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| Hiking | 11.30 Miles |
2,299 AEG |
| | Hiking | 11.30 Miles | 5 Hrs 27 Mns | | 2.26 mph |
| 2,299 ft AEG | 27 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | We got lucky and did this hike on a fantastic day. A high of 60 degrees, lots of water, a decent amount of wildflowers, and no cows blocking the trail.
We parked at Seven Springs and began the hike clockwise. We crossed the creek and started the uphill slog towards Quien Sabe mine/spring. Along the way, we decided to check out the spring. There was a small but steady flow crossing the trail below the spring and the spring box itself was full of clear, cool water. We were able to find the spring itself coming out of the ground a short distance from the spring box. Quien Sabe spring would be a truly beautiful place if cattle were preventing from accessing it.
Continuing on, we reached the highpoint of the trail at the intersection of Skunk Tank Trail and Quien Sabe Trail and were treated to nice views of snow-capped peaks in the Mazatzals.
Next, the trail began downhill towards Skunk Tank. The mesas around Skunk Tank were an extremely vibrant shade of green. After that, we hiked the section between Skunk Tank and the confluence of Cave Creek. This was the highlight of the hike. The combination of the cliff-side trail dropping down hundreds of feet to the creek, the mesas in the background, and the side of the mountain being covered with wildflowers was primo.
After getting down to Cave Creek, we ate lunch beside the water. While eating, a cowboy came out of the brush on horseback trailing 2 more horses behind him. He gave us a 'howdy' and continued down Cave Creek Trail.
After lunch we completed the rest of the hike back to the car. We saw 2 groups of backpackers camping along Cave Creek on the way. The water was flowing well with many tempting swimming holes. Before reaching the car, I made sure to go to the the confluence of Quien Sabe and Cave Creeks to meet the arbitrary goal of standing on both ends of it. |
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Wildflowers Observation Substantial
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Quien Sabe Spring |
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| | | Water crossing the trail and full spring box | | _____________________
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