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Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill - 1 member in 5 triplogs has rated this an average 3 ( 1 to 5 best )
5 triplogs
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Jan 19 2021
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 Guides 187
 Routes 989
 Photos 12,068
 Triplogs 864

72 male
 Joined Jun 27 2015
 Tucson, Arizona
Pistol Hill Road to Colossal Cav, AZ 
Pistol Hill Road to Colossal Cav, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jan 19 2021
markthurman53 • Triplogs 864
Hiking3.16 Miles 204 AEG
Hiking3.16 Miles   1 Hour   8 Mns   2.79 mph
204 ft AEG
 
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Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill
Partners partners
mamakatt22
Ginny got new hiking boots today and wanted to try them out. we only had an hour to get some hiking in today so I quit work on digging out a tree in my back yard and headed to a Portion of the Arizona Trail from Pistol Hill Road to Colossal Cave. Boy those new boots are something got the 3.2 mile round trip hike done it 1 hour. At one point I thought I saw smoke coming out from between her legs.

This trail is more like a highway no rocks to navigate and fairly level. With the storm coming it turned this rather mundane portion of the Arizona Trail into something quite scenic. The clouds were not quite on the mountain tops yet but the setting sun lit up the peaks. There was not quite enough break in the clouds for a great sunset, just gets a couple oohs and aahs. You could sense the cactus anticipating the rain, well at least I thought I could.
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Dec 28 2013
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 Routes 36
 Photos 2,658
 Triplogs 1,347

67 male
 Joined Jul 28 2004
 Scottsdale, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 28 2013
mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347
Hiking17.60 Miles 1,690 AEG
Hiking17.60 Miles   6 Hrs   20 Mns   3.02 mph
1,690 ft AEG      30 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Colossal Cave Mountain Park
Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill
Hope Camp Trail
Colossal Cave to Marsh Station
Partners partners
BobP
Met Bob just off I-10 and we set up the shuttle. The trail and tread were in excellent condition and we made good time. We could smell tempting BBQ from Colossal Cave Cafe but managed to keep going. I might have made 3 short cuts where I thought the trail should go but nobody saw me :whistle:

Super nice views of the Rincons all the way We found a picnic area just off the trail and had lunch there. Saw about 3 mountain bikers, 4 horses and riders, a trail runner and one hiker. Surprisingly, no wildlife except one hawk right in front of us near the beginning and the murder of crows.

Thanks Bob for joining me on this - I had a really great day :y:
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  La Selvilla Picnic Area
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Dec 28 2013
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 Guides 2
 Routes 251
 Photos 4,593
 Triplogs 3,212

63 male
 Joined Feb 26 2008
 Scottsdale, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 28 2013
BobP • Triplogs 3,212
Hiking17.60 Miles 1,690 AEG
Hiking17.60 Miles   6 Hrs   20 Mns   3.02 mph
1,690 ft AEG      30 Mns Break
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   linked  
Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill
Hope Camp Trail
Partners partners
mazatzal
As the AZT dwindles....This section would have been a great one to trail run but I'm glad I hiked it. The weather was fantastic and the views were bloody awesome. The riparian area was really coolio. The miles passed quicker than I wanted them to but all-in-all it was a great day. We averaged over 3 miles an hour because the tread was easy and the aeg was low. The reward at the truck was well deserved and very tasty. Thanks for choosing this one as our plan b...it worked out smashingly.
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https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP
 
Apr 23 2011
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 Guides 16
 Routes 81
 Photos 1,269
 Triplogs 1,144

51 male
 Joined Apr 30 2008
 Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Apr 23 2011
azdesertfather • Triplogs 1,144
Hiking16.46 Miles 1,528 AEG
Hiking16.46 Miles   5 Hrs   55 Mns   2.78 mph
1,528 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
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Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill
Hope Camp Trail
Partners partners
fricknaley
joebartels
The_Eagle
Tortoise_Hiker
This was a tough one at first, as we came out of Cienega Creek, which was a wooded, shady area in a canyon, and up onto the desert floor where there was no shade. It was the hot part of the day and we were roasting! We kept pushing through to get done, only taking a couple of breaks. The second break we took was golden though, it really rejuvenated us for the final push. The first break was the break where Joe became known as the "squirrel whisperer"...quite entertaining! Thankfully it also improved after about 1/3 of the way in when clouds rolled in and gave us much nicer weather for the remainder of the afternoon.

Went through the Colossal Cave Park area, the only place where we saw a sign on the Arizona Trail thus far that said "restaurant & restrooms, 1/4 mile" with an arrow. We didn't take advantage of it though. We also went through Hope Camp, which doesn't have much of anything left there anymore.

Thanks guys for another great day!!

BY THE WAY, on this segment I picked up a trail maintenance tool, a bush saw. Anyone who's been working out here recently who claims it, please let me know. I picked it up, as I didn't want it to rust out there.
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." — Henry David Thoreau
 
Jun 30 2010
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 Guides 2
 Routes 4
 Photos 3,873
 Triplogs 362

51 female
 Joined Feb 12 2008
 Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8Tucson, AZ
Rincon Valley - AZT #8
Tucson, AZ
Hiking avatar Jun 30 2010
sirena • Triplogs 362
Hiking16.00 Miles 1,600 AEG
Hiking16.00 Miles   6 Hrs      2.67 mph
1,600 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Colossal Cave to Pistol Hill
Colossal Cave to Marsh Station
Partners none no partners
I am writing the trail description for this passage for a update of the AZT guidebook and needed to re-hike it to take notes. Ideally, this would have been done in the spring, but instead I hiked it on a day that reached 106. I slept near the trail in the back of my new Jeep (pretty comfy!) so that I didn't have to drive to the trail in the morning. My friend Lee Allen was nice enough to meet me at the ungodly hour of 5:30 am to shuttle me to the beginning of this passage. This is not one of my favorite parts of the AZT. Though the views of the Rincons are great, it is unnecessarily swoopy (that's a technical term). I'm sure it's a if you are on a mountain bike, but as a hiker, I kept thinking "Why does the trail swoop all the way over there to gain 50 yards of travel north?"

At least the trail was generally flat, which made for quick hiking. It was breezy, but I was still able to use my umbrella. I use a voice recorder along with my GPS to take notes for the description. By 10 am, I had hiked 11.5 miles and reached my car. I took a break to cool down and eat snacks, then headed back out. I had to hike the last couple miles out and back, which is the reason that I ended up doing 16 miles today. The crossing at Rincon Creek could definitely use some trimming. (the trail continues straight across the overgrown wash) Surprisingly, there was still a small flow in the creek. The 2+ miles backtracking to my car were scorching hot, and even though I brought enough water to wet down my shirt and my hair, toward the last mile even that failed to cool me down. The trail swoops made me severely grumpy! Finally, I reached the air-conditioned haven of my car and dumped the ice water from my cooler over my head. I wish I had the heat tolerance I used to have when I worked as an archaeologist- we used to work until 2-3pm in the summertime.

As is usually the case, the passage turned out to be almost 1/2 mile longer than the data book said (13.7 instead of 13.3).
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average hiking speed 2.75 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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