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| Hiking | 8.20 Miles |
1,118 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.20 Miles | | | |
| 1,118 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | With the weather creeping down to the 70s again on Thursday and with recent reports that the creek was flowing in Rogers Canyon, I thought it'd be a good idea to get out there and check out Angel's Basin and to scope out the trail condition on Frog Tank for a future trip. The drive to Rogers Trough was surprisingly decent, with the road having recently been graded, and I didn't see a single vehicle on my way in and there was no one else at the TH. Well, no vehicles at least but as I was getting my stuff together, an AZT thru hiker was passing through. I thought I might run into some so I had tossed a few beers/soda/sparkling water into my cooler when heading out just in case I could offer a little trail magic. We chatted briefly while he had a soda and then took a beer to enjoy a little bit later. Good vibes to start the trip!
The first 1.5 miles or so are also part of the AZT and, as expected, is very well maintained. This section has a chaparral/desert transition vibe to it that's nice. While I'm not very educated on species, the wildflowers were really putting on a show, as well, with blues, purples, yellows, whites, pink, and red all making appearances. The section right before where Roger's splits from the AZT is a particularly nice one with large clusters of various species mixing together creating a picturesque landscape.
At the clearly signed junction, I feel like someone is playing a joke. The AZT continues on, broad, brush free, wide tread but my trail of the day was to the left... Through the scrub closing in. As I looked at it, I wondered if it was going to be more of a bushwhack than I had anticipated but as I went through... it opened back up to a decently maintained trail. I almost feel like that one little spot isn't cut back further just to mess with people. Unfortunately, that may have backfired. Maybe 50 feet down the trail, literally in the middle of the trail, were 4 or 5 wads of toilet paper and actual "logs". Did someone think they were off trail somehow? WTF. While I'm all about LNT and pick up other peoples trash all the time, I draw the line at human waste. I used my trekking poles to shove it into bush next to the trail and carried on.
The next mile of the trail, the creek largely spends it's time underground, appearing above here and there as you walk through the wash. As you hike in more, the creek changes, spending most of it's time above ground, rolling over large boulders. Larger trees start to appear and become more common, with the ground changing from the rocky, sandy desert to a soily duff more like the forests up north. The temperature also dropped at least 5 degrees quickly as well, which was much appreciated. For this portion, I spent 50/50 on trail vs off, as the creek bed was a nice walk and the trail was a slightly overgrown.
Once you get to Rogers Canyon Spring, the trail spends a bit less time right in the creek and winds through the trees. The soil underneath makes for an easy hike and the change of scenery is always pleasant. A little over 4 miles into the hike, you're dropped into the creek bed where the cliff dwellings are. I decided to check those out on my way out the next day and continued in the creek bed, noting a fantastic camp site maybe 500 feet West, before turning off to Angel's Basin. I didn't go too far down this way, maybe a half mile or so, as I had gotten a late start and it was past 5 already and the trail wasn't exactly a great trail at this point. It was still easy enough to creek walk, but the trail has definitely seen better days in this section. So, I turned around to camp at the spot near the dwellings which ended up being nice, with a small waterfall (IE, the water dropping approximately 12 inches off a rock) providing some zen white noise.
I got back on trail around 7:30 the next day to check on the dwellings. I got a bit of a shock as there was another couple that came up on me and shouted, "Are you good with dogs?". Friendly couple and dog, just wasn't expecting to see anyone there that early as I didn't see anyone camping when I came in late and they didn't look like they had camped. Between driving up 172/hiking the 4 miles, they must have had an early start to be there that at that time. I checked out the dwellings, trying to imagine living there and thinking through the logistics like water. Tough people.
The hike out was much the same as the day before and gaining the elevation back is gentle outside of one or two spots. Once back on the AZT I ran across 3 NOBOs and, back at my car, ran into another one as I was drinking a post-hike beverage. She took me up on a drink and some conversation and that was that. I ran into a lot more vehicles on the way back down but only one was driving like a jackass, so that's better than usual. I'm not a big fan of backpacking once it gets in the 90s with as much exposure as you get in the Supes so I was happy that I was able to get this trip in before the heat comes and sticks around for the season. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
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Route 
We arrived at Rogers Trough a little before 7 when I realized I had forgotten my shoes at home. ](https://hikearizona.com/dex2/images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
Knowing that it was a 90-minute drive back to my house, I thought the day was over before it started. Andy had a pair of Hoka sandals that were two sizes too small but I tried them on anyway. They were extremely tight but I decided to give them a shot and we headed off. 
It started out spooky in the pitch dark fog with an owl hooting. I kept telling myself that the bears are hibernating now and won't be charging from the thick mist. I've been to the summit of White Mountain twice before, so the whiteout conditions weren't that much of a bummer, except for being absolutely soaked to the bone heading north across the ridgeline. My feet never dried out after that first summit. I seriously began to doubt the second peak plan after dropping off the summit to the west and encountering thick bushwhack, mucky cliffs and bear poop everywhere. It was impossible to see landmarks from inside the clouds, but by occasionally checking the GPX, I stayed on track until finally exiting the cloud deck to find myself in a bizarre landscape. Upper Rough Canyon is a neat, mostly unburnt niche with some more likely surprises. The views from Cimeron were stellar. Good water at the confluence of Fish and Rough Creeks, but surprisingly nothing significant after that on the way up Rogers Canyon to the Trough. Most definitely, one of the best Supes hikes I've done. 
