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3 triplogs
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Feb 08 2020
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 Photos 361
 Triplogs 8

43 male
 Joined Jan 17 2016
 anthem, az
Hutch Mesa 5724 - Tonto NFCamp Verde, AZ
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Feb 08 2020
eaglelocTriplogs 8
Hiking3.10 Miles 970 AEG
Hiking3.10 Miles
970 ft AEG
 no routes
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Found a peak off of FR 58 that I liked for a potential ruin...was a long bumpy road that looked relatively untraveled but after almost an hour of seeing no one else, eventually seeing another old red Jeep coming back from the way I was heading in, I had some reassurance that I could keep driving down the path that google maps counts as a road for a bit longer.

Eventually I parked a bit south of Hutch Mesa and started my hiking, first at a steep peak that I wanted to look into, and then following the ridge to my main objective. I saw nothing at the first peak, then very small signs of crude walls along the ridge towards my destination, although they were very crude and near some old barbed wire fence making me think they could have been from a farmer, until a small circular ruin on the saddle gave me some increased hope.

Gradually the walls started to improve and finally I saw the main fortress walls on top of the peak that I had marked on my map a few years ago. In this case the research paid off. I saw no gyphs in the area and almost no pottery until arriving at the edges of the main ruin. The ruin appeared to have had about 6 rooms, but with no metates or glyphs, and given its high location with clear visibility towards all directions, this was likely less for living and more for defensive / communication purposes.

There were no other footprints, litter, or signs of humans in the area other than some old fencing near the area. The ruin wasn’t the best I’ve ever seen but the remote location and lack of recent disturbance in the area, along with great views and weather, made it a worthwhile experience.
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  2 archives
Dec 08 2012
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 Guides 4
 Routes 205
 Photos 9,282
 Triplogs 526

72 male
 Joined Apr 06 2005
 Phoenix, AZ
Hutch Mesa 5724 - Tonto NFCamp Verde, AZ
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Dec 08 2012
HansenazTriplogs 526
Hiking9.50 Miles
Hiking9.50 Miles   5 Hrs   30 Mns   1.73 mph
 
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Looked like an interesting area so I just went up to look around. The map shows the north trailing ridge of Hutch Mesa hits the Bloody Basin Rd. at ~5000' elevation and from there it doesn't look like much work to gain the mesa top.

It's about 17mi in from I-17 and there is an obvious parking area on the right side of the road (also a jeep road to somewhere (?) starts there).

It was straight forward walking up the ridge. A faint trail exists on the lower part and a little scrambling was needed in one place. As I got higher I wondered what to do? Look for the top! Well I walked to all the highpoints I could make out but didn't see anything resembling summit markings. When I got to the SE tip (which I reckoned to be the top -although I see now the topo map disagrees) I decided to build my own little cairn. I also decided to continue on to the satellite mesa further to the SE and from there on to the slightly higher mesa (5743) back to the SW.

This was all fine, nice views into the Verde Valley, north to Pine Mountain, and south and west toward interesting topography of many minor peaks and mesas. I had a snack on top of mesa 5743 and thought to myself that it was not surprising I hadn't found ancient habitation signs (other than one or two isolated pottery sherds). After all I was 1500-2000' higher than where the nearby Perry Mesans lived and pretty far from water. Anyway, as I started my return trip, a few minutes later I noticed a concentration of broken pottery pieces and a ring of rocks about 10' in dia. This is a pretty clear sign that there was an outpost on top of this mesa, possibly used to relay signals.

I retraced my path off of 5743 intersecting the jeep road that passes through the area. I walked the road back over Hutch Mesa and when it dropped down to the east I kept left on the ridge back to the car.
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Brooklyn Peak
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Nov 03 2002
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 Routes 36
 Photos 2,658
 Triplogs 1,347

67 male
 Joined Jul 28 2004
 Scottsdale, AZ
Hutch Mesa 5724 - Tonto NFCamp Verde, AZ
Camp Verde, AZ
Hiking avatar Nov 03 2002
mazatzalTriplogs 1,347
Hiking9.60 Miles 1,510 AEG
Hiking9.60 Miles   4 Hrs   40 Mns   2.06 mph
1,510 ft AEG
 no routesno photosets
1st trip
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
We walked along FR 58 and up to the summit of Hutch Mesa. We continued along FR 58 to Picnic Tank and then returned.
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average hiking speed 1.89 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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