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| Hiking | 12.62 Miles |
2,458 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.62 Miles | 7 Hrs 56 Mns | | 2.06 mph |
| 2,458 ft AEG | 1 Hour 48 Mns Break | 22 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I got a new pack for section hiking, so this was a shakedown hike with full base weight and lunch. Also my first time hiking in the Mazzies; I picked Barnhardt because the distance and AEG was about right, and there were rumors of waterfalls.
The first three miles are pretty sweet. Water everywhere. The geology of the canyon is amazing. The Charlie Brown t-shirt formation was super cool. As a whole the trail felt a bit like an elevator through layers and layers of rock history. I imagine geology nerds must love this trail. To prove my theory I sent some pictures to a friend who is a geology nerd, and sure enough she excitedly geeked out about quartzite and shale layers getting squished.
Along the way to Hawaiian Mist I passed seven hikers who were coming down.
I had had a light breakfast, so by the time I made it to Hawaiian Mist I was ready for some Hawaiian barbecue. Sadly there was none, so I had to settle for the aloha vibes and a stick of jerky.
Big Kahuna was worthy of its name. It was big and pretty amazing. Also pretty chilly, but I had a pack full of gear that included a sweatshirt and more jerky, and I availed myself of both. I also filled one of my water bags, as I suspected this was my last reliable water source and I had only brought one liter.
Whilst snacking a family of three arrived, the daughter being enthusiastically effusive about the experience (which was entirely justified). I offered to take a family photo for them, and they took one for me, and then I resumed the climb to the divide.
The views of the rim above Big Kahuna are pretty spectacular. After that the trail changes pretty dramatically, leveling out and meandering through miles of manzanita. If you like manzanita, like if it's your favorite shrub ever, this is the hike for you.
The last mile or so before the divide is more oak scrub studded with a few standing dead pines, and quite a few fallen dead pines. I would have liked to have seen what it was like before everything burned.
There was a little water in some of the drainages above Big Kahuna, but I had no regrets about tanking up at the falls.
At the divide, I looked for a spot to cook up a late lunch. I took the divide trail a bit north to a nice camping area, filtered the water from Big Kahuna, and cooked up some fancy ramen. It was a bit breezy and chilly, so I had a couple layers on and needed a windbreak around the stove.
I packed up and left a little before 3, and made it back to the car about 5:30. Didn't see a soul from when I left Big Kahuna until I made it to the car, when a trail runner showed up out of nowhere.
The new pack worked out great... plenty of room, carried well, barely knew I had it on.
Sunset on the drive back to Phoenix was pretty sweet. I'd do this trail again in a heartbeat. |
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