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| Hiking | 10.18 Miles |
1,955 AEG |
| | Hiking | 10.18 Miles | 6 Hrs 41 Mns | | 1.71 mph |
| 1,955 ft AEG | 44 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | I've been eyeing the Santa Teresa Wilderness for awhile and after a bit of research, this seemed like a good hike to introduce me. Easy dirt road drive on Klondyke Road before turning off onto 941. The first couple of miles on 941 are pretty easy; the further up you go, the rockier and steeper it gets, but still easily doable in an HC 4wd, but be warned, your vehicle will get a fresh coat of Arizona pinstrips. Made the right turn to 68, where the road gets narrow, brushy, and pretty steep in one section with some moderate erosion. 68 basically disappears a couple of hundred feet from Reef Tank, so we parked next to a semi-fresh campfire ring and started up the ridge a little after 10.
Holdout Creek Trail
The trail is easy to follow on the climb up, as there is no burn in this area. Once at the top of the ridge, we entered the Pinnacle burn area into a freezing cold 20+ mph wind, which made for miserable conditions. It was a constant hunt for the 'trail' in this section as the brush is taking over; we did build a couple of carins where remnants of the trail were, so hopefully this will help going forward. As we entered the boulder area, the number of previously built carins increased (as did the catclaw), although there was still a good amount of route-finding in some sections. It was a slow hike down, not only due to the trail conditions but also due to the number of times we stopped to take pictures. A little over 5 miles down, it was nearing 1:30, so we stopped for a quick lunch and started back up, as I wanted to get down the worst of 68/941 before dark. Besides the brutal wind kicking back up, the hike back to Reef Tank was uneventful.
Conclusion
After hiking the first mile down in the morning, it was so miserable that I nearly 'called it' and headed back to the TH, but the long drive made me more committed than I normally would have been, and the winds decreased the further down we went, making it manageable. Even with the fire damage, this area is absolutely stunning with all of the rock formations, and water was plentiful, with it seeping down the rocks and washes everywhere; my legs disagree, however, the catclaw took its pounds of flesh, especially the further down we went. Besides the military jets buzzing us most of the day, it was complete solitude, with not even a trace of anyone else. I can't believe I waited this long to visit, and I will definitely be back (camping at Reef Tank) to get more time in. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Hiking is just walking where it’s okay to pee.  |
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