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| Dicks and Murphy peak, AZ | |
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| | Dicks and Murphy peak, AZ | | | |
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Dicks and Murphy peak, AZ
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| Hiking | 4.78 Miles |
2,059 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.78 Miles | 5 Hrs 45 Mns | | 1.12 mph |
| 2,059 ft AEG | 1 Hour 30 Mns Break | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
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| no partners | | SAHC hike with Steve O, Kumar S, Paul Y, Judy, Tony, and Diane.
We left from Ajo Way & I-19 around 6 am and didn't arrive at our starting point until 7:45 am. When we arrived it was in the high 30s (COLD!!). See my 1/1/2026 trip report for a driving route that works. Thanks to Paul for driving on this one.
We started off climbing quite high on Peak 4627, which wasn't necessary as we found a good use trail on the North side of it on our return route (see my posted route). After getting around Peak 4627 we could see 2 bumps - one was a high saddle and the other was the summit. We headed toward a high saddle curving a bit to the left which was a good way to get up there. At this saddle we had a clear view of the summit. We started approaching the summit straight on. Part way up, I saw what looked like a trail crossing from right to left to get on the ridgeline. At first I thought it might be better to follow this trail but it really was not necessary. We were able to head straight up the steep ridgeline to get to the summit. When we got close to the summit, the slope leveled off a bit and the top of the mountain was made up of a band of rocks.
Tony went ahead and summited first. I hiked for a bit with Paul and Diane and when we got close to the summit, I held back and waited for the rest of the group to get closer. When I got near the very top of the peak, I saw some drug runner trash, including a blanket, backpacks, water bottles, cans, and trash bags. I summited around 9.45 am. We had a lunch at the top and looked for a registry which we were unable to find. I was surprised that we didn't find a registry since this was a more prominent peak. We got a group photo and photos of the nearby Murphy peak which was about 0.5 miles away as the crow flies. It was still a bit cold at the summit.
We started heading down the ridgeline connecting Ralphie's Red Ryder and Murphy peaks and needed to zig-zag a bit initially. The first 500 feet of hiking was quite steep and rocky. We had to curve to the left and zig-zag a bit to get lower, then we went back to the ridgeline and it was not as steep from there. We hiked down to the saddle and had a better look at Murphy peak from here. Near the top there was a rocky cliff band. We saw a saddle to the left of that cliff band and this seemed to be the best way to get to the summit. We also found some more drug runner trash near the saddle and slightly South of it.
We headed to the saddle East of Murphy peak and got there quicker than expected. Once there, we saw that the rocky cliff bands were also blocking us from going straight up to the saddle so we walk left (Southwest) to get around the rocky area. We basically spiraled around and reached the summit from the South end. At the summit, we found a registry. One was quite old and another was newer. We ended up signing both and I took photos of all of the pages of the older registry but forgot to take a photo of the newer registry. We took a break at the Murphy summit, had some snacks, and I took a group photo using my phone and tri-pod.
We decided to start heading down by hiking back to the low saddle. This involved a small amount of side hilling and following the ridgeline down which was not too steep. After getting back to the low saddle, we had to do 0.6 miles of side hilling which was not great. Half of the group went ahead and continued to side hill over to the original ridgeline that we went up. From where we were, Kumar and I decided that it would be an easier hike taking the ridgeline in front of us. It would avoid the side hilling and allow us to curve in the direction of the original route. This route worked well and we made good time getting down and were able to cross over and pick up the cattle trail that went North of Peak 4627. We met up with the rest of the group at the parking area.
The worst parts about this hike were the initial descent from Ralphie's Red Ryder to Murphy on the steep rocky slope, and the side hilling across a grassy slope with some loose rocks. Sometimes the grass was high and we could not see the rocks. But, the rest of the hike was fine, although slow going.
Stats (including trip to Murphy peak):
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Distance (round trip): 4.78 miles
AEG: 2,059 feet
Strava moving time: 3 hrs 10 mins
Strava elapsed time: 5 hrs 45 mins |
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Michael Williams
IT Professional
Rocky Point Vacation Rentals
Ocean Front Condo in Rocky Point, Sonora, Mexico
www.beachfrontmexico.us
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