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| | | Reavis Ranch - Peak 5409 - Iron Mtn, AZ | | | |
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Reavis Ranch - Peak 5409 - Iron Mtn, AZ
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| Hiking | 18.14 Miles |
3,547 AEG |
| | Hiking | 18.14 Miles | 8 Hrs 52 Mns | | 2.24 mph |
| 3,547 ft AEG | 47 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | Our main destination today was Reavis Ranch--TboneKathy had never been there and had wanted to go for a long time, and with a birthday coming up, she declared this her birthday choice  . The drive up 172/172A was typical--scenic and bumpy, certainly high clearance, but probably okay for 2WD. There weren't too many vehicles at Rogers Trough when we got started at ~7:45AM, and it was comfortable in the low 50s and a little cloudy.
We stopped by Elisha's grave on the way up to Reavis Pass, and the pines were very pleasant as we continued north and eventually passed the monster alligator juniper. Before we reached the ranch, I detoured up to Peak/Hill 5409. It was less than a half mile off the trail, and the slope is pretty gentle approaching from the south side with reasonable gaps between the brush, so getting up wasn't bad.
The HAZ topo shows a benchmark up there, but I didn't find one. It's a little overgrown, and I spent a few minutes looking before giving up. So no benchmark, but I got a surprise during the search when I turned over a rock found four scorpions underneath. But the hill provided some nice views and a unique perspective overlooking Reavis Ranch from the southwest. I headed back down, and we continued to the ranch foundation and ate lunch there, with some campers set up near the creek nearby.
We saw quite a few hikers/backpackers on the way out, and one guy warned us that he'd just past a baby rattler a few minutes behind him, but we never saw it. Back at Reavis Saddle, I considered detouring over to White Mountain but decided against it, unsure how long that would take to cover ~ three miles of off-trail, and I knew I'd want to take more time exploring beyond the peak over toward Rough Canyon, so I saved that for another day.
The breeze started to pick up on our way down from the saddle, and close to Rogers Trough, I raced ahead and turned on West Pinto Trail to go up to Iron Mountain, which looked like a much quicker detour than White, with a lot less off-trail. I mostly followed the official route, and it's efficient--basically straight up the south ridge. It was steep and loose, with a few brushy areas...for one brief stretch higher up, I ended up crawling under branches on all fours before it opened up again.
On top, I found the RMs and benchmark, and I'd brought a glass jar for a register. In a moment of exemplary coordination and grace, I dropped the jar as I pulled it out of my pack and shattered the top. Coincidentally, we'd had a random conversation earlier in the day about the pros/cons of glass vs. plastic. One of the major cons for glass, or course, is that it shatters. I'd carried it 17 miles, then broke it at the summit, practically on top of the Iron benchmark, and I could only laugh at the bit of irony on Iron Mountain . So I carried the shattered jar back down, and there's still no register up there.
The guide for Iron doesn't have many great things to say about the views, and based on the lack of triplogs it doesn't seem to get many visitors, but I guess the low expectations helped, because I enjoyed it. The Superstition Ridgeline, Weaver's Needle, Four Peaks, Mound and Pinto, the Pinals, Picketpost and many other landmarks are visible from the summit, along with Rogers Trough below.
Getting back down was reactively quick, sliding/surfing down multiple loose sections back to West Pinto, and it was nice to finally visit Iron Mountain--it's so close to Rogers Trough that it would never make sense as a standalone hike, so adding it onto this one worked well. Fun day, and somehow the second-to-last-day Renaissance Festival traffic didn't result in any slowdowns on the drive back. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
). We continued down Pinto Creek to Rock Creek and jumped on Bull Basin, stopping for a hydration break before turning around at the Rock Creek junction. Even though it was only 1.5 miles back to the truck, it was hot with it sitting at 97 degrees already, which is way above my threshold. On the way back down, we parked along the road to attempt to check out the Coon Spring Cave. After spending some time looking for the best route up to the entrance and trying a few that were not feasible, we called it, looking to come back when it's cooler out and my ankle is healed. Even though it was short, it was good to get out in the Supes again.
The original plan was to see if we couldn't successfully get underground and into a nearby cave...but figured we could stretch our legs first with a short walk, so we headed to the Miles TH to do just that.
Route 
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I was feezing and nearly turned around and went home. After about 10 minutes of snow, the sun poked through the clouds and warmed me up a bit so I continued on. Made it to the ridge pretty quickly and started the long climb down. The backside of the ridge was hit pretty hard by the Woodbury fire so alot of the manzanita that were here are gone, however, a TON of new growth is coming in. Once I got near Iron Mountain Spring I lost the trail trying to push through the thick brush near the wash but it was pretty easy to pick it back up again. From this point on the trail was pretty overgrown with Holly, Manzanita and Scrub Oak. All of it was wet from the rain the night before and all that water ended up soaking me. The trail was decent for most of the hike down, I only briefly lost it a couple times before picking it back up. As I got down near Pinto Creek the catclaw picked up and did it's damage to my legs, which always feels great. I headed upstream, over to the Silver Spur Cabin area to check out the remains, then headed down creek to continue on towards Crocket Spring. I noticed the clouds getting dark and as I was checking out a waterfall, I heard the first rumble of thunder. I started the long climb up and the thunder continued pretty consistently up near the ridge next to Iron Mountain. I stopped and hunkered down for a bit as the rain started coming down, which then turned to hail, so much for a 20% chance. 
Being on the side of a ridge during a thunderstorm in the hail is not on my list of top things to experience but unfortunately I've been in this situation a couple other times. After a bit, the storm moved away and I continued the climb up, but the sun came out and made it warm and humid. Long, slow climb out but uneventful. Did not see anyone the entire day as expected. Was finally able to complete the entire West Pinto Trail which brings me that much closer to completing every offical train in the Superstitions, besides the ridgline, I just have a couple small sections left. On the drive back down, about 2 miles from RT, I noticed a younger guy walking down the road with a backpack on. I asked him if he wanted a ride back down and he was much appreciative as no one else stopped to ask. Apparently he was from Nebreska and was going to hike the AZT section 19 when the hail came in and he decided to head back. We chatted on the drive down and met up with his ride further down the road. Just another fabulous day in the Supes even with the weather.
It also has great views, but not quite as good as Mound Mountain. The creek section has rugged beauty, but not quite as nice as Campaign Creek, Fish Creek, Frog Tanks or Rogers Canyon (to name a few others). I ascended the official route to the summit, but decided to descend the SE ridgeline to the Cuff Button Trail. It was a last minute decision after enjoying some liquid courage in the wind with the bee flies and ladybugs. The alternate route seemed like less of an interior Chaparral bushwhack, but it turned out to be worse lower since the Cuff Button Trail is in horrible shape. Lots of ripping and tearing Wait-a-minute bushes. By comparison, the Campaign Trail to the Pinto Divide is actually not too shabby! I hadn't noticed Wally's triplog about descending the SE ridgeline until after getting home. It definitely is a more direct route. At least I hiked some of a trail I hadn't done before and Jerky Spring was also kind of neat. Most of the bypasses along the West Pinto section are essentially worthless since there is a bunch of deadfall and thick, fresh vegetation. You also miss many of the good creek sections on the silly cairned diversions. I thought following the creek bed on my ascent route was much more enjoyable hiking. 
