Walker Basin Trail #136 - Santa Rita Mountains • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

East Sawmill Canyon Trail #146

Greaterville Trail #79

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I got a lot of great help from user Jim_H to make my first visits to the Santa Ritas (this is my first triplog here, not sure if we can tag other users). I did 2 backpacks in a week there after bailing on my first trip due to getting caught in "severe gale force" winds and driving snow (Mar 14-15) at Baldy Saddle. My tent got blown down and I had to cowboy camp in 50+ mph sustained winds & sub-freezing temps. This report is mostly from my second trip.

AZT / Ditch Mountain
Be warned: the only commercially available map for the Santa Ritas (Green Trail Maps) shows the wrong location of the AZT, as does CalTopo. That caused problems for me on my first trip. Second trip I followed the old AZT routing starting from Apache Springs TH - down the Forest Road to Ditch Mountain Trail. Camped near Bear Spring.

Walker Basin / Gardner Canyon
Good climbs on these trails to go from the foothills of the Santa Ritas to the Crest. I didn't start to see snow on the trail until the upper reaches of Gardner Cyn Tr (~8000'). Looking around at north-facing slopes showed the snow level starting ~6500'.

Super Trail
The stretch of Super Tr from Gardner Cyn to Baldy Saddle was mostly snow covered. Fortunately the snow was still cold and hard-packed (Mar 21) so I was not post-holing. Another good climb, ~500' over a half mile. I didn't attempt Wrightson, it was completely snow covered, but some day hikers were doing it. Camped on a little exposed knoll above Baldy Saddle with great views - the same spot I got stormed out of a few days before.

Crest
Most of the Crest Tr was snow covered but it was entirely passable. I carried traction devices but didn't need them the whole trip. Snow was still cold and hard-packed (Mar 22) so I was not post-holing. As with all Sky Island crests - incredible views with many mountain ranges in the distance (Huachucas, Whetstones, Patagonias, Rincons, Catalinas, etc.)

East Sawmill Canyon
After Crest this was my second favorite Trail of the hike. Starts off a little confusingly by continuing to rise along the Santa Rita crest before dropping into East Sawmill Cyn. Beautiful forests up top, tight canyon in the middle, desert scrubland at the end.

Greaterville
My map showed the beginning and end points of this trail as about the same elevation so I thought it was going to be a mostly flat walk. Nope. Goes straight up a ridge then straight back down the other side. Greaterville Tr links to FR 165 which I took until connecting back with the AZT.

AZT
Road walk for a bit to Kentucky Camp where I stayed the night. Better camping back along the AZT than here at KY but there was water at KY. Finished up the trip along the AZT back to Apache Springs TH.

All in all the Santa Ritas were a great place to backpack. Trail system very nice and no problems navigating. Water was flowing everywhere except Baldy Spring which was covered in snow. Thanks again to Jim_H.

Nov 25 2023

Jim

Guides 73
Routes 176
Photos 10,174
Triplogs 2,324

46 male

Joined Sep 08 2006

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 25 2023
		Jim • Triplogs 2,324

Hiking	9.15 Miles	1,627 AEG

Hiking	9.15 Miles
	1,627 ft AEG		10 LBS Pack

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PrestonSands

A cold moist and overcast day for this loop hike in the eastern Ritas. Some people enjoy that, but it was quite cold. Ironically, at least 2 of us considered postponing a day, but neither of us followed through on the thought. The forecast did claim it would be nice by noon. Somehow, it got worse.

We lacked the time and motivation to hike the Gardner Canyon Trail uphill to the Super Trail. The upper sections near the Super Trail is probably the most scenic section of trail.

Not a bad little loop, though the drive to get you there is more than would be ideal to access it. Excellent views of Josephine, Wrightson, the crest all the way to Florida Peak.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bear Spring

	Bear Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Quite a little pool to use. No flow noted.

	Tunnel Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	There was water in the tunnel. No real flow noted. Would be easy to filter.

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Nov 25 2023

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

48 male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 25 2023
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	10.50 Miles	1,627 AEG

Hiking	10.50 Miles
	1,627 ft AEG

no routes

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Jim

Jim and Brian and I left rainy Tucson and carpooled down to the east side of the Santa Ritas on a stormy and chilly morning, parking my truck at the Arizona Trail/Chinaman Trail trailhead. We headed south on the Chinaman Trail, following the route of an old mining flume/canal. The occasional warmth of the sun soon vanished for the remainder of the day, and occasional short lived drizzles became the norm. This was my first time on this trail, and I enjoyed the green hillsides of oak, pinyon and juniper, far reaching views to the Whetstones and Huachucas, and, for the cactus fanatic in me, Echinocereus rigidissimus aplenty.

Big Casa Blanca Canyon brought the first tall pines, while high above the canyon storm clouds hung low and heavy over Josephine Peak and Mount Wrightson, dragging drooping boils of snow flurries across their summits. We took a lunch break at Bear Spring (located west of where the USGS topo shows the spring), and then began ascending the south slope of the canyon. Interesting sandstone beds along the way were reminiscent of Coconino Sandstone and this section reminded me a bit of Mogollon Rim hiking.

The climb ceased at Walker Basin Trail junction, where we turned north to follow it across the eastern slopes of Josephine and Wrightson. A couple of drainage crossings actually held a little bit of water, a surprise given how dry the summer was.

We reached Gardner Canyon Trail late in the afternoon and began the last leg, dropping into the piney goodness of Gardner Canyon. Nice forest in here. Trail transitioned into road, darkness arrived, and we finished the last half mile by headlamp.
Arriving back in Tucson we stopped for dinner at Filiberto’s before heading home.

Definitely a cold one, but the stormy skies and winter like conditions were a neat change of pace. Good hike.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Arizona Rainbow Cactus

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Josephine Peak

_____________________

"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Apr 23 2023

Mountain_Rat

Guides 11
Routes 123
Photos 818
Triplogs 257

62 male

Joined Jul 14 2011
Tucson, AZ

Mt Wrightson via Chinaman Trail, AZ

Hiking		Apr 23 2023
		Mountain_Rat • Triplogs 257

Hiking	16.77 Miles	4,185 AEG

Hiking	16.77 Miles	9 Hrs 1 Min	2.06 mph
	4,185 ft AEG	52 Mns Break

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LindaAnn

Whine-fest 2023

Ok, so pretty much what Linda said - [ triplog ] - but in my defense, the underrepresentation of switchbacks was intentional, just my way of softening the reality that there was actually a dizzying number of them. I would also add that once the uphill started, the sniveling did as well. It was hot & mostly breeze-free the whole trip. I blew through a ton of water (about 4 liters) and took on a pretty good sunburn. On the positive side, the views were great 99% of the way and the trails below the Super were empty. Some highlights included a most bizarrely manicured section of the Walker Basin trail which appeared to have been raked as a final touch, a Whitetail doe and her fawn, and views of Josephine Peak that can only be taken in along this route.

As per usual, it shook out to be a fine day in the end. Thanks for driving down Linda. I'll try to come up with something a little less sunny next time.

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3 archives

Apr 23 2023

LindaAnn

Guides 110
Routes 2,246
Photos 8,982
Triplogs 2,600

45 female

Joined Dec 24 2007
Ahwatukee, AZ

Mt Wrightson from Tunnel Spring TH, AZ

Hiking		Apr 23 2023
		LindaAnn • Triplogs 2,600

Hiking	16.77 Miles	4,185 AEG

Hiking	16.77 Miles	9 Hrs 1 Min	2.06 mph
	4,185 ft AEG	52 Mns Break

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Vault Mine - Josephine Saddle Loop

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Mountain_Rat

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Matt and I got started from the Tunnel Spring trailhead just before 0700. Headed south on Chinaman Trail (which now seems to be called Ditch Mtn trail per the FS website). Easy hiking on Chinaman, with nice views. Got on Walker Basin and headed generally north. Somewhat steeper, but still fairly easy and good views. Matt claimed there were only three switchbacks on that portion of Walker Basin, but I think he adopted common-core math, because there were wayyyy more than three.

The real climbing began once we were headed uphill on Gardner Canyon trail. Slow going, and the heat did not help. The trail is in good condition, just not much shade. Super Trail was nicer, and still had some patches of snow alongside the trail. I actually put some snow under my hat in order to cool off. Took a snack break at Baldy Saddle before heading up to the summit. A few more patches of snow, but no problem.

Quick stop at the summit, there were seven hippies up there, which is not my thing. Easy descent, then retraced our steps back down to Gardner Canyon which we took all the way down to the truck.

Zero deadfall the entire way today, and all trails were in good shape. The road in is in good shape, with a few warer crossings. As long as you have 4+” of clearance, you’re good, although it would be tedious in a sedan. Good day, although it was a little warm at times.

	Baldy Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Springbox was full. Minimal flow.

	Bear Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Trough was full, light flow from the pipe

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Stop crying and just go do the hike.

Jul 05 2020

desertadapted

Photos 117
Triplogs 23

48 male

Joined Apr 25 2017
Phoenix, AZ

Vault Mine - Josephine Saddle Loop

Tucson, AZ

Backpack		Jul 05 2020
		desertadapted • Triplogs 23

Backpack	23.00 Miles	7,600 AEG

Backpack	23.00 Miles	2 Days
	7,600 ft AEG

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Started at Madera Canyon TH. Intended to go up Vault Mine, but missed the right turn, hiked past the old mine and followed social trails up the ridge (passing an awesome campsite on the way). After losing the thread of the social trails and being obstinate, I bushwhacked up to the Agua Caliente trail and got to Josephine Saddle. From there, after a pit stop at Bellows Spring, it was up Wrightson (a lot of folks with positive energy!). There was rain on 7/2 and continued cloud cover so it was cooler than expected. After the summit trail, headed briefly down the Super Trail to connect with Gardner Canyon, which is well maintained. Continued the loop around Wrightson by connecting to the Arizona Trail. The fully maintained campsite was near Walker Basin but it was too early in the day to put in. So continued on the AZT to Temporal Gulch Trail. There were scattered pools throughout from last night's rain (and before -- some were pretty scummy). Temporal Gulch was likewise well maintained. Downside is that there were no maintained camp grounds before Josephine Saddle. After about 18-20 miles in, I found a ridge that had a decent camp. Startled some deer (all I wanted to do was hug them - is that so wrong?).

Next day was a quick trip past McBeth Spring (perfect water), and then back down Aqua Caliente and Vault Mine to see what I'd missed with the bushwhack. Vault Mine is steep! I didn't have a trash bag on the trip, but for anyone interested there is a fair bit of camping trash (old clothes, even) on Temporal Gulch within 1-1.5 miles of Josephine Saddle. Water: I carried all my needs from Bellows until McBeth. The back half of the day was hot with clouds burned off. While I could have hit some stagnant pools along the way, it was doable with what I'd brought. This is a gorgeous loop/figure 8. I look forward to my next Santa Rita trip! Mileage and AEG may be off by a bit because of bushwhack.

	Bellows Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Plenty of water from the pipe and in the spring. 7/3/2020.

	McBeth Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Plenty of cool, clear, tasty water in the spring, supplied by a light trickle. 7/3/2020.

	Upper Walker Tank	Dry	Dry
	Small basin of stagnant water above the dam. Not that desperate! 7/3/2020.

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1 archive

Apr 04 2020

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Santa Ritas mega loop, AZ

Run/Jog		Apr 04 2020
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Run/Jog	26.51 Miles	7,083 AEG

Run/Jog	26.51 Miles	9 Hrs 7 Mns	2.92 mph
	7,083 ft AEG	3 Mns Break

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Bog Springs Trail #156

Four Springs Trail

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A friend in Tuscon invited me out to do a big route in the Santa Ritas that involved three of the only trails in the Santa Ritas I haven't completed yet, so I couldn't say no. One of these, Four Springs Trail, was particularly high on my list.

We started up from Bog Springs (safely distanced, of course). Lots of hikers, even above Kent Springs where the trail is no longer "official". The trail is still in really good shape. The six miles or so to the top was a serious grind. Topped off our water with some nice cold snowmelt near Armour Spring (the spring itself was just a drip), and continued up the Crest.

Being at the high point felt good, something like 8 miles and 4,500 feet of climbing later...

Once on Super Trail, some actual consistent running was possible, and we made good time down to Walker Basin Trail via Gardner Canyon. GC was not in terrible shape, just a bit overgrown in places. Couple pieces of migrant garbage.

Along Walker Basin, we found a side drainage with good flow, so I decided to top off my water here, not knowing what the water situation in Temporal Gulch would be... There would be 2-3 other flowing creeks before we even got to TG trail...

Temporal Gulch actually had good water, and some nice pools that I really wanted to just stop and swim in, but there are some signs of cattle in the area. This was an unexpectedly pleasant part of the route, despite the climbing and the fact that I was already totally wrecked. Lots of shade and vegetation in there, and in the upper half, pine trees.

Once up above Josephine Canyon, the trail levels out. Stopped at McBeth Spring for one last fill. The rest of the day was unremarkable, although I never thought it was possible for me to go that slow down Old Baldy...

This was a great loop, but easily the most challenging route I've done in probably six months.

	Armour Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Little pool with seepage under a rock. Good flow in the drainage to the east (but not much snow left).

	Baldy Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Some water in the box.

	Kent Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	No water in the spring box, but lots in the canyon next to it.

	McBeth Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Moderate flow coming out of the pipe.

	Upper Walker Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Creek is flowing.

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1 archive

Dec 09 2018

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Run/Jog		Dec 09 2018
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Run/Jog	24.40 Miles	3,916 AEG

Run/Jog	24.40 Miles	6 Hrs 57 Mns	3.62 mph
	3,916 ft AEG	13 Mns Break

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AZT Passage 4 was the first one I did solo. Drove to Patagonia, with an arrangement to get picked up by my sister at the end of the passage. The first half (or more) of the passage is just on Temporal Canyon Road - pretty lame, views are OK, but it's graded forest road. When I did it, part of the road was closed due to an environmental cleanup project, so I had to do a very worthwhile diversion along jeep roads and cow paths. They should make this a permanent part of the trail, because it's more interesting than forest road.

After rejoining the road, the climb steepened a little bit, and I was pretty done with it by the time I got to Walker Basin TH. There was shade and water there, so it was nice.

Took a nice long break at the high point, at the junction where AZT starts heading down into Casa Blanca Canyon. Texted my sister with an ETA. Stopped and filled up my water at the creek crossing. This was really a beautiful little canyon, with some worthwhile views as it contoured away from the creek.

Once hitting Gardner Canyon Road, I was back in familiar territory (from the Old Pueblo races). Pushed through the last few miles, think it was worse than it was when I was finishing up the 50 miler.

Hard to say whether this segment is awesome or totally sucks, depends on whether you're talking about the road or trail part. North of Walker Basin TH it's pretty great.

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1 archive

Sep 12 2015

joebartels

Guides 264
Routes 2,797
Photos 14,494
Triplogs 5,894

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	17.35 Miles	5,060 AEG

Hiking	17.35 Miles	9 Hrs 34 Mns		2.43 mph
	5,060 ft AEG	2 Hrs 25 Mns Break	14 LBS Pack

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	Baja Arizona Hiking
	HAZ - Event

	chumley	GrottoGirl
	Pivo	RedwallNHops
	rwstorm	The_Eagle

Our first obstacle was getting around a half decomposed cow on FR72 that would make a skunk blush. Most of the stank washed off the trucks passing through a few running ravines. Just enough lingered at the trailhead to get us hungry for the trail.

We lost the trail a few times in the lower creek shared segment of #595. Nothing of concern, follow the creek when in doubt. The upper part is nice. Friendly brush is nearby most of the way. Weather was nice throughout the day. From Josephine Saddle to the summit we had a steady flow of company on trail.

My favorite part of the hike was from Baldy Saddle heading down Gardner Canyon #143. Views, perfectly scattered pines and clouds cranked out a nice symphony.

Walker Basin Trail #136 was the get us back leg. Two sacred pools above the dam were neat. FR72 to complete the loop.

A pleasure to hike with this fine group. Mike was a little shy but opened up after five seconds. Met Bill Bens out playing in his backyard! Randy hit the big peak in the sky again and joined us for lunch too.

carried 4 qts, consumed 2.8

Autumn Foliage Observation None
None really. A little precursor to Autumn near McBeth. Large swaths of ferns all browned up now. The ravine is a tucked in pocket.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Several large blankets of yellow covering slopes. A few nice individual varieties.

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- joe

Sep 12 2015

Pivo

Guides 2
Routes 512
Photos 5,579
Triplogs 4,277

69 male

Joined Mar 01 2009
Aztec, NM

Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		Pivo • Triplogs 4,277

Hiking	17.45 Miles	5,060 AEG

Hiking	17.45 Miles	9 Hrs 27 Mns		2.48 mph
	5,060 ft AEG	2 Hrs 24 Mns Break	25 LBS Pack

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	HAZ - Event

	chumley	GrottoGirl
	joebartels	RedwallNHops
	The_Eagle

This is now my favorite route up Old Baldy. The drive in from Patagonia is beautiful, I will definitely be returning after spotting some great campsites to spend a weekend.
Plenty of water along the trails, lush green slopes and canyons after a generous monsoon in the range. Nice wildflower displays, and great company. Good to meet the folks from the Phoenix area too.

Dinner was at Patagonia's Velvet Elvis.

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

Baldy Spring

Dripping

McBeth Spring

Quart per minute

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Sep 12 2015

RedwallNHops

Guides 1
Routes 269
Photos 613
Triplogs 1,360

50 male

Joined Dec 22 2003
Tucson, AZ

Wrightson via Temporal Gulch, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		RedwallNHops • Triplogs 1,360

Hiking	17.45 Miles	5,060 AEG

Hiking	17.45 Miles
	5,060 ft AEG

no routes

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	chumley	GrottoGirl
	joebartels	Pivo
	The_Eagle

What an awesome way to do Wrightson. Great to hike with the Phoenix guys as well!

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Sep 12 2015

GrottoGirl

Guides 3
Routes 569
Photos 11,976
Triplogs 1,634

50 female

Joined Sep 18 2009
Tucson, AZ

Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		GrottoGirl • Triplogs 1,634

Hiking	17.45 Miles	5,060 AEG

Hiking	17.45 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns	1.84 mph
	5,060 ft AEG

no routes

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	Baja Arizona Hiking
	HAZ - Event

	chumley	joebartels
	Pivo	RedwallNHops
	The_Eagle

I wanted to do a long day hike that I hadn't done before, so I got out my maps and books and finally settled on checking out the Santa Rita's from the backside. I decided to post an event on HAZ since I don't do that too often. And I'm glad I did as we got to meet three of our 'friends' we've seen lurking on HAZ!

The day started out pretty benign. We met up flawlessly and caravanned down to Patagonia. That's when things got interesting on the way to the trailhead we saw Chumley pause for a minute before driving over a 'log'. Soon we saw that it wasn't a log. He proceeded to drive around as much of a dead cow as he could. Then we had to follow. Ugh! Even after all the creek crossings there was still some smell left behind.

The beginning of the trail was more of a suggestion then a trail. With all the greenery we managed to keep losing it. Clues like backpacks and jackets left behind helped us navigate and sometimes helped us get off trail. However, it wasn't a problem as 5 of the 7 had either Route Scout or Garmins; not that they were needed since the trail followed Temporal Gulch.

The flowing Temporal Gulch was a beautiful site. I didn't take pictures as the patchy shade wouldn't have done it justice. As we rose in elevation we got views of our objective, Mt Wrightson, as it majestically towered above us. I enjoyed seeing it from a new direction!

We found that McBeth's spring was flowing. Everyone had a good laugh contemplating the name of the spring. Maybe there had been a scholarly miner who loved to read?

At Josephine's saddle we joined the steady flow of hikers to the top. We all went at our own pace for this section of the trail. When I got to Baldy saddle I was greeted by the awesome patches of showy golden eyes. Not the best flower display in the range (Armour Spring to Pine Saddle gets that title, in my opinion) but very nice.

At the top we found Randy. I hadn't seen him in years and it was nice to say hi.

On the way down, we topped up water at Baldy Spring. I was pleased to see the ponderosa pines on the Gardner Canyon trail were almost all taller than me! Soon this will be a nice shady trek. I was excited to get to the junction that leads to Walker Basin. New trail again! The first part was still a burn area however we did get to some areas of nice trees. The drainages were flowing with water from the monsoons.

We found Walker Tank ( a silted in dam), however, above it we located some pool, definitely worth the diversion!

The hardest part of the day was walking the road. Luckily, the views of the Patagonia mountains and all around were awesome.

On the way out, Mark decided to test out his 4x4 capabilities. The smell was HORRID! That will be something we talk about for a long time...

Pizza and drinks at the Velvet Elvis was wonderful!

It was awesome hiking with the PHX HAZ crew! We will have to do it again someday.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] McBeth Spring

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

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Sep 12 2015

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,760

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,760

Hiking	17.70 Miles	5,227 AEG

Hiking	17.70 Miles	9 Hrs 30 Mns		2.33 mph
	5,227 ft AEG	1 Hour 54 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Walker Canyon Trail

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HAZ - Event

	chumley	GrottoGirl
	joebartels	Pivo
	RedwallNHops

Prison Stories, Goat Stories, Dead Cows, Poop, Wild Flowers, Surprise Guests, White Men in White Face.... this hike had it all.

Belinda posted a Wrightson loop, climbing from the east. I'd never done it from the east. Chums and
Joe Joe were a go, so we met up with the Chummobile at 4am for the drive to meet up w/ the Tucson crew at 6am.

Into Patagonia and then the drive on AZT #4 to our TH. Other than the stinky dead cow we had to drive OVER, the drive was uneventful.

Temporal Gulch Trail #595 Was a bit thin in spots and is a steady climb to Josephine Saddle. The views just kept getting better. We made a stop at McBeth Spring to sample the agua.

At the Old Baldy Trail #372 we saw the first of the masses coming up and down from the Summit. Ran into and SkyIslandHiker on his way down from his 300th? summit.

We enjoyed a break and lunch at the top with our surprise guest Randy. The first time I did Wrightson, it was in a group w/ Randy the speed demon. Great seeing him again.

It's all downhill from here Gardner Canyon #143, to Walker Basin #136. The views are easier to enjoy going downhill not staring at you feet. We all took an extended break while Joel read the newspaper.

The hill dropping into Upper Walker Tank was brutally rocky/steep.. we should have taken the AZT reroute instead of "The Road"

Thanks for settin' this one up Belinda! Good to finally meet you, Joel, Mark and Mike...

Hard to believe that the Cow smelled worse on the way out..

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] McBeth Spring Mount Wrightson Upper Walker Tank

Wildflowers Observation Moderate

	Baldy Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty of of clear cool water in the concrete catchment, north from the large visable container

	Bellows Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty of of clear cool water in the concrete catchment

	McBeth Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Plenty of of clear cool water in the concrete catchment

	Upper Walker Tank	26-50% full	26-50% full
	Plenty of filterable water. Nice pools upstream.

_____________________

There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."
Dave Barry

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Sep 12 2015

chumley

Guides 94
Routes 840
Photos 22,055
Triplogs 1,993

52 male

Joined Sep 18 2002
Tempe, AZ

Wrightson via Temporal to Walker Basin, AZ

Hiking		Sep 12 2015
		chumley • Triplogs 1,993

Hiking	18.44 Miles	5,280 AEG

Hiking	18.44 Miles	9 Hrs 31 Mns	2.57 mph
	5,280 ft AEG	2 Hrs 20 Mns Break

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Link Trail - Santa Rita Mtns

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HAZ - Event

	GrottoGirl	joebartels
	justmike	Pivo
	RedwallNHops	The_Eagle

Great to meet some of the Tucson HAZ crew! And a fantastic hike too! Thanks for putting it together Belinda! :app:

Temporal Gulch was great ... a very nice and consistent ascent though slightly overgrown which required steady attention to the route, especially closer to the beginning.

The summit was nice as always, and it was a nice surprise to see rwstorm had made the hike to meet us!

The cloudy skies on the way down made some of the exposed areas much less warm than they might have been had it been sunny, which ended up making the weather on this day about as perfect as it could be.

Entertaining conversation and amusement followed us all day long. Thanks all! :lol:

For some reason my garage smells like something died. Not sure why.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Yarrow's Spiny Lizard

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Humor

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] McBeth Spring Mount Wrightson Temporal Gulch

	Baldy Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Clear water in the spring box

	Bellows Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	Plenty of clear water in the spring box

	McBeth Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	Beautiful crystal, clear, delicious water in the spring box

	Upper Gardner Canyon - Santa Ritas	Pools to trickle	Pools to trickle
	A little flow at trail crossing with small pools

	Upper Walker Tank	76-100% full	76-100% full
	Water flowing over the dam, but otherwise filled in above the dam. But stream flow was plentiful and pools in bedrock above the tank

	Wrightson Spring	Dry	Dry
	Just some surface moisture. No possibility of collecting it

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I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies.

1 archive

Aug 08 2015

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Big Casa Blanca-Cave Canyon Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 08 2015
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	18.72 Miles	5,008 AEG

Hiking	18.72 Miles	10 Hrs 24 Mns	2.10 mph
	5,008 ft AEG	1 Hour 29 Mns Break

no routes

no photosets

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Cave Canyon Trail #149

Santa Rita Mountains - AZT #5

Link Trail - Santa Rita Mtns

Partners

partners

BiFrost

We only saw 7 other hikers and they were all between Baldy Saddle and the Summit!

Wildflowers Observation Light

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Aug 08 2015

BiFrost

Guides 4
Routes 491
Photos 10,890
Triplogs 1,257

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Big Casa Blanca-Cave Canyon Loop, AZ

Hiking		Aug 08 2015
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	18.72 Miles	5,008 AEG

Hiking	18.72 Miles	10 Hrs 24 Mns	2.10 mph
	5,008 ft AEG	1 Hour 29 Mns Break

Linked

6 linked trail guides

Cave Canyon Trail #149

Santa Rita Mountains - AZT #5

Partners

partners

slowandsteady

We drove up Friday night before the hike to car camp off Hwy 83 a mile or so on FS dirt road. Within 5 minutes of parking Border Patrol was there checking on us. He said sheriff saw a vehicle pull off the road and called it in thinking we might be a pickup vehicle for illegals. Told the BP we were car camping for the night and he left. At least we had great lighting show to enjoy some beverages.

Next morning we started at the Cave Canyon trailhead taking the Link trail over to AZT Santa Rita passage. From there followed AZT to junction with Walker Basin Trail which we ascended all the way to Super Trail. Kept an eye on the thunder clouds forming over Wrightson but they always moved off the top. We reached Baldy Saddle and headed up the final climb with the weather still cooperating. Once on top it was mostly clear while 4 thunderstorms raged around the peak so we had great break on top and even time for summit brew

Headed back down from the summit and past Baldy Saddle on the Crest Trail towards Florida Saddle. Whereas all the other trails were in good condition this trail needed some work with over growth, dead fall, and fire damage. Once down off the upper section the trail goes out of the burn and is decent rest of the way. It finally rained some at the end after threatening all day but not bad with only light rain. With the recent summer rains most of the creeks and drainages had water. Cave, Big Casa Blanca and Gardner all had very strong flow so despite the hot humid conditions finding water was never an issue.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bear Spring

Wildflowers Observation Light
columbine, lupine, fairy duster

	Baldy Spring	Dry	Dry
	bone dry

	Bear Spring	Quart per minute	Quart per minute
	pipe was dripping but the tank was full with clear water. However, just below the spring nearby Big Casa Blanca Creek was flowing nicely from recent summer rains

	Middle Cave Creek - Santa Ritas	Medium flow	Medium flow
	great water from recent summer rains

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1 archive

Nov 15 2014

BobP

Guides 2
Routes 251
Photos 4,593
Triplogs 3,212

63 male

Joined Feb 26 2008
Scottsdale, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 15 2014
		BobP • Triplogs 3,212

Hiking	13.10 Miles	2,250 AEG

Hiking	13.10 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	2.54 mph
	2,250 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Walker Canyon Trail

Partners

partners

JuanJaimeiii

mazatzal

Another section crossed off the list. I still have 8 or 9 more. The weather was perfect. Thanks for driving us JJ and thanks for the ice cream Laz.

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

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https://www.seeitourway.org
Always pronounce Egeszsegedre properly......
If you like this triplog you must be a friend of BrunoP

Nov 15 2014

mazatzal

Routes 36
Photos 2,658
Triplogs 1,347

67 male

Joined Jul 28 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Tucson, AZ

Hiking		Nov 15 2014
		mazatzal • Triplogs 1,347

Hiking	13.10 Miles	2,250 AEG

Hiking	13.10 Miles	5 Hrs 30 Mns	2.54 mph
	2,250 ft AEG	20 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Walker Canyon Trail

Partners

partners

BobP

JuanJaimeiii

Bob had done the first part of AZT #4 so we recruited a buddy with a vehicle better than a Ford to help us :roll:

Thanks JJ!

We parked after driving in about 8.5 miles and continued up to the high point of this section at about 6300’ - cool area with a few ponderosas and nice views. From there we descended down to the water system that carried water 8+ miles to Greaterville - fascinating stuff! Finally descended down into Gardner Canyon - lots of nice car camping sites down there with a few in use. Saw 5 deer in Gardner and we got to use two new gates less than a week old :lol:

Thanks Shawn

This section was better than I expected I didn’t know all the detail on the mining history and the flora was nice and varied across the elevation change.

JJ picked us up at Apache Springs not long after we arrived. We stopped for Tacos in Tucson (thanks Bob) and DQ in Casa Grande

A grand day out on the AZ Trail - thanks guys :y:

Autumn Foliage Observation Isolated

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1 archive

Nov 15 2014

JuanJaimeiii

Routes 596
Photos 9,604
Triplogs 2,400

58 male

Joined Jan 30 2011
Chandler, AZ

FR 72 to Balday Saddle, AZ

Hiking		Nov 15 2014
		JuanJaimeiii • Triplogs 2,400

Hiking	16.66 Miles	4,428 AEG

Hiking	16.66 Miles	5 Hrs 2 Mns	3.38 mph
	4,428 ft AEG	6 Mns Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

BobP

mazatzal

Bob and Richard are continuing their efforts on completing the Arizona Trail. I offered to help with shuttle service where I could. Today they worked on Passage 4. I started off the first few miles with them down FR72 and then I took the Walker Basin Trail over to the Gardner Canyon Trail. My plan was to go as far as I could towards Mt. Wrightson and still get back to pick them on at the end of section 4 by 3:30.

I made it as far as Baldy Saddle and the clock ran out. Would have love to have gone the extra .9 miles up to Wrightson but it just wasn't in the cards today. Either way while they did their business I had an enjoyable hike as well. At Baldy Saddle I met a couple guys from Tucson. They were heading down and wanted to know if the Super Trail would get them back to Madera Canyon. They had come up Old Baldy. I hiked back down the Super with them for a short ways and then it was back to Walker Basin for me.

Once back at the Cherokee I circled back thru Sonoita and then over to Gardner Canyon. I arrived at 3:33pm to find the Gents waiting for me. I believe they were there less than a half hour so our plan worked out pretty well.

Thanks for the Tacos in Tucson Bob. Thanks for the Cherry Dipped Cone in Casa Grande Richard. Good times!

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Signs and Markings

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1 archive

Sep 30 2014

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Gardner Canyon and Walker Basin Trail, AZ

Hiking		Sep 30 2014
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	12.90 Miles	3,637 AEG

Hiking	12.90 Miles	7 Hrs 10 Mns		2.41 mph
	3,637 ft AEG	1 Hour 49 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

Linked

linked