes, it would also shed as we walked, flinging mud clods hither and yon. The miles heading up towards the Cross F TH cross lands used for grazing - and as such, there were plenty of gates and a number of cows encountered. Views got better the further north we went, heading closer to the Mazatzals.
As we approached the power lines (and the road), we were surprised to discover a small herd of horses clustered around some juniper trees. We continued onward to the Cross F trailhead junction before turning back to take a break where the trail crosses a creek. As we were sitting there, we discovered a game cam secured up in a tree and pointed right at our break spot.
After our snack break, we made our way back towards the trailhead. The horses had dispersed somewhat, with a number of them milling around the road crossing. We saw a lot more cows on the way back out vs what we spotted on the way in. The ravens also seemed to be out to play in the thermals, along with a lone hawk. There were a number of butterflies flying around, though they weren't proving cooperative for photography. It was great to be able to get out and get some relaxed miles in to start off the year.
Other people: A few vehicles at the Cross F TH along with one hunter heading up the hillside from the trail not far from the Cross F junction. |
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Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated
some color still clinging to the trees (but there aren't many to be seen on this route) |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Pretty isolated wildflower activity, save for the storks bill which seems to be happily in bloom for pretty much the length of this hike right now. |
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Lower 244 Creekbed |
Light flow |
Light flow |
| | | water flowing in the creekbed where the trail crosses upstream from the marker. |
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Rock Spring |
Gallon per minute |
Gallon per minute |
| | | Good sized pools in the drainage - didn't hunt for the actual spring due to overgrowth and the area looking like it would be boggy/muddy to explore. | | _____________________
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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