The Best Hikes of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles - Phoenix

 I still got it.  Had planned to just do my workout loop clockwise but as I topped the second hill that comes from the TH I looked up at an alternate trail.... yep, today is a good day with this nice weather (well Kelly, I guess we should have done our hike ).  And so up I went.  I forgot how straight up and long this hill was.  Some quail distracted me for a few moments so I tried to get a couple pictures; but wish I had my regular camera that was sitting on my desk at home.  The quail were very active throughout my climbing and hike today.  I just kept trudging upward and upward taking some use trails next to the scree-filled area that is now somewhat rutted.  I was glad to get to the top and took a quick look around.  I did eye the next level that you can take straight up the side to the Lookout Summit.  I think I tried that once and decided it was too tricky.

So I took the high trail around the summit to the east.  There is that one step down that requires a slight rumpage and then you're back on normal trail tread.  My far views were not as clear as they could be. I actually ran into a female hiker up on this high trail too but the only hiker I would run into until I got up toward the summit.  I wrapped my way around until the next up section that takes you above what I call the implanted boulders. 

Half way up I got a phone call and I'm glad I picked it up as it was BCBS about my OTC debit card.  I told the agent I was climbing a mountain, she seemed taken aback, but I told her I was glad she called to tell me they had mailed out the new card (the last one didn't have any numbers on it).  And then I finished the climb pausing at this boulder section to look westward before heading up again.  The first part of this next part of the climb was not bad and the last steep part to the side of the summit was steep but short and it's on a rocked trail.

I got to the west side of the summit climb where I said hello to a couple hikers sitting and then up I went east to finish off the last of this climb.  It doesn't seem so steep from here for some reason and just involves careful foot placement.  I don't mind the up so much but I'm not overly fond of the return trip.  As I made my way over to the summit I looked north and saw New River Mountains still covered in snow rising above the mesa.  It's really quite the sight and once again, I wish I'd had my real camera.  But the funniest thing is someone asked me if I had climbed it and I said no, but she thought it was Humphreys .  I said that wasn't Humphreys and yes I had climbed Humphreys years ago, ha! I got up to the summit and said, "yep, I still got it."  I saw a jug of water with three roses next to the summit pole and as I looked over the top I smelled... you know, the thing.  She was coughing so I hope she got over it. 

I left the summit. I really don't like the steep part as you're almost climbing down.  I tried to be careful.  I crossed over to what I call the back side (south) and once I got to the saddle, I decided to try the loop west around the south side.  Part of it is almost straight down and I was glad I had sticky shoes.  I think that section continues to deteriorate rapidly but once again, it's short.  As I was heading west on normal tread again I noticed that the Brittlebush is really starting to bloom on this side.  I tried to get a couple pictures but I don't know how well they will reflect the scene.  I also was reminded, no poppies.  And then there's that last step down back to the regular trail.  

Now I continued clockwise around the western humps but once I got to the first saddle I decided I would do the summits of the next two as I haven't done those in so long I don't remember the last time.  The middle hump has two approaches, one on the west side and one on the east.  The east wasn't super evident but I opted for that.  It had an interesting exit and the summit was flatter and longer than I thought it would be.  I went down and then up and over to the next hump.  I was thinking Kelly would really like this cuz Lookout's Circumference would be pretty boring but she'd like these summits. 
 
I've been up on this north summit before but it's been awhile.  There are two exit points and I started on the one but then went to the other as I was intrigued where it went.  As I got to the other side of the rock outcropping it has a bit of an alcove so that was kind of cool.  The trail then swept east but I hesitated to watch some quail and a rabbit but couldn't get a picture.  Before you know it, you're back on the regular trail.  I then decided to go south on the high trail rather than going to the bottom. It is just so green I ended up taking some more pictures; I can't seem to stop . I came down what is considered the actual Circumference Trail and then hooked up with the bottom part of my northwest loop back to Tonto.  I was proud that I could still do that scrambling.  I've always really liked it; except for the down part.  The quail were quite active on this part of the hike and I saw another rabbit, the second of the day.  

I did document the route I took with the summits.  I'll have to do those summits more often, even though it's not really a workout type hike that I normally like to do. I also added some pictures that I took of the north and western mountains the day after the snow fell.

WATCH 2:12-3:59PM, 2.9 miles, 1497-2084 elevation. 138 avg bpm/172 max. 46% Zone 5 Max, 38% Zone 4 anaerobic, 16% Zone 3 aerobic burning 673 calories. Temp 57.1 Fair and Sunny, 41% humidity.

 Bruce and I went down to see the Poppies and throw in a hike or two. The hike wore me out but the Lupine and Poppies put on a great show!! The trail was in the normal shape but I think I’ll bring the gloves next time. My hands were slipping a little coming down the chute. After the Picacho loop we grabbed a JJ dessert and headed over to Turd hill.
I did the Turd loop while Bruce hit the summit.
Great weather, hike, flowers, views, dessert and company! Thanks Bruce!! Like HAZ, you rock!!

 Denny through up this as a suggestion. Hoping to score on a flower explosion, I was in.

A 9am start and we started up Hunter. There was sign of many poppies, but it was still too cold for them to be open. Up, up, up, passing a bit of snow on the way to the saddle.

We negotiated the cable sections with little trouble and hit the top with about 10 already up there. After a snack break, we headed back down to the Sunset Vista trail and were lucky to miss any backup on the cable sections.

Once down to the flatter sections the flower show started. Some of the most impressive Coulter Lupine sections I've ever seen. Rock Daisies, Pincushion, Fiddleneck, Scorpionweed, Desert Chicory, Desert Bluebell and Poppies forever.

We made it to the Sunset TH and then continued around back to our starting point.

Being in the area there were 2 more must do's. First, a cherry dipped cone at the DQ. Next, time to cross the Turd off my list. This is an easy 2 mile RT hike, with a better than anticipated summit of the mighty Turd.

I think I set a personal high PPM of 13 on this hike, being in full tibber-mode

 I was watching the weather forecasts carefully and I knew it would snow in the Supersitions at some point on Wednesday evening/Thursday moring. I was planning on either Boulder Canyon or Peralta Trail. I finally opted for Peralta because it's a higher elevation. I am so happy I did. I have never seen this much snow in this part of the Superstitions. It was a winter wonderland all the way up.

Driving on the 60 before sunrise, I could already see the snow level was really low. As I turned on to Peralta Road, the surround desert was covered in snow. The closer I drove to the trailhead, the snow started sticking on the road. That was a first for me. When I arrived at the trailhead, there was 2-3 inches of snow on the ground.

Starting up, the trail was a slushy, water mess. The heavy wet snow weighted down the vegetation along the trail, literally blocking parts of the trail. I came ready to get soaked and the trail did it's best to oblige.

When I made it to the start of Peralta Canyon, it was lightly snowing and continued all the way to the Lone Pine viewpoint. I met a young fellow and his cool Husky dog on the way up. That dog was a happy pup for sure. I had to wait about 30 minutes for the clouds to part, but finally Weavers Needle made an appearance.

After exploring the Lone Pine area and taking a ton of pictures, I started back down. I ran across a few folks going up and met another fellow who was talking about doing the Needle Loop. I didn't tell them to not try, but I didn't sugar coat it either. That would have been a wet hike for sure. He started back down to the trailhead (wise decision).

The further down I hiked, the more people I saw. Everyone had a smile on their face hiking up. The snow was already melting fast. The white blanket that covered the trail and hillside was slowing giving way to a brown slushy icee. The trail was a little river in most places. I counted 4-5 waterfalls that I never knew existed. So magical.

This one will be one I remember for a long time. I have done this trail so many times, many of the trips blur into each other. Not this one. A once in a lifetime experience for me.

 Short hike with my kid, who's home from college for spring break. It had been about four years since I brought him up to Wind Cave so we did that this afternoon... Thirty years of age difference is starting to show. Enjoyed the "cave" and then home for an Argentine malbec and a hearty meal of cream chipped beef on a shingle.

Wildflowers
Lotsa poppies on the upper slopes.

 This was a hike to two peaks that I have never bagged before:
1) Turd Hill
2) Picacho Peak

Turd Hill
They say that if you are feeling down in the dumps and want to wipe the blues away, a hike to Turd Hill will be just what the doctor ordered, and I certainly can't disagree!

I hiked up to Turd Hill first. I crossed a railroad track, crossed underneath a fence, and then walked through open country on the desert floor to the peak. It was a bit of a scramble to get up to the summit, but it was fun. There were 3 black vultures sitting on the summit, and they didn't seem to want to leave, but they eventually did.

I saw some reports from 8 years ago where people complained about bees at the summit, but I did not encounter any today. Of course I was there early on a breezy morning with temperatures in the low to mid 40's, so if any bees were around they likely would not have been active anyway.

Picacho Peak
After hiking Turd, I drove across I-10 to the state park and hiked up the Hunter Trail to Picacho Peak. I enjoyed the portion of the hike from the saddle up to the summit better than the lower part, at least on the way up.

This one was easier than I thought that it would be, although a couple of places were a bit sketchy, even with the cables.

Synopsis
I enjoyed doing this combo, and I might do it again sometime.

Stats for the 2 hikes are below. Stats above are the sum of the two
Turd: 2.73 miles with 174 feet of AEG
Picacho: 3.44 miles with 1,887 feet of AEG

Wildflowers
There were LOTS of nice poppies in the area around the trailhead, but there wasn't much else.

 I thought it might be fun to pinstripe a brand new truck today. The road in is in fairly good condition, most of the rocks are gone, but has some sandy spots. Some vegetation encroaching on the sides.

Scott and I were pleasantly surprised that the 31 degree temp at the start didn’t feel cold at all. Headed uphill. Saw a helicopter land at the helipad up top, then take off again. Some vegetation to dodge along the trail, mostly palo verde, but overall the trail is in decent shape. Rocky as usual just before you top out on the west side.

At the top, there were some Border Patrol agents (dropped off from the helicopter) fixing a repeater they had set up last week. They seemed eager to chat, so we talked for a few minutes before continuing over to the summit. Quick stop at the summit, then retraced our steps back across the top. Watched the helicopter land again, and said our goodbyes to the agents as they were getting ready to leave.

The descent seemed rockier than the ascent, but was uneventful. Crossed paths with one couple about a mile or so from the trailhead. Warming up by the finish, but the breeze felt good. Nice to hike with Scott again, and always good to visit Table Top.

Wildflowers
Flowers just starting.

 A hike with the turtle to look for a cabin ruin. We used massacre trail but that wasn't the best route. The breeze was blowing early on and we did get some hail but the conditions were nice. The off trail was more than expected but the brush wasn't as wet as we thought it may be. Denny pressed on an eventually we found the site. The hike out was mostly trail and about half the distance. We stopped off for chili dogs afterwards.

 Wally and I started from this trailhead and were the last truck in the first row. Surprising for the weather. Late start as the rain was supposed to be done around 10:00am.
A little wet out there but the rain had stopped.
Let the exploring begin! The brush didn’t get us as wet as we thought so we pushed on with just a scratch here and there. It did hail on us a time or two but the exploring was rewarding and the views were awesome! It did start to drizzle for the last 10 minutes of our hike. The dirt road out was getting a little slippery and we had a five minute downpour around Apache. Great views, wandering, and company! Thanks Wally. Like HAZ, you rock!

 A perfect day to see an eastern Supes classic. Good flow, generally good trail and the majority of people we saw were people we knew, so I can’t complain about the crowds.

It had been awhile since I have done a hike from the Reavis north trail, so I enjoyed the nostalgia of the first few miles. The descent to the creek went pretty smoothly, but the travel upstream slowed our pace some, especially with three ish chihuahuas in tow. The falls were flowing about as good as I remember seeing them flow and we enjoyed a full hour break at their base. After our long break, we returned the way we came, with some extended breaks for filtering water and replenishing the calories. A few poppies on the hike out and some nice blooms along the road on the drive out.

Wildflowers
A few sprinklings of poppies.