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| Canyoneering | 10.55 Miles |
2,649 AEG |
| | Canyoneering | 10.55 Miles | 8 Hrs 3 Mns | | 1.46 mph |
| 2,649 ft AEG | 48 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | It’s been a while since I have visited “the box” and my hiking buddy Jackson has never been there. It’s one of my favorite spots in the Superstitions for sure.
We arrived at the Canyon Lake Marina just before sunrise and the hiking spots were just about gone. We took the last one.
Just hiking up Boulder Canyon to the viewpoints makes this hike amazing. Continuing down to the valley and hiking to the box makes it incredible. We came across a couple of groups going up but didn’t see anyone else until a couple of speedy hikers passed us by near the first big pool. They took the scenic route to Battleship. We came across a couple of backpackers from Colorado that were camping at the entrance, near the trail up to the Battleship saddle. They had been there for 3 days.
A good amount of water in the creek the closer we got to the box, but it was running off the pools. No flow near the Boulder Canyon junction.
As always, my brain filters out the rough bits from my memory with these hikes. I was expecting the usual boulder hopping fest and it all came back to me pretty quickly once the big boulders showed up. Still, nothing too bad. Just searching for the best route was the hard part.
The big pool at the start was really full and there was a flow coming down from the upper section. Such an amazing geological formation. A fortress or the entrance into Mordor. I love it. We went up towards the first giant pile of boulders that guards the rest of the canyon and turned around. Big pools and some flow between them made it cooler than it already was.
My hiking partner asked if the only way back was the way we came in, and I said we could hike up and over the saddle and take the Boulder Canyon Trail back, but it’s just more creek walking along the other side of the mountain. We just went back the way we came in.
The hike out of the valley seemed never ending, but we made it up to the viewpoint. We encountered a few groups going down and a couple going up. Lots of casual hikers at the viewpoints as we kept going back to the trailhead.
A great visit to a unique location. My bad hip was feeling it, but I was ok today. I guess a rough boulder hopping hike with lots of elevation is not the best therapy for that, but it was certainly good for my soul and mental health.
Another awesome day hiking in awesome mountains. |
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"Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul."
instagram: @andydilling |
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