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| Hiking | 12.78 Miles |
2,378 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.78 Miles | 7 Hrs 23 Mns | | 1.83 mph |
| 2,378 ft AEG | 24 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Got a crazy early pre-6am start because Andy is headed to the Phillipines the next day, so the first 2.5 miles were hiked in the dark. Just as well, I've done the Black Mesa loop enough times I can do it with my eyes closed as it is. Headed out on LDT, then up to Black Top Mesa. Lots of green out like everywhere. I concur with Andy's description of Green Top Mesa.
Andy and Wally took a detour to the west end of the mesa to look for the lesser known sunburst with the word "oro" under it. They couldn't find it so they headed over to the east end, where I had already arrived. They found the broken sunburst and I found The End. Wally and Andy pointed out the other petroglyph on the back of the broken sunburst, which I don't remember from my previous trip up there, 13 years earlier. Pictures were taken.
On the way down Wally and Andy went back to the east of the mesa find the other petroglyphs/century old graffiti and were successful on the second try. I headed back down and back to the parking lot. On the way down the Bull Pass Trail, a big group was headed up and to where we just left. In the midst of them was @ScottHika. I talked with him a bit and he was gone, trying to catch up with his group. Wally later told me that this group was led by @John10s. Everyone in that group was moving uphill faster than I was downhill.
Wally caught up with me towards the bottom of Bull Pass and we stopped and had lunch once we were on the Black Mesa Trail, at which point Andy was already catching us. the hike back from there was uneventful. Made my usual stop at the Indian ruins in Garden Valley and saw the rock where everyone puts more pottery sherds. No hikers at all on Black Mesa Trail, and then lots of traffic on First Water, as usual.
This area has healed up quite a bit from the fire in '24. Very green and a lot less of the charred vegetation is visible, but it's still there. Weather was absolutely perfect. May have been about 70 once we finished. Chilly to start, but sunny and clear all day. |
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