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| Hiking | 8.82 Miles |
3,641 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.82 Miles | 6 Hrs 29 Mns | | 1.76 mph |
| 3,641 ft AEG | 1 Hour 28 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | It had been a while since I had a good climb. I also had been wanting to drive the east end of 62 (Box Canyon Road). So Florida Canyon trail looked like a good candidate. I'd only been on this trail once years ago, and then it was hot and I only had time to get to Robinson Spring.
Box Canyon Road is pretty scenic as it winds through a twisty canyon. It's basically a well-graded shelf road passable by about any vehicle (except trucks with trailers, to which it is impassable because of the hairpins). About halfway through there is a dry waterfall that cascades down a cliff right by the road, which would be a sight to see in a heavy rain.
At the trailhead I was surprised to find the parking area overflowing... on a Thursday no less. This trail has a reputation for being sparsely used. I had to park on the side of the road just outside the parking area, in a line of parallel parked cars. Several vehicles had out-of-state plates.
On my prior trip several years ago I remembered the trail to be sunny, hot, and exposed. It wasn't that bad this time around, perhaps because it was mid-morning and earlier in the year so the shadows from the trees were longer. It was also a bit overcast and cooler.
I passed one pair of hikers below Robinson Spring. The spring had water but it was fairly low down in the spring box, so bring longer arms if you plan to tank up there (preferably muscular ones because the steel lid is a bit cumbersome to move). There is a trickle of flow in the adjacent creek, so those with wimpy T-rex arms are in luck if they can be a little patient.
The switchbacks above the spring were a sweat fest with lots of loose rocks. I could feel the lack of recent climbing experience and was grateful for trekking poles. I was even more grateful when it leveled out as the trail entered Florida Canyon proper, and big pines started popping up. I passed two more hikers on this stretch.
The piney section was delightful and lovely. I passed a couple of birders below the creek crossing, intent on some feathered activity nearby.
I tried poking around to find Florida Spring, but had no luck finding any surface water. On some maps the spring is near the drainage where the trail crosses, but the HAZ spring location is nowhere near the trail. There is a network of water pipes, and I did find a repaired section with water spraying out so water is somewhere. I wasn't up for bushwhacking to follow the pipes away from the trail though, and there didn't appear to be any trail branching off to a spring. So I just continued plodding up the mountain to the saddle. I was definitely feeling slow; it had been a hard week at work (framing) and I hadn't done a good AEG hike in a while. I stopped for lunch about 3/4 mile below the saddle since I wasn't making the progress I'd hoped.
In the burn area just below the saddle I think I found the rest of the hikers responsible for the full parking area: the Green Valley hiking club.
At the saddle I enjoyed the view and ate some more snacks. Eventually the birders showed up, but for a while I had the place to myself. I asked if they'd seen any exciting birds, and they effused about a "buff-breasted flycatcher" which was rare and super cute. I was imagining a feathered bodybuilder with enormous pecs and couldn't see that as particularly cute, though I had to acknowledge the possibility that "buff" referred to its color rather than its state of fitness. A later image search confirmed the latter theory was more likely correct.
I left the birders behind to make up some time, since it took me so long to ascend. Normally I hate steep downhill descents, but this one wasn't bad at all, with a possible exception of a few segments of loose rocks on the lower portion. Still, most of the downhill parts were more like a controlled fall than a hike.
About halfway down I stopped to take a picture, then sensed some movement. I took a step and then whatever it was exploded into a lightning-fast scramble down the hill and out of sight. It looked like a raccoon-sized blurry dog with shaggy brown fur and an enormous bushy tail. A later image search confirmed that I saw a very terrified coatimundi. For the record, they do poof up their tails when scared, not unlike a house cat sticking a paperclip in an electrical socket.
Back at the UofA facility I saw a harem of turkeys who didn't mind posing for a photo shoot.
Made it to the car at 4pm on the nose, having left the saddle at 2pm. There were only two other cars in the lot.
Fabulous day. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Some nice specimens here and there, but overall not an overwhelming display. |
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Robinson Spring |
Dripping |
Dripping |
| | | Water was pretty far down. Bring long arms. There's a trickle of flow in the adjacent creek for those with T-rex arms. | | | |
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Route Editor
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Route 
Tank is full of cool water. Lots of creepy spiders. Boo. 
I didn't have to go far up the trail, and basically hung around near the research station in my quest. The amount of plant growth everywhere I have been this summer has been off the charts. 
. Then, we saw that a newly updated "closure" notice had been posted, now bounding at Florida Saddle due to killer grizzlies in the area 
. ...so, with no real rain gear or means of fighting off the ravenous gang of killer bears, we said "pfftt" and went on.
