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| Backpack | 5.05 Miles |
424 AEG |
| | Backpack | 5.05 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 424 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a fun trip to a beautiful and pristine area. My objective was to get to the Salt River Canyon Wilderness, and Coon Creek seemed like relatively easy access that didn't require 4wd. This time of year that isn't entirely the case... The horse trail that weaves in and out of the perennial creek spends a lot of time on the grassy floodplains above the creek, and in the summer those grasses are all dead, dry and painful. This makes for an absolutely miserable hiking experience and the only choice is to stay in the creek the entire time. This isn't too bad except for fallen trees to climb over and under and thick tree-whacking. My speed getting through the creek to the river was less than one mile an hour, especially on the hike back this morning when I was spending more time batting spiderwebs with my poles then actually hiking  .
Anyhow, the creek dumps you right out into the river with no choice but to cross immediately. This doesn't present much of a problem, though, as long as you're okay with carrying your pack above your head and walking in higher than waist deep water. I welcomed it this trip! (As I approached the crossing yesterday I was shocked to see another group- a man and three children- crossing the river with overnight packs and fishing poles ahead of me. The guy waited up for me and we chatted for a few before we went in our separate ways for the evening. I think he said his name was Kurt... Kurt, if you're on here it was nice meeting you!)
The section of river you arrive at is Redmond Flat. It is pristine and beautiful! I can't even begin to describe the beauty of this area... I camped on the sandy beach in my new bug bivy.
I woke up at 4:30 to catch the sunrise and started hiking back around 8AM. The hike back took about 2 hours.
I'll probably revisit this hike in spring when the grass is all green and pleasant to hike through. |
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"Arizona is the land of contrast... You can go from Minnesota to California in a matter of minutes, then have Mexican food that night." -Jack Dykinga
http://www.joelhazelton.com |
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