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| Hiking | 4.25 Miles |
1,500 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.25 Miles | | | |
| 1,500 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Day 2 of my Pinaleno Camping Trip...Wanted to do some Hikes that I haven't done yet, and although I've done Ladybug Peak, I did it from the Saddle before...This was a little bit more of a Workout. I decided to go ahead and throw in Mount Baldy on the way back...Why? Because it was there... 
Beautiful Morning and the Hike was going very nicely...Calm, relaxed, actually enjoying some nice Uphill...  I came to a little "bump" where it was stepping on Rocks going down...Of course, with a Trail I haven't been on, I'm not totally focused on the Trail, although my Foot Placement here was at least in my Peripheral Vision...I stepped off that last Rock, back on to level Trail...I thought I was stepping next to a small Gray Rock...OOPS! If that Twin-Spotted was known as an aggressive Species, my Trip would have ended with that Step...Less than 6" from his Head... He was small, coiled up, sunning himself in the middle of the Trail...I think I scared him more than he did me! Instead of striking, he jerked the other way, while I did the "Rattlesnake Two Step"...He rattled his very small Button Rattle and started beating cheeks for the Rocks on the edge of the Trail...It drops off there and I think he calls it home...I somehow managed to get the Camera out and fired off a couple of shots, but definitely didn't have much time... Very Cool Encounter, once it was over...My first Twin Spotted in the Wild!!! 
Continued on down the Trail, paying a little more attention to the actual Trail... The Uphill was a nice little Workout...Got to a Saddle, started up more Switchbacks and came face to face with a White-Tailed Doe...Less than 20 feet away...She stared at me in disbelief for a moment and as I turned the Camera on, the White Flag came up and she quickly walked into the Brush...Could not get a clean shot after that... 
Finished the Switchbacks and got up to the Peak...The Views were as nice as I remembered, albeit a bit Hazy...Not many Clouds, but still a Haze to the Horizon...Spent an hour up there, enjoying the Views, watching Birds come and go, including a couple that weren't all that common...Read through the Log, laughing at fellow HAZers...And then it was time to go...
Followed the Trail back down, poring over Preston's Description for where to start the ascent to Baldy...Found it and Off-Trailed it up to that Peak...Enjoyed the Views here and laughed at more Entries in that Register...Then it was back the way I came, onto the Trail and back to the Escape...Lots of fresh Bear sign along the Ladybug Trail, especially the closer you came to Turkey Flat...
Nice Hike, nice little Workout with a couple of breathtaking moments of excitement...I could easily see doing this Hike again...  |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
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| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
! The flooding at Wet Canyon has been violent and I along with a few others were shocked at the "new" look of the entrance to this most loved canyon/picnic area, but to remove the old bridge was IMO unnecessary & lazy. ADOT does own the road (and old bridge) and because of that can do as they please ..... whatever!
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This happened one more time, until I left the trail for good at the 8100 foot level. The off trail portion was not too bad, considdering the rugged topography of the peak. Got to the top at sunset. I pulled out the jar, paper and pen that I'd brought to start a summit register, then I discovered an existing one in a large ammo box. The decaying register identified this peak as "Mount Baldy". Signed it, took some pictures, then headed back down in the waning light and icy breeze. I took a few night photos, and arrived back at the trailhead in moonlit darkness.
