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| Hiking | 4.01 Miles |
1,364 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.01 Miles | 1 Hour 45 Mns | | 2.29 mph |
| 1,364 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Tuesday, I was scheduled for my monthly Lunch With Mom in Casa Grande. Wednesday, was supposed to be watching Celtic F.C. at The Desmond in downtown Phoenix. Thursday, I intended to hike Webber Creek, at the base of the Mogollon Rim. But I didn’t think it would be fair to drag my loving & supportive wife hither & yon three straight days, so I asked if she minded leaving early to get a hike in early before Lunch With Mom?
Thankfully, she said “yes”. (The first time she said “yes”, I had to wait an hour for her answer.) 
Today, I travelled light: No poles, and a Camelbak in place of my full pack. Expecting good cellphone reception so close to I-8 and I-10, I didn’t see the need for any emergency gear. I want to travel light more often, since carrying a pack takes so much extra energy.
It was a good thing I brought my cellphone, as I forgot the batteries for my pocket camera. 
I started hiking east on Hanna St. about 7:40 a.m. It was quite rocky. Okay to walk, but would not want to drive it past the trailhead. At ⅓ mile, Bolt Trail splits right at the first memorial.
Bolt Trail is steep as all get out, ascending 724 ft. in under ⅔ mile. The climb is in three distinct sections: A very steep 328 ft. in .24 miles (26% grade), followed by what seems like a relatively flat 171 ft. in .22 miles (“only” 15%), then the kicker to finish of 225 ft. in .14 miles (30%). Overall, the equivalent of 1200 ft. in one mile. My weekly trip up North Mountain paid dividends: I did it non-stop, in only 23 minutes. 
At the top of the Bolt Trail climb, the trail splits: Left, down to the antenna farm, somewhat to the right, along the Casa Grande 2 contour, or more rightish 20 ft. up to the summit of Casa Grande 2 (aka Hill 2332). Up I went. Why? In Mallory’s famous words, because it was there.
The best route down is via cement antenna farm road, due to vastly better grip than Bolt Trail. If you called it a day from the top of Casa Grande 2, the round trip would be 2 miles, 850 AEG — a solid pre-work workout. Somehow, the antenna farm road seemed even steeper than Bolt Trail.
From the top of Casa Grande 2, I headed south along the ridgeline. The well-defined trail crosses several small hilltops and saddles. In ½ mile, the trail climbs 100 ft. in 200 yds. to the top of Casa Grande 1, aka Hill 2350, aka The Flagpole. Most people turn around after visiting The Flagpole. A round trip to The Flagpole is 3⅓ miles, 1,100 ft. AEG. However, it is only another ⅓ mile to the ridgeline’s final hilltop.
South of Casa Grande 1, the trail gets less distinct: A bit rockier, grass encroaching, and dotted with fallen cholla buds waiting to jump on your calves. Still, if you’ve spent any amount of time hiking in the Sonoran Desert, the final ⅓ mile is bueno.
Having arrived on the final ridgeline hilltop, I turned off my GoPro and started taking photos. Great views in all directions! But I did not dally, and light on my feet, moved quickly back along the ridgelinel to the antenna farm, then down to the trailhead.
No sodium and potassium restoring V-8 was waiting for me, so when my wife & I arrived at the Casa Grande Cracker Barrel, I started my Mom Lunch with a Bloody Mary. 
Hike Video: https://vimeo.com/762782564 |
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Wildflowers Observation None
No flowers, just those "hot pepper" looking hedgehg-type cactus. |
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| http://prestonm.com : Everyone's enjoyment of the outdoors is different and should be equally honored. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
Both memorials are sad but touching. Makes you want to appreciate the time we have. Noticed there was a trail that led to a flag a couple of peaks over, so I made my way over. Signed the summit log and enjoyed the views for bit. Air quality was very bad, but was still able to pick out some of the more recognizable landmarks. The ridge trail continued on to the south, but I opted to turn around at this point. Returned the way I came going down the Bolt trail. Noticed as I came down the Bolt a bunch of lines in the desert that appeared to be made out of stones. This was just west of the mountain and south of Hannah Rd. So when I got down to the bottom I walked over to this area and counted 17 distinct stone lines running parallel to each other. Not sure if this a byproduct of some defunct mining attempt or the remains of some bored early settler. Certainly doesn’t seek natural. Afterwards drove around to another TH on the other side of the mountain. They had a trail board with a map. Displayed quite a few trail. Exciting! But it looked kind of confusing too. Kind of reminds me of Thunderbird Park and how those trails are “organized”. Still….justification for repeat visits. 
decided that it would be a good idea to put a big heavy rock on top of all the prominent Cholla and Saguaros along the ridgeline trail...the plant guy in me could not stand for it. I must have pulled off a good 50-60 on the way back to the tower. It is not quite orange spray paint on rocks, but pretty close in my book. All in all a good day!
