Pinal Mountains 4X Super Loop • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Apr 04 2021
		AZOutdoorsman • Triplogs 128

Hiking	27.77 Miles	8,028 AEG

Hiking	27.77 Miles	12 Hrs 13 Mns		2.73 mph
	8,028 ft AEG	2 Hrs 3 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Final big training hike before Nankoweap in a couple weeks. Back to an old favorite! Started from the top to more closely simulate a GC hike (on a big, endurance hike it's always harder going up at the end of the day - as opposed to going down). It's a longer drive to the top, and I wanted the full day for the hike - so I drove up night before and sleep at the TH.

First Loop: From my parking at the top of Icehouse, I hiked the road over to Kellner. Down Kellner to Icehouse and it's junction with Telephone. Turned around and back up Icehouse to my truck at the top. Icehouse still has a fair amount of snow on the trail in the upper 1/2-mile or so. Crossed the only other person on the trail the entire day, a trail runner coming down IH as I was going up. Back at the truck I refueled my pack, changed socks, and had a sandwich.

Second Loop: Hiked the road the other direction over to Ferndell, down Telephone to the CCC TH at the bottom. Lots of people picnicking down there, rest for a few then headed back up on Sixshooter. Back at the truck another refuel, and switched to try out a new pair of shoes on some additional mileage/EC to the 4X.

Out and Back: Down Icehouse a couple miles to the Doghouse Spring area (were the old spring-bedframe is located) and back up before dark. Caught the last color of sunset before cleaning up to hit the road home.

An excellent day on Pinal! The new Coros Apex 46mm worked well, very accurate - a fun new toy. Has great battery life too, with 78% remaining after a 13 hour day running the GPS! Also impressed with the Hoka One Speedgoat I wore for the 4X! It will get the nod for Nankoweap.

_____________________

Mar 07 2021

AZOutdoorsman

Guides 4
Photos 2,275
Triplogs 128

male

Joined Jan 16 2004
Chandler, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Mar 07 2021
		AZOutdoorsman • Triplogs 128

Hiking	22.58 Miles	6,509 AEG

Hiking	22.58 Miles	9 Hrs 35 Mns		2.78 mph
	6,509 ft AEG	1 Hour 27 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Another training hike, returning to one I did back in the day for my R3 training. This time from the bottom as two separate loops with a lunch break in-between. Was surprised by the amount of snow still up there. Was hikable, but a little slower (maybe 45-60 minutes total) with 3 to 4 miles in the snow - very happy to have my poles.

First loop: up Ice House, across on the road, and then down Kellner.

Second Loop: up Telephone and then Ferndell to the road, back down on Six Shooter.

Great weather and a chance to hike with a couple of buddies I haven't seen in awhile due to choices around covid. No other hikers or wildlife were seen.

_____________________

2 archives

Oct 28 2017

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 28 2017
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	27.29 Miles	7,302 AEG

Hiking	27.29 Miles	12 Hrs 27 Mns	2.32 mph
	7,302 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Partners

partners

BiFrost

Third time is a charm. Yup, took three tries to finally complete the Super Loop.

Upper Icehouse is still my favorite. The trail is in great shape and lots and lots of crunchy leaves.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

_____________________

Oct 28 2017

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 28 2017
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	27.29 Miles	7,302 AEG

Hiking	27.29 Miles	12 Hrs 27 Mns	2.32 mph
	7,302 ft AEG	41 Mns Break

Linked

9 linked trail guides

Partners

partners

slowandsteady

We went up to Globe the night before to get an early start but even with that we still got late start. About an hour behind schedule we just assumed there would be some night hiking at the end. There is also a gate that is locked at night so we parked down the road which added some mileage.

Our route for the 4X was up Telephone Ridge to the road on top. Then hit Signal Peak and Pinal Peak walking the road between the two. Down to Ferndell Spring on trail #204 and the spring area which had some color but a bit past peak. From there down Six Shooter #197 trail which had some better stretches of foliage lower down and probably the nicest part of 4X. Six Shooter back to the vehicle where we had some lunch and resupply for the second half.

At this point we were at 16 miles so second half was shorter but it was also 230. We headed up Icehouse Canyon Trail #198 with upper Icehouse being the most fall scenic similar to Six Shooter but still past peak. Trail was in good shape and arrived at the road for the easy walk over to Kellner Canyon Trail #242. Down Kellner was relatively easy section with our only obstacle being hiking final stretch in the dark. We managed to get most of way down Kellner before dark but ended up with about hour and half night hike.

It was interesting to see these trails post fire. There has been quite a bit of trail maintenance on all the trails to varying degrees. Kellner had probably the most impressive work in the middle 2 miles which experienced severe burn. Also most of the severe fire damage is in the lower half of the mountain with the top showing only patchy damage at most. Looks like the work is still in progress so hopefully they will be able to work on the worst wash outs and erosion.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
Past peak but there was still some good color in upper Six Shooter and Icehouse. Mostly maples with a few aspens hanging on.

	Ferndell Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	the trough was full with nice clear water

_____________________

2 archives

Oct 15 2016

toddak

Guides 13
Routes 38
Photos 1,651
Triplogs 577

60 male

Joined Nov 15 2005
Jackson, CA

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 15 2016
		toddak • Triplogs 577

Hiking	19.50 Miles	5,000 AEG

Hiking	19.50 Miles	9 Hrs	2.17 mph
	5,000 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

none

no partners

Didn't do the full 4X but I hit most of the trails in this impressive network. Up Six Shooter, down upper Telephone to the midway junction, back up Ice House, 651 road walk west, down Kellner, back up Ice House and down lower Telephone. Upper Ice House had the best Fall colors, but I thought Six Shooter was by far the best trail in the system. Nice to run into the HAZ all-star crew out there!

_____________________

Oct 18 2014

The_Eagle

Guides 41
Routes 1,626
Photos 14,983
Triplogs 2,762

69 male

Joined Jan 20 2009
Far NE Phoenix,

Pinal 4X - 4th Annual, AZ

Hiking		Oct 18 2014
		The_Eagle • Triplogs 2,762

Hiking	25.74 Miles	7,251 AEG

Hiking	25.74 Miles	11 Hrs 45 Mns		2.48 mph
	7,251 ft AEG	1 Hour 23 Mns Break	16 LBS Pack

Linked

10 linked trail guides

Pipeline Trail #193 - Pinal

Telephone Ridge Trail - Pinals

Partners

partners

	azdesertfather	FOTG
	Grimey	joebartels
	rayhuston

First time hiking in Joe's Pinal-A-Palooza death march.

Met a HAZ'er Grimey-Dave (Great to meet you),
Saw AZDesertfather-Dave for the first time in a long time.
Hiked with Widowmaker-Larry, boywithdogs-Lee again
and finally got to hike in the same direction with rayhouston-Ray

After we got past Joe's shortcut and arrived a smidge late to the TH, we began Hiking a bit after 6:15.

The Telephone Trail #192 is not my favorite trail in the area. If you like a Loose, > Steep, Bulldozer cut, then this is the trail for you. I'm amazed the the power shovel will work on grades like that, without tipping over. ETA for completion the Pinal Mountain Cable Replacement, June 2016 (Just under 3 years total).

Splitting from the group, I led Dave

and boywithdogs over to the Pipeline Trail #193 and then the Middle Trail #202 to get to Pinal Peak. We spent a few minutes by the towers and then I wanted to show them the Rock Ladder.

Next it was the Ferndell Trail #204 to meet up with the rest of the gang. First time on this one and it was IMHO the more scenic way to get over to Six Shooter from the peak.

After stopping at Ferndell Spring to water the dogs and himself, Lee and Dave felt the need for speed and decided to run down Six Shooter #197. Never Saw Dave again the rest of the day. Me on the other hand put the camera to work. The foliage was so thick at Ferndell Spring, it almost choked out the light

. There were a few larger pockets of extreme color, but next weekend should be prime.

I caught up to Joe, Ray, Larry and the Dave (Grimey) on the way down and then Lee at the parking area for some lunch.

Up Icehouse Canyon #198 was a slog until just after the Kellner intersection. That's when we got some much needed shade. The rest of the way up was under the canopy, with more pockets of vibrant color.

Down Kellner Canyon Trail #242 for the first time for me. It was unique from the other trails up there.
Spent a bit of time checking out the big Steel Wheel thingy, Steel plated boiler and some of the other artifacts up top. Great views with the fading sun on the way down and to the truck before dark.

Temps on the day ranged from 53 in the morning, to 92 (sun aided) starting after lunch, back down to 59 up top, to 68 when we finished.

Thanks for putting this together Senior Gumdrop and for driving.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Boiler

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

Dog House Spring

Dripping

	Ferndell Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Plenty of Clear cool Water

_____________________

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

3 archives

Oct 18 2014

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 18 2014
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	22.80 Miles	6,500 AEG

Hiking	22.80 Miles	11 Hrs 46 Mns		2.22 mph
	6,500 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	azdesertfather	FOTG
	Grimey	rayhuston
	The_Eagle

Another great year. Scheduled a good week earlier this year in hopes of seeing Icehouse in full glory. No dice. Larry's Bonsai was just breaking green. Ferndell never disappoints.

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate
5-7 days to peak for the majority. Due to varied elevations and pockets there should be something hitting somewhere between now and the end of October.

_____________________

- joe

Oct 27 2013

BiFrost

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 2012
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2013
		BiFrost • Triplogs 1,257

Hiking	15.50 Miles	4,300 AEG

Hiking	15.50 Miles	7 Hrs 15 Mns	2.48 mph
	4,300 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	Dave1	joebartels
	slowandsteady	trekkin_gecko

Met up with the crew Dave, Joe, Larry and Kelly to do the Pinal 4X Super Loop. We ended up doing only 15 miles of the loop while the rest finished the whole 4X. We still had a good autumn show in Six Shooter Canyon but did miss out on meeting up with Randy and Chumley and seeing Dave eat half his body weight in Mexican food

Very nice on top with cool temps on Signal and Pinal Peaks. Six Shooter canyon had quite the autumn display going and a good trail coming down. Once we reached the bottom had lunch with everyone and said goodbye as they were heading back up to complete the 4X. Good to hike with Dave and Larry for the first time...hopefully next year we will have the energy to do the entire 4X loop.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fire Lookout Structures

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Ferndell Spring Signal Peak Lookout Tower

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
mostly Maples and Sycamore

_____________________

Oct 27 2013

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2013
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Hiking	26.00 Miles	7,200 AEG

Hiking	26.00 Miles
	7,200 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	joebartels
	slowandsteady	trekkin_gecko

Great hike! Nice to meet some new HAZzers! Wasn't really feeling the second loop as it was getting late but good thing Joe is a real slave driver. I was glad we did it when it was over. Thanks for driving, Joe!

_____________________

Oct 27 2013

slowandsteady

Routes 67
Photos 966
Triplogs 694

51 female

Joined Jan 05 2012
Phoenix,AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2013
		slowandsteady • Triplogs 694

Hiking	15.50 Miles	4,300 AEG

Hiking	15.50 Miles	7 Hrs 15 Mns	2.48 mph
	4,300 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	Dave1
	joebartels	trekkin_gecko

Karl and I opted for the Fun Run portion of this Marathon in the Pinal's!

_____________________

Oct 27 2013

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2013
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	26.52 Miles	7,534 AEG

Hiking	26.52 Miles	11 Hrs 3 Mns	2.78 mph
	7,534 ft AEG	1 Hour 30 Mns Break

Linked

[ checklist ] KGRX-FM (Globe) Pinal Mountains Pinal Peak Signal Peak Signal Peak Lookout Tower

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	chumley
	Dave1	joebartels
	slowandsteady

nice of joe to post this hike on a sunday
did it with joe and johnlp two years ago, but missed out last year

started earlier this time on a perfect fall day
had to park lower as the gate wasn't open yet
up telephone ridge to the road - some steep areas on this trail, and part of it was torn up because of work on the cable system
hit signal and pinal peaks
my first time on signal, which has a tower and the best views
down sixshooter canyon
good color in certain areas and deep in the canyon
lower down, the sycamore leaves were bright yellow
lunched at the trucks, then moved to the ccc area as the nice new host said he would wait for us before closing the gate
had a note from randy on my windshield, letting us know that he was on the mountain and would see us on the road at the top
joe had one from chumley with his plan for the icehouse/kellner loop
said goodbye to kathy and karl, then headed up telephone (again - we all missed a turn) to the intersection with icehouse
didn't miss much as the lower part of icehouse isn't all that interesting
upper icehouse was stunning in places with canyon walls nicely colored, the forest floor carpeted and a good breeze swirling freshly fallen leaves
topped out on 651 to find randy and chumley waiting for us and after a few minutes chatting, we headed down the road to kellner canyon
not as much to photograph so we just kept moving
might have been motivated by randy's suggestion of mexican food
chumley took off and we found randy at the trailhead
nice dinner at guayo's el rey with the gang
dave outdid himself - i was impressed with the volume of food he consumed
nice to meet chumley, see randy again, hike with kathy and karl again, and meet and hike with larryayala
this was my longest hike and most aeg in one day

was concerned about making it as late as friday due to some nagging aches and pains, but everything seemed fine
beautiful day, great company and mexican food after? pretty nice

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Sunrise

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
sixshooter and icehouse were the show
a little past prime, but plenty to admire

	Ferndell Spring	Dripping	Dripping
	box was full water running from the pipe

_____________________

hazhole

Oct 27 2013

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 27 2013
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	26.60 Miles	7,367 AEG

Hiking	26.60 Miles	11 Hrs 37 Mns		2.44 mph
	7,367 ft AEG	42 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

7 linked trail guides

Partners

partners

HAZ - Event

	BiFrost	chumley
	Dave1	rwstorm
	slowandsteady	trekkin_gecko

3rd Annual PX4

This year offered up deeper hues, crispy leaves and thicker blankets obscuring the trails. Temperatures where storybook throughout. Karl & Kathy tagged along on the first loop after a decent sized hike the previous day. Kelly requested both Signal & Pinal peaks this year so this was PX4+2PKS.

We parked 0.4mi outside the gate for the first loop. After two years of dealing with a grumpy recreation site host a friendly guy has taken over! With no stern warning to be out by 5pm we moved in closer for the second loop. Lunch went down without a hitch. Kelly gave Dave a slice of pizza. Without wasting a nano second, Dave magically wolfed down a mysterious "bite".

Randy & CHUMS were reportedly on Pinal. Dave1 was more in 2 mode and suggested 2.68 billion times of forfeiting the second half. Kelly and Larry set him straight. K² parted ways and we headed up Ice House. Errr... missed the turn, make that Telephone again...lol No worries as it meets Ice midway up. This added a trivial 0.2 mi / 50 ft. Yet better than backtracking and losing a precious 600 ft at the time.

Six Shooter is usually the show. Today upper Ice was my fav. Since jlp switched over to canal patrol he wasn't behind us cracking the stopwatch whip. Leaves were a good 2 inches deep for the final mile. Light through the trees was sweet and sassy.

Last year Dave tried to push "coati" on us claiming the "mundi" is silent. Larry fixed that BS... it's just "mundi", the "coati" is silent.

Topping out on Ice we met CHUMS and Randy. I'd suggested we ride down with Randy but Kelly wasn't interested in the wuss out option. Didn't get as much love out of Kellner this year. CHUMS set a ridiculous morning hike type of pace. Halfway down he turned on the afterburner. We changed the hike to a more relaxed mourning pace!

We followed Randy into what Larry calls LeBron James home town for a post hike mex-americana feast. Dave ordered roughly half his total body weight shocking us all.

Fun day. Great to meet Kathy & see Karl again. Kelly wasn't sure about a big hike but showed us all up. Larry didn't miss a step on the biggest hike of his life. CHUMS got us out before dark. Always good to see Randy. Dave laughed at a bad joke ( we were all tired, Kelly laughed too then punished herself immediately ) so he's okay in my book too.

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Signal Peak

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial
5 to 7 days past, still very nice in areas.

_____________________

- joe

Oct 21 2012

Dave1

Routes 29
Photos 1,548
Triplogs 1,802

49 male

Joined Jan 25 2009
Phoenix, AZ

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 21 2012
		Dave1 • Triplogs 1,802

Hiking	24.00 Miles	6,870 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns		2.97 mph
	6,870 ft AEG	58 Mns Break	8 LBS Pack

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Group

joebartels

johnlp

The day started early with Joe picking me up in Bigfoot Jr. at oh dark thirty. His good driving skills allowed him to avoid the random gun fire over here on the west siiiide. I had him slow down just enough for me to jump in. This technique allowed him to avoid getting his truck tagged. We met up with John at his favorite after school hang out, the Fiesta Mall. My mom told me never to accept rides from a guy with a van but this one seemed legit.

We hit the Telephone Trail at 7am. Nice and cool at the start and temps continued to drop all the way up. We spotted two nasua naricas playing in the trees. They weren't as excited to see us and made a hasty exit (while letting out a few grunts). Somehow we got disconnected from the tele and ended up on a steep jeep road. No problem, a tarantula sighting made up for it.

Once at the top, we took some radiation readings off of the antenna array and then went down Six Shooter. At the bottom we took a nice lunch break in John's shaggin waggin. I tried to nap but couldn't get comfortable on the water bed. We were back on trail by noon-thirty and Joe set a blistering pace up Ice House! We hauled balls all the way up, easily setting a new speed record for this trail! The rest of the day was spent at a more mellow pace. Speaking of Mellow Yellow: John is so fast, he was able to take a bathroom break on the trail yet he never dropped more than a few feet from behind me!

Highlights are blonde streaks in my hair. I really dig this area, especially the thick forested sections. You just don't see much of that in Phoenix. I think the main reason these two wanted to do this hike was to view the foliage. Unfortunately we were too late as most of the leaves lost their green luster and were turning brown and falling off. Better luck next time, fellas.

Great hike! Thanks for the rides, Joe and John! :FG:

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coatimundi Tarantula White Tailed Deer

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

_____________________

Oct 21 2012

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 21 2012
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	24.00 Miles	6,870 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns	2.97 mph
	6,870 ft AEG	58 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

Dave1

joebartels

Second annual foliage hike in the Pinals. Always a pleasure to hike with Dave and Joe! Nice fall colors on the upper parts of the trails. We made good time on the uphill parts of the hike. Joe was in Tibber mode until he decided to take us up the second ascent (Icehouse)in record time. Dave stayed a step behind Joe without breaking a sweat, while I was huffing and puffing to keep up. The steeper the trail got the faster Joe went, kind of running at times. Felt good to get the uphill out of the way and head back down Kellner Canyon. Highlight of the trip for me was seeing a bunch of Coatis. We watched a baby go tree to tree above us like a squirrel. We also saw a dozen or so whitetailed deer during the day. No tortoise sighting though

. We stopped at Guayos on the way home for dinner. Good times.

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Tarantula Teva

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

1 archive

Oct 21 2012

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 21 2012
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	24.00 Miles	6,870 AEG

Hiking	24.00 Miles	9 Hrs 3 Mns		2.97 mph
	6,870 ft AEG	58 Mns Break	10 LBS Pack

Linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Group

Dave1

johnlp

Another great Autumn on the 4x. The weather was outstanding. I thought this year was dynamite foliage wise. Believe you'd have to be here mid Oct to get more bang on Icehouse. Several deer and a Coatimundi pack topped the fauna sightings. Missed a turn on Telephone and finally got to experience Telephone Ridge. Hope Kelly mends for the next 4x!

John busted out the whip pushing Dave and I up Icehouse :sweat:

3.85mi / 2870ft after Telephone/Sixshooter Loop
2011 - 1:41
2012 - 1:19

Better eat your Wheaties if you wanna hang with these two. Pack light, one Wheaty max!

The Silent Mundi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9BVRFDy ... e=youtu.be

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] White Tailed Deer

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Substantial

_____________________

- joe

Oct 30 2011

johnlp

Guides 1
Routes 14
Photos 7,202
Triplogs 5,208

68 male

Joined Mar 16 2008
chandler,az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 30 2011
		johnlp • Triplogs 5,208

Hiking	23.79 Miles	6,906 AEG

Hiking	23.79 Miles	9 Hrs 24 Mns	2.86 mph
	6,906 ft AEG	1 Hour 5 Mns Break

no routes

Linked

linked

Partners

partners

joebartels

trekkin_gecko

Been wanting to go hike the Pinals in October for some time. What better way to see all the fall colors than to hike all four major trails in a row, including Pinal Peak. Each trail has similarities and unique differences. The scenery ever changing. Very cool. Joe is the sites webmaster and also does a bit of hiking, like 31 miles the day before. :worthy:

He kicked it into high gear on our second ascent on the Icehouse trail and we finished that segment a half hour ahead of schedule! That gave him time to teach me to crochet! Thanks Joe. Our goal was not to hike in the dark. We completed our task 45 minutes before dark. Many thanks to Kelly and Joe for joining me on this epic hike, and Kelly for the awesome dinner!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

_____________________

“Good people drink good beer.” Hunter S Thompson

1 archive

Oct 30 2011

trekkin_gecko

Guides 10
Routes 673
Photos 7,281
Triplogs 4,660

67 female

Joined Nov 17 2008
phoenix, az

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 30 2011
		trekkin_gecko • Triplogs 4,660

Hiking	23.90 Miles	6,900 AEG

Hiking	23.90 Miles	9 Hrs 20 Mns	2.90 mph
	6,900 ft AEG	1 Hour 5 Mns Break

Linked

Partners

partners

joebartels

johnlp

this was the most challenging hike i've done yet
longest mileage, highest AEG, longest time spent hiking
my only trip to the pinals was an up and back on sixshooter many years ago, and i've been wanting to get back there
in browsing the other trails, saw the triplog for all four trails in a double decker loop
john and i thought it might be doable
with fall color in season, it was on
we were a little concerned about available daylight, given my work schedule, so signal peak didn't make the cut
enjoyed all four trails, some more than others, and some parts more than others, but each unique and challenging
went up telephone, hooked in to sixshooter up to pinal peak, then back down sixshooter
had a quick lunch at the CCC area, then headed up icehouse, west on the road and back down kellner
first loop 13 plus, second loop 10 plus miles
while not an overall explosion of color, there were lots of pockets in the drainages and on the slopes to appreciate and photograph
really nice around ferndell spring, and along sixshooter and icehouse
aspens near the top added wonderful visual contrast
the climb up icehouse was a good one once you got into the pines
the bottom of sixshooter wasn't as much of a grind as i remembered
kellner canyon was a nice change in that it was open and shallow with different vegetation
all four trails offered miles of hiking on a soft bed of pine needles and fallen leaves in the upper regions
there were also long stretches on pine cones and rocks to watch out for
this was a great hike, and i can see it becoming an annual mission
good to meet and hike with joe
i don't know how he did this after his grand canyon trip yesterday
always enjoy hiking with john, and thanks for driving
had a great meal at guayo's elrey in miami and i went home happy with a big full tummy
thanks, guys!

_____________________

hazhole

Oct 30 2011

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

55 male

Joined Nov 20 1996

Globe, AZ

Hiking		Oct 30 2011
		joebartels • Triplogs 5,894

Hiking	23.79 Miles	6,906 AEG

Hiking	23.79 Miles	9 Hrs 24 Mns		2.86 mph
	6,906 ft AEG	1 Hour 5 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

Linked

Partners

partners

HAZ - Group

johnlp

trekkin_gecko

John mentioned doing the four majors at Pinal and I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Slept in comparatively to most larger scale hikes, saw it all and got home well before midnight... the secret is to just go with John and Kelly and hang on for the 3.0 moving or 2.6 overall average with breaks

Up Telephone to Pinal Peak, down Six Shooter. Quick and tasty lunch. Up Icehouse, down Kellner. I'm glad Darrell posted this one, it's my kind of hike!

I'll go with "Moderate" on foliage. There is a lot. Interesting that some of the lower elevation oaks have turned and lost all their leaves while large stands at the top are still green... what? Most of the maples are past prime and the leaves are drying up, yet virtually all the aspens still have their leaves... what? Don't get me wrong, it is beautiful. I've just seen this place in jaw dropping mode and today it was in nice mode. The extended summer is likely the issue. It's almost as if a cold rain hit a swath yet didn't hit the peak or something?

No bike ramps anymore. Very few people. Quite the adventure. My legs were pretty tired coming down the fourth leg Kellner.

These are all fab trails and I've done them in the past. I'm not as big of a fan as Lyding but I do like them in foliage! Just walking through the leaves is therapy.

The company was top notch! Great to meet Kelly. I'm not just saying that cause she offered to carry my pack, agreed that John should give me a piggy back ride down and then bought dinner. One and two never panned out but dinner was yummy

Thanks guys, appreciate the fun day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPj0AmDMEV8

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Coral Bells

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

Autumn Foliage Observation Moderate

_____________________

- joe

Sep 16 2010

AZOutdoorsman

Guides 4
Photos 2,275
Triplogs 128

male

Joined Jan 16 2004
Chandler, AZ